Alumni wonder if bigger is better
Alumni wonder if bigger is better
Having read the article about the Cornell Master Plan ("Looking Ahead," July/ August 2008), all I can say is that I feel somewhat overwhelmed. The Cornell I attended in the early Sixties was huge, but we somehow managed to change from one class to another in the allotted ten minutes. The map of the enlarged campus envisioned by the Master Plan makes that look like an impossibility for some combinations of classrooms.
I guess my main problem in digesting all this lies with the notion that bigger is better. While not necessarily subscribing to that philosophy, I do find it comforting that present-day planners are trying to live up to Ezra's desire to educate any person in any study. Obviously, that can't be accomplished in a one-room schoolhouse.
Dave Bridgeman '65
San Jacinto, California
Bigger is not always better! I am surprised that the Master Plan does not include such items as placing buildings over the gorges (probably with glass bottoms), thus showing "advanced planning." Cornell cannot be everything to everyone; the Master Plan needs to have less emphasis on physical properties and more emphasis on what the Cornell of the future should be. After that, refurbish or add a limited number of physical properties to meet the need.
William Gibson '48
Danville, California
Last year, President Skorton committed the University to achieving climate neutrality for the campus by the year 2050, which means zero net emissions of greenhouse gases (principally carbon dioxide). This is an ambitious but probably impossible goal—and progress toward climate neutrality is made much more difficult by the continued expansion of facilities. The Cornell Master Plan shows that many new buildings may be built, filling in open spaces along Tower Road and on Hoy Field. This seems to be a continuation of the trend that has added about 1 million square feet of buildings every decade. Is this much more space really needed to maintain Cornell's reputation as a top teaching and research institution? Could-n't most new academic projects be accommodated by renovating existing buildings, since student enrollment is projected to stay about the same?
Peter Harriott '48
Ithaca, New York
It was rather hard to orient oneself from the illustrations in the magazine, but I am disheartened—apparently there is to be very little open space left near the center of a campus that appears to go on and on and on. (In addition, so far as I could tell there isn't any clear reason given for all the expansion.) I know that an Ivy League campus may no longer look idyllic—and some never did—but the danger is that Cornell will resemble one of the admittedly excellent but mammoth state universities, even though it has less than half the population of many of them and does not expect to grow that much.
Janet Senderowitz Loengard '55
Bernardsville, New Jersey
I came to Cornell in 1953 and was instantly absorbed into its elms, buildings, and vitality. I've seen the architectural evolution and the expansion of the built-up campus perimeter. It won't stop!
A symbolic step to preserve Cornell's history in future structures would be to take a brick or stone from one of the original buildings and include it in the cornerstone of each new building, with an appropriate reference on the new cornerstone. This bit of historic "pollination" would help to answer someone's question in 2108: "Where did this enterprise begin?"
Paul Snare '56, MBA '58
University Place, Washington
Earned Honors
Re: "Standing on Principle" and "Degrees of Separation" (July/August 2008): As I read about the Faculty Senate's vote to reject the request of Weill Cornell Medical College for the granting of honorary degrees, a large smile came on my face, as they had reaffirmed one of the things that makes Cornell special. I find the practice of giving large donors or politicians such honors cheapens the sacrifices and hard work of the graduates. But I was disgusted when, a few pages later, I saw a picture from the commencement of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, showing the first lady of Qatar getting gifts that appeared equivalent to an honorary degree. While I have no basis for commenting on her support of the medical school, it seemed to be contrary to the spirit of the decision of the Faculty Senate.
Bruce Schneider '78
Westport, Connecticut
At a dinner in California a few years ago, Bill Clinton was the partner of a Cornell alum who is close to me. Reportedly, when the topic of Cornell came up President Clinton said, "Did you know that Cornell University does not award honorary degrees?" He was impressed by our mandate that diplomas must be earned and mentioned that he had been the Cornell convocation speaker a few years earlier. The fact that our policy about honorary degrees remained in the memory of a former President of the United States tells us something about how wonderfully impressive our commitment to the earned Cornell diploma is.
Alice Katz Berglas '66
Co-President, Class of 1966
New York, New York
Collection Caveat
Re: "National Treasures" (Cornelliana, May/June 2008): While I respect Tom Carroll, PhD '51, for placing his collection in the public domain by donating it to the Johnson Museum, it should be recognized that collections of this type, bought on the open market, have limited usefulness for academic study. Even when collected and exported legally, items bought from street vendors and at markets have lost their provenance and offer no clues as to their original context. While information may be gleaned from the pieces' iconography or from scientific analysis of their composition and construction, the study of ancient cultures benefits most when objects have context, which comes only from legal archaeological excavation. Cornell, as a leading academic institution with a strong archaeology department, should be a leader in ensuring that collections it receives are properly documented.
Rachael Perkins Arenstein '92
Scarsdale, New York
Corrections—July/August 2008
Wines of the Finger Lakes, Featured Selection, page 20: Due to an editing error, we stated that Ventosa Vineyards had planted twenty-three acres of Tocai Friulano grapes. The correct amount is three acres.
Legacies, page 103: Charles Whittaker, listed as a fourth-generation Cornellian, is actually a fifth-generation Cornellian. His great-great-grandfather was Leonard H. Vaughan, Class of 1902.