While the government shutdown in Washington, D.C. appears to be worlds away from the sturdy ivory towers of Cornell, our foundations are more fragile than they appear.
From supporting the next generation of scientists through the National Science Foundations Graduate Research Fellowship Program to promoting climate adaptive crops, federal funds are critical for supporting Cornell as an “R1” research institution, indicative of a high research output. President Michael I. Kotlikoff reported during the 2025 Trustee-Council Annual Meeting that Cornell has experienced “nearly $250 million in canceled or unpaid research funds.” Existing research funding that has not been cut during the federal funding freeze earlier this year is further strained by the current federal shutdown. A Cornell research associate raised concerns that “my farmer stakeholders cannot access federal resources (e.g. Farm Services Agency), [and] some federal webpages no longer have resources and content available (e.g. NRCS-NY field office technical guide).” This is mirrored within the USDA’s contingency plan, “The shutdown plan presents an inherent contradiction. It correctly claims NRCS [National Resource Conservation Service] has the needed mandatory resources to continue providing some level of service to producers, but furloughs nearly every single employee [96%], making it impossible to do so.”
Cornell plays a unique and valuable role as the only Ivy league institution that also acts as a land grant institution. The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences hosts a number of adjunct faculty which hold joint federal appointments that serve as a direct line between academia and federal agencies.
One particular unit led by Cornell adjunct faculty, the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, is hosted in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment (DNRE) and “Pays particular attention to the resource problems and issues of the Northeastern States with New York as its focal point.” Research within the unit ranges from quantifying the New York State bobcat population to Adirondack moose decline. The leaders of the cooperative are currently furloughed as a result of the federal shutdown.
Adjunct professors are not the only ones affected by the current federal shutdown but faculty at all stages of their careers. Tenured Prof. Christine Goodale explains, “Investigators were alerted that funding for our current year of work is uncertain pending what happens in the federal budget negotiations.” Meanwhile early career assistant Prof. Dan Katz details, “My team was awarded a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to create a new generation of pollen forecasting systems but the current shutdown has delayed everything. Uncertainty about the shutdown and the general funding environment has complicated hiring and we’re worried the delays will interfere with us collecting the data we need for our research.” The changes facing professors were immense with the previous federal funding cuts and now even greater with the current federal shutdown.
The impact of the shutdown is not limited to faculty but also trickles down to graduate students. One such graduate student from DNRE is Ash Canino, who is a part of the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. In an interview with Ash, they explained their current situation. “I had to cancel my [masters] M exam and it is currently not rescheduled. I am hopeful that I will be able to still defend before the end of the semester. But it is contingent on whether the government is able to reopen. And if I am not able to defend before the end of the semester, I don't have any funding secured for spring.” This is in direct response to Ash’s advisor’s furloughed status. Prior to the shutdown, Ash had applied to federal jobs in preparation for graduation. The shutdown has resulted in Ash receiving notices that the application review process is currently stalled. Having only funding for the fall semester, the prolonged shutdown has left Ash in a state of limbo and uncertainty.
The current federal shutdown has revealed how dependent Cornell University is to federal funding. The recent attack on academic funding does not seem to be nearing an end. Last June, the Cornell administration announced a spending cut which they called a financial austerity measure. On October 16, the administration announced a new funding cut initiative, Resilient Cornell, which the administration claims aims to, “reimagine university-wide operations, reduce spending across all campuses, and explore greater efficiencies by avoiding duplication of work.” This top down initiative is all too reminiscent of the activities of the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year. The positive and optimistic language used by the administration cannot hide the fact that Cornell is being attacked on multiple fronts due to pressure from within and outside the institution. Resilient Cornell consists of two sub committees: Provost’s Steering Committee led by Provost Kavita Bala and Cross-Campus Collaboration Committee led by Executive Vice President and CFO Chris Cowen. Will these committees give a listening ear to the woes of its faculty, staff and students? We will have to see.
Cornell University accepted $878 million in private donations within this fiscal year. What do these private donations mean for the future of research as we know it? Funding from the federal government served as a neutral source of funding. While some private philanthropy has no strings attached others can have hidden agendas with, “These developments reveal a deeper structural crisis: The convergence of private philanthropy and state power threatens to redefine the university not as a space of free inquiry but as a site of ideological enforcement.” This is clearly demonstrated with Prof. Eric Cheyfitz being bullied into retirement, despite the Faculty Senate Committee overturning the bias case.
As Congress fails to reach a federal budget agreement, the foundations of Cornell are rumbling. Canceled masters exams, furloughed professors and uncertain research funding all indicate a Cornell shutdown.
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Natalia Butler M.S./Ph.D. is an Opinion Columnist from the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment. Her monthly column, Beyond Ivory Towers, explores the role of academics in the face of the climate and biodiversity crisis. She can be reached at nbutler@cornellsun.com.
