The Cornell Daily Sun - News

Interim Provost David Harris Speaks About Replacing Martin

Donial Dastgir — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:29:18 -0400

As Provost Biddy Martin leaves Cornell to assume the chancellorship position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Cornell has begun to search for her replacement. In the meantime, President David Skorton has appointed David Harris, deputy provost and vice-provost for social sciences, as interim provost until a replacement for Martin is found. The Sun spoke to Harris about his appointment, his plan not to introduce new initiatives and what it will take to fill Martin’s shoes.

Alumnus Appeals Judge's Decision in Lawsuit Against Cornell

Michael Stratford — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Published June 30

Kevin Vanginderen ’83, the Cornell alumnus whose $1 million lawsuit against the University for libel was dismissed earlier this month, is seeking to appeal that decision, according to court documents.

Vanginderen, a practicing California lawyer who is representing himself in court, filed a notice of appeal of Southern California District Court Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz’s June 3 ruling in favor of the University.

Kent Kleinman to Lead AAP as Dean

Sun Staff — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The year-long search to find a replacement for Mohsen Mostafavi as dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning came to a close this morning with the University’s announcement that Kent Kleinman will take the reins from interim Dean W. Stanley Taft. Taft has been serving as interim dean since Mostafavi resigned last fall.

Kleinman currently serves as the chair of the Department of Architecture, Interior Design and Lighting at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City. His five-year term will commence on Sept. 1.

Provost Biddy Martin offered praise for Kleinman, noting a distinct point of view that he brings with him.

Interim Dean Alan Mathios Appointed Dean of Human Ecology

Sun Staff — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:50:07 -0400

The University announced on Tuesday evening that Prof. Alan Mathios, policy analysis and management, has been named the Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean of the College of Human Ecology. Mathios has been serving as interim dean since Lisa Staiano-Coico Ph.d ’81 stepped down last July to take on the provost position at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Skorton Names David Harris as Interim Provost

Ben Eisen — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:05:10 -0400

Updated June 24

Plans have quickly fallen into place to find the University’s next chief academic officer. Less than three weeks after Provost Biddy Martin’s announcement that she will leave Cornell to become the next chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, President David Skorton named Deputy Provost David Harris to temporarily fill her position. Harris will serve as interim provost until Martin’s successor is chosen, according to the University.

After Four-Day Streak, Unforseen University E-mail Outage Ends

Michael Stratford — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:51:19 -0400

A known computer “bug” in Cornell’s e-mail servers triggered an unexpected and widespread e-mail outage last week that left many users of the University’s email services unable to send or receive e-mail. It caused irreversible damage to about 3,800 e-mail accounts, according to CIT.

Judge Dismisses Alum's Libel Suit Against University

Michael Stratford — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 09:49:41 -0400

On June 3, a federal judge in California dismissed a former student’s $1-million libel suit against the University. By dismissing the case, the court avoided ruling on some of the first amendment issues that the lawsuit had raised.

Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz granted Cornell’s special motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed last October by Kevin Vanginderen ’83, who alleged that a 1983 Cornell Chronicle article describing his involvement with a string of on-campus burglaries was libelous and constituted an illegal public disclosure of private facts.

Martin Faces Public Criticism from the Badger State

Ben Eisen and Emily Cohn — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:49:41 -0400

While many Cornell students, faculty and staff have offered both praise for Provost Biddy Martin as she prepares to assume the position of University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor in September and lamentation in the wake of her absence at Cornell, the chancellor-elect has become the brunt of harsh criticism amidst a highly publicized battle between members of Wisconsin’s state legislature.

On May 30, the National Review Online ran a blog post questioning if Martin — who the author described as an “obscure, self-indulged, theory-laden, post-modern scholar” — has what it takes to be chancellor of UW-Madison.

Cornell Student Drowns in Fall Creek Gorge

Sun Staff — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:49:41 -0400

Local emergency officials declared a Cornell student dead when his body was recovered from Fall Creek Gorge below the suspension bridge leading to North Campus last night around 9:20 p.m. He was later identified as 18-year-old Douglas Lowe from Shelton, Conn, a student in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Lowe was said to have been swimming in the gorge with about 12 other people when his body was pulled under the current, the Ithaca Journal reported. He slid down a smooth rock surface that leads to a swirling pool of collected water — often a popular swimming spot for Cornellians.

Cornell Wins $184 Million in Lawsuit Against Hewlett-Packard

Donial Dastgir — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:20:17 -0400

For the past two decades, Cornell has been embroiled in a tense legal conflict with Hewlett-Packard, Co., over a dispute involving HP’s use of technology developed in Cornell’s processors to dramatically increase the performance of their computers.