It was nothing short of a Big Red lovefest. There was President Skorton in the heart of Manhattan, champagne glass in hand and surrounded by all the big names in the Cornell power structure. The Capital Campaign is flourishing, Skorton told them, and Cipriani’s roof nearly flew off for all the jubilation. It was, as The Chronicle put it, a “magical” night.
That was the scene last Friday in New York City, where Skorton and the rest of the crew got together to celebrate a serious turn for the better in Cornell’s quest for $4 billion. We’re halfway there, as it turns out, and the rest of the money will be here in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. $225 million of the campaign’s eventual revenue will even be earmarked toward financial aid, a touchy subject these days that Cornell has just addressed by guaranteeing loan-free tuition to families whose annual income is below $75,000 a year. So, the Big Red is making money, and the financial aid failures that have lately besmirched our Ivy League reputation will soon be reversed. Things are looking up — or so says C.U.
All this excitement, though, has us a little worried. More and more, Cornell seems to be engaging in what Joe Nocera of The New York Times has called a virtual arms race among the best universities in the country. We don’t deny that the Capital Campaign will make this a better research institution, but the story doesn’t end there. With high-powered champagne toasts and ever-bigger dollar signs, the campaign will also convince prospective students and faculty that Cornell belongs in the big leagues.
Cornell has tried to keep up with the Harvards again this week by telling us all about its new and improved financial aid policy. The announcement comes on the heels of a financial aid revolution of sorts within the Ivy League. Schools like Harvard, Yale and Princeton are upping the ante, and Cornell feels the pressure to make a similar effort.
Calling Harvard and Yale our “peer” institutions, though, is kind of a stretch. With more than three times the number of undergraduates, billions less in endowment and three land-grant colleges to boot, Cornell is really in a league of its own. And while Capital Campaigns and financial aid improvements will help Cornell meet the standard within its own football conference, it might be time for the Big Red to remember what sets it apart.
No doubt, the time has come for a better financial aid program at C.U., but it shouldn’t take the Harvards and Yales of the world to get Cornell moving forward. If the Big Red plans to pattern its behavior after the rest of the Ivy League, the powers that be might want to rethink what this University is all about. We’re excited about the Capital Campaign, and we’re glad that C.U. is finally paying better attention to financial aid, but we’ve had enough of the culture of catch-up that seems to prevail these days among the Cornell Administration. Cornell is unique, and it should be a leader, not a follower, in the academic community. Now that’s something to toast to.