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Rawlings Traces Intellect’s History in His ‘Last Lecture’

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With many intellectually fruitful years ahead of him, Prof. Hunter R. Rawlings III, classics, acknowledged that the concept behind yesterday’s “Last Lecture” in Goldwin Smith may be a bit morbid. Nonetheless, the former University president managed to deliver a lifetime of lessons and knowledge, speaking to a packed auditorium in what was simulated to be a university intellectual’s final bow in the academic spotlight.
The Last Lecture series is put on by the Der Hexenrkries Chapter of the Mortar Board National Honor Society, formed in 1892. The Der Hexenrkries Chapter is the society’s founding chapter, and the University’s second oldest honor society. The Last Lecture Series is one of the Mortar Board’s hallmark events of the year.

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S.A. Hears Student Perspectives On Download Storage Limits

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The Student Association held its weekly meeting yesterday in Willard Straight Hall.
Moran Nachum ’12 used the open microphone portion to bring forward concerns he had with the 10 gigabyte a month computer capacity limit. Nachum, who says he recently received a notification that he had used 95% of his storage capacity for this month, says the rule is not only irksome to many students but counterproductive to the flow of information and education. Nachum contended unlimited download capacities translates to unlimited access to information, something a large intellectual community should be conducive to.

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Profs Guess What Obama Will Do As President

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Mere hours after Barack Obama’s victory, Cornell professors analyzed the policies and plans of the president-elect, converging in yesterday’s conference “Now that they’ve won, what will they do?” in Goldwin Smith.
Sponsored by the Cornell in Washington program and moderated by Cornell in Washington director Prof. Robert Hutchens, industrial and labor relations, the conference was the brainchild of Prof. Theodore Lowi, the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions and a longtime collaborator of the Cornell in Washington program. [img_assist|nid=33344|title=Forward thinking|desc=Prof. Richard Booth, city and regional planning, and Prof. Theodore Lowi, government, speak about Obama’s presidency yesterday in Goldwin Smith.|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0]

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ILR Hosts Mock Presidential Election, Debate

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Polls for the School of Industrial and Labor Relation’s 2008 mock presidential election opened yesterday, giving ILR students a preview of how their colleagues will be voting come Nov. 4. The mock election was organized by “Educate for ’08,” a non-partisan group within ILR whose goals include running “get out the vote” drives and informing the campus community of relevant issues.
In addition, volunteer ILR students represented the positions of candidates McCain and Obama on five major issues yesterday in Ives Hall during ILR Educates for 2008, a mock debate sponsored by the ILR Student Government Association, the ILR Women’s Caucus, the Minority ILR Student Organization and Educate for ’08.

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Skorton Promises Job Safety to University Staff

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President David J. Skorton gave his annual address to staff yesterday at Barton Hall. The speech came in the middle of the Energy Fair, whose organizers took a lunch break while University personnel gathered to hear Skorton discuss the state of the University and how staff will be affected by the recent economic crisis. The address was sponsored by the Employee Assembly, an elected body that represents Cornell staff.
Kicking off the staff meeting was Brian Cornell, chair of the Employee Assembly, who welcomed the audience and introduced Mary George Opperman, vice president of human resources. Opperman discussed her personal concerns over how staff and the University will fare amidst the financial turmoil.

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Hinchey Vies for Support From C.U.

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Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) lunched with University faculty and staff yesterday in the Industrial and Labor Relations Conference Center, discussing the upcoming November election and how the University has benefited from his eight terms as congressman for the 22nd District, which includes the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions of New York.
Hinchey came as part of a series of candidate luncheons, where local political candidates whose influence relates to the University visit the campus. [img_assist|nid=32962|title=Press time|desc=Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), spoke to the Cornell community at a luncheon yesterday afternoon.|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0]

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$50M Tata Gift Will Fund Scholarships, Research

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Cornell’s expansion around the world will soon make its way to India, thanks to the Tata Education and Development Trust’s recent endowment of $50 million. The donation is largely from the efforts of Ratan Tata ’62, whose Indian conglomerate Tata Group is one of India’s largest and most respected employers. Last year, Fortune Magazine named Tata one of the 25 most powerful people in business. A member of the University board of trustees, Tata’s knowledge and connections with India have been useful to the University.
“It’s a transformational gift,” said David Harris, the interim provost. “Across the country, you’ll find very few gifts like this from international alums.”

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Paterson Gives Funds for Rural School Center

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Building on the University’s legacy of service and research in New York State, Governor David Paterson (D) officially announced the creation of the Center for Rural Schools last Friday. The center, coming at a time of increased stress on rural schools, will operate on campus.
“It’s a unique combination of both outreach and research,” said Prof. John W. Sipple, education, who will serve as director of the center. “The center will provide any number of opportunities for students and faculty.” Sipple, who has worked for 10 years with the Rural Schools Association of New York, was the principle investigator for the center.