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The Times They Are A-Changin’

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Slope Song

October at Cornell means peak apple-picking season, a (supposed) drop in temperatures, a red-orange-yellow explosion all over the Quads and surrounding hills and the return to Ithaca of our alumni, both young and old. Over both the past weekend and the one before, Cornellians of all ages could be seen roaming campus and Collegetown with looks of nostalgia, recalling the moments and faces that comprised their Cornell experiences.

The University’s focus during this year’s Homecoming and Trustee-Council Weekends, however, was not turned towards the past, but to Cornell’s future and “Far Above” — the capital campaign. The current campaign was officially launched at last year’s Trustee-Council Weekend, and expects to be completed by 2012. Its stated goals include becoming the best research university for undergraduate education, setting the standard for interdisciplinary collaboration in areas of critical social importance and being the land grant institution to the world. As of last week, the University has raised almost $1.8 billion (over $1 billion for the Ithaca campus alone) of its $4 billion goal.

Cornell’s campaign coincides with a national debate on the purpose and state of higher education, as well as the evolution of the traditional life cycle in American society. The New York Times Magazine three weeks ago focused exclusively on the college experience, from the admissions process to graduation. The magazine included commentary by Columbia University Prof. Andrew Delbanco that examines national public opinion of higher education (which he says is “an unhealthy mixture of desire and distrust”) and whether modern universities have transformed into profit-driven corporations. Prof. Delbanco believes “less and less” differentiates institutions of higher education from corporations, and cites big science, global positioning, expansion into their surrounding neighborhoods and a reduction in attention to individual students as evidence. He does, however, also report good news from many of the nation’s universities: an increased commitment to serving as engines of social mobility, the growing acceptance of nontraditional students, the return of core curriculums and a “growing emphasis on service-learning” — experiences that instill a commitment in students to “live a life of civic engagement.”

The goals of “Far Above” share Delbanco’s view on the needs of students in the 21st century: the campaign’s first priority focuses exclusively on students — using funds to provide access to educational opportunities regardless of background, to balance intellectual development with public service, to inspire learning inside and outside the classroom and to strengthen a global perspective. These are all necessary tools as our generation embarks on “adultalescence” and our “Odyssey Years” — a decade of wandering that occurs between adolescence and adulthood, coined by New York Times columnist David Brooks. Graduation is no longer necessarily the one-way ticket to a specific niche in the job market, but rather, it is the passport needed for whichever destination we choose: a corporation, a fellowship, an opportunity abroad, a non-profit organization.

Delbanco’s greatest concern with modern universities is their observed shift of focus from truly educating individual students to output, reputation and image — a transition he compares to healthcare in America. A continued commitment to the individual undergraduate and graduate experience at Cornell will ensure the University avoids joining such a trend. And while Delbanco is wary of “big science” and the “global perspective,” it is pivotal Cornell continues pursuing research and education, as long as the students aren’t lost in the shuffle — or even better, as long as the students serve an integral role in the development of new technologies and methods. Cornell’s role as New York’s land grant institution also invests the University with a responsibility to bettering the lives of the state’s citizens — expanding to surrounding areas is not necessarily a display of hegemony. It does, however, require consideration of and an open dialogue with neighboring individuals and organizations.

In anticipation of The College Issue, the New York Times Magazine published an article by Rick Perlstein, titled “What’s the Matter with College?” in July and invited college students to respond in a contest. Perlstein rails against the modern university, stating that “College as America used to understand it is coming to an end,” and students, even student activists, are just cogs in the university machine; he mourns the loss of individualism and creativity on college campuses. (Hundreds of college students responded to his charge; you can search and read these responses online, including entries by Cornell students.)

Perlstein is right. The college experience has changed fundamentally since the 1960’s and 70s, and is unlikely to ever revert back. This, however, is a good and expected phenomenon. Universities, especially Cornell, strive to be both the receiver of the world’s contemporary issues and problems and the producer of new solutions and methods. The world has changed — it is now more interconnected with a global perspective — since Perlstein and the Baby Boomers were in college, and universities have responded accordingly.

“Far Above” anticipates further changes in the structure and composition of the global economy and attempts to best prepare Cornell for its place within it. As students, alumni, faculty and staff spend October examining what Cornell was, is and will be, it is important to take into account that both the role of the university and American society have changed, presenting new opportunities and situations for Cornell.

Elana Beale is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be contacted at ebeale@cornellsun.com. Slope Song appears alternate Mondays.

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