Cornell President David Skorton talks about the importance of student involvement in all aspects of the political process.

Cornell President David Skorton says that in all aspects of America life — from social media to politics — a lack of civility defines our interactions with each other.

Cornell President David Skorton talks about various aspects of the University's unique architecture.

President Skorton sends a dispatch from the bowel of Donlon Hall, and offers his beginning of the semester update.

On the last week of classes, President David Skorton reflects on a trying year, and encourages students to make the most out of their summer breaks.

In the midst of any life challenge, we must look toward the future and define our way forward.  This is true of individuals, it’s true of institutions, it’s true of Cornell.  We have had a very challenging year on the Hill, with austere budgets, reorganizations and, most difficult, the loss of students. 

Recently, a few of the nation’s top colleges and universities have begun to adjust their need-based student aid programs to reflect difficult budgetary realities. Despite our own budget pressures, Cornell is resisting this trend because providing an extraordinary academic environment for the most promising students from all backgrounds is one of our foundational principles and fundamental values: along with a diverse faculty and staff, a diverse student body enhances the Cornell experience for all.

It has been nearly three weeks since the devastating earthquake struck Haiti, and we continue to be moved by the unfathomable devastation, by the loss of life and the dislocation of so many.

One of my highest priorities as president is to ensure that Cornell admits and enrolls students of all backgrounds — and helps them succeed. We are making progress, especially at the undergraduate level. Through more effective recruitment and greatly enhanced need-based financial aid, the class of 2013 is the most racially diverse group in our university’s history. We are also proud of the economic diversity of our student body, which ranks seventh among the nation’s top schools in Pell Grant recipients, according to the 2010 US News & World Report.

It appears we are succeeding in increasing contact among students of different backgrounds on campus. According to the Cornell PULSE (Perceptions of Undergraduate Life and Student Experiences) survey, administered in March 2009, well over half of all undergraduate students, including underrepresented minority students, felt that their experience at Cornell contributed significantly to their skill in working effectively with others and had a positive influence on their ability to relate well to people of different races, nations and religions. The vast majority of students also reported having frequent conversations with students who differed from them in race, ethnicity and political beliefs.

You may think of the president as the “boss” of Cornell University but, believe me, I have many to whom I “report”: de jure, the Board of Trustees and de facto, the students, faculty, staff, parents and alumni of Cornell.