The Executive Committee of Cornell’s Board of Trustees met on Thursday at the Cornell Club in New York City. President Hunter R. Rawlings III addressed the brief open session, which was open to the public. The committee spent most of its meeting in a private session.
According to Henrik N. Dullea ’61, vice-president for University relations, Rawlings began by announcing that New York state has awarded the University $2.8 million over two years to establish a new Center for Advanced Technology. The center will use industrial backing to research and develop microscale optical detection devices.
Rawlings also used the time to announce that three Cornell undergraduates, all juniors in the College of Arts and Sciences, have been named Barry M. Goldwater scholars in the fields of science and mathematics.
Rawlings also spoke about admissions for the Class of 2005.
“It was a very strong pool,” Dullea said.
The admissions rate for the arts college decreased from 25 percent last year to 21.5 percent this spring. The drop comes in the face of rising applications and yield rates from applicants.
Throughout the University, “our acceptance was a little over 25 percent,” Dullea said. “It was 33 percent two years ago,” he added.
Rawlings did not speak about the Corporation’s decision to approve the creation of a branch of its Weill Medical College in Qatar, a small country in the Middle East.
Nor did Rawlings speak in open session about the recent Kyoto Now! demonstrations in front of Day Hall. The administration pledged last Tuesday to try to implement the Kyoto Protocol standards after some students slept in front of Day Hall for nearly a week.
Provost Biddy (Carolyn A.) Martin gave an update on the New York State budget process and the State University of New York budget, although, “there wasn’t much to talk to about,” Dullea said, noting that the State Assembly has not approved a state budget, and is not expected to do so until the summer.
The Executive Board includes Rawlings and Harold A. Tanner ’52, chair of the Board of Trustees.
Archived article by Maggie Frank