Recruiting and Financial Aid

[Josh '99]

[quote Jacob 03]Cornell spends a ridiculous amount of money on a lot of things the other Ivies don't.[/quote]For example?

(I don't doubt that you're correct if you say that's the case, I'm just curious what sorts of things you're referring to.)

[Al DeFlorio]

[quote krose]It's kind of sad that cutting costs is the sort of "thinking out of the box" that academia doesn't really understand.  But I guess that's what happens when most of your operating costs aren't funded by selling your product.[/quote]
You mean like the oil company that recently gave its retiring CEO a $400 million retirement package?

[Rosey]

[quote Al DeFlorio]You mean like the oil company that recently gave its retiring CEO a $400 million retirement package?[/quote]
You'll get no argument from me.  Crude oil would likely be a lot more expensive without American soldiers deployed throughout the middle east at taxpayer expense.

But it's good to know your knee is still jerking.

Kyle

[Al DeFlorio]

[quote krose][quote Al DeFlorio]
But it's good to know your knee is still jerking.
[/quote]
Stick it, Kyle.

[marty]

[quote Josh '99][quote Jacob 03]Cornell spends a ridiculous amount of money on a lot of things the other Ivies don't.[/quote]For example?

(I don't doubt that you're correct if you say that's the case, I'm just curious what sorts of things you're referring to.)[/quote]

Apples, birds and flowers?

Slope day fences?

?

[Rosey]

[quote Al DeFlorio]Stick it, Kyle.[/quote]
You brought it out, so I believe you can stick it back where you found it. :-D

Kyle

[Jacob 03]

[quote marty][quote Josh '99][quote Jacob 03]Cornell spends a ridiculous amount of money on a lot of things the other Ivies don't.[/quote]For example?

(I don't doubt that you're correct if you say that's the case, I'm just curious what sorts of things you're referring to.)[/quote]

Apples, birds and flowers?

Slope day fences?

?[/quote]Well, I already replied to Josh privately about this, but most of the things I bothered to mention could be summed up as aesthetic costs.  There's something to be said for having a beautiful campus, but it's expensive.  The apples and flowers part wasn't far off.  I also mentioned a few "stupid decisions" costs (presidential searches and new architecture building bids), so your slope day fence would fit that category.

[Rosey]

[quote Jacob 03]so your slope day fence would fit that category.[/quote]
Besides, it makes slope day so damn corporate now that it's lost all the charm of frats and dorms dragging couches and kegs onto the slope the night before.  I mean, what's the point anymore?  I last went to slope day two years ago (visiting a current staff member), and the time we spent at the Nines afterwards was way more fun.

Kyle

[Jim Hyla]

[quote Jacob 03][quote marty][quote Josh '99][quote Jacob 03]Cornell spends a ridiculous amount of money on a lot of things the other Ivies don't.[/quote]For example?

(I don't doubt that you're correct if you say that's the case, I'm just curious what sorts of things you're referring to.)[/quote]

Apples, birds and flowers?

Slope day fences?

?[/quote]Well, I already replied to Josh privately about this, but most of the things I bothered to mention could be summed up as aesthetic costs.  There's something to be said for having a beautiful campus, but it's expensive.  The apples and flowers part wasn't far off.  I also mentioned a few "stupid decisions" costs (presidential searches and new architecture building bids), so your slope day fence would fit that category.[/quote]

You mean we have to PM you to get a response?

[Jacob 03]

[quote Jim Hyla]You mean we have to PM you to get a response?[/quote]I honestly can't tell if we're just extending the interminable "PM me for details" joke or you're actually serious, but yes, Jim.  If you want the top-of-my-head list of Cornell spending choices that bugged me (and I was sure nobody else was interested in), you have to PM me for details.  I thought I'd do the big disservice of sparing eLynah a big dose of Jacob rants.

[Beeeej]

[quote Jacob 03][quote marty][quote Josh '99][quote Jacob 03]Cornell spends a ridiculous amount of money on a lot of things the other Ivies don't.[/quote]For example?

(I don't doubt that you're correct if you say that's the case, I'm just curious what sorts of things you're referring to.)[/quote]

Apples, birds and flowers?

Slope day fences?

?[/quote]Well, I already replied to Josh privately about this, but most of the things I bothered to mention could be summed up as aesthetic costs.  There's something to be said for having a beautiful campus, but it's expensive.  The apples and flowers part wasn't far off.  I also mentioned a few "stupid decisions" costs (presidential searches and new architecture building bids), so your slope day fence would fit that category.[/quote]

And you're suggesting that the other Ivies don't spend similar amounts of money on similar things?  Really?

[Trotsky]

[quote Beeeej]And you're suggesting that the other Ivies don't spend similar amounts of money on similar things?  Really?[/quote]We could try to be smarter than the other Ivies.


Cornell will never have the donor rate of Harvard -- public schools always have a significant non-giving segment, nor does Cornell really inspire the same level of "I'll see you at the club"ishness.


I wouldn't bet against their achieving a similar endowment someday, though. Most importantly, they have one of the two best Eng programs in the Ivies, and (to the lasting detriment of mankind) Engineering students grow up to make billions more than historians and literature professors.  Frankly, we are good at things where the money is.  The trouble is our best development staffers keep leaving to go to law school.

[Josh '99]

[quote Beeeej][quote Jacob 03][quote marty][quote Josh '99][quote Jacob 03]Cornell spends a ridiculous amount of money on a lot of things the other Ivies don't.[/quote]For example?

(I don't doubt that you're correct if you say that's the case, I'm just curious what sorts of things you're referring to.)[/quote]

Apples, birds and flowers?

Slope day fences?

?[/quote]Well, I already replied to Josh privately about this, but most of the things I bothered to mention could be summed up as aesthetic costs.  There's something to be said for having a beautiful campus, but it's expensive.  The apples and flowers part wasn't far off.  I also mentioned a few "stupid decisions" costs (presidential searches and new architecture building bids), so your slope day fence would fit that category.[/quote]

And you're suggesting that the other Ivies don't spend similar amounts of money on similar things?  Really?[/quote]Even assuming that's the case, most of the other Ivies have more money to spend on those things, which makes it less of an issue that they do so.

[Jacob 03]

[quote Beeeej]And you're suggesting that the other Ivies don't spend similar amounts of money on similar things?  Really?[/quote]Sigh.  I guess it depends on how broad your "similar" is, Beeeej.  All schools seem to be in the same boat in that they have boondoggles.  But most of these exist independent of each other and are tailored to the specific school.  If Cornell's efficient at everything but X (say, Cornell wastes money on campus beautification), and Columbia's efficient at everything but Y (say, Columbia wastes money on a failed expansion schemes), then Cornell working on eliminating X would give it an edge.  Theoretical Columbia would have to dip into its endowment if it wants to keep its expansion schemes going and lower tuition at the same time.    Theoretical Cornell could merely lower tuitions with the money not spent on campus beautification.

[KeithK]

[quote Trotsky]...(to the lasting detriment of mankind) Engineering students grow up to make billions more than historians and literature professors.[/quote]
You really think literature professors so more for the benefit of mankind than engineers?  Not to say that the liberal arts aren't important but the comparison isn't even close.