Expansion

[David Harding]

Plans are moving forward to double the size of Thurston Hall.  https://ithacavoice.com/2022/04/cornell-plans-30-million-addition-to-engineering-quad/

[billhoward]

Plans are moving forward to double the size of Thurston Hall.  https://ithacavoice.com/2022/04/cornell-plans-30-million-addition-to-engineering-quad/

Bleep! Evenings and weekends, it was a good place to find parking behind Thurston and the gorge. Parking for alumni versus learning space for students seems like a close call to me.

I'd like to see a feasibility study of a Cornell academic building bridging the gorge. (Yes, sarcasm font.) Frank Lloyd Wright showed it could be done (next time, maybe a little more fit and finish) with Falling Waters. The architecture building, um, Milstein Hall, I think it is, made a tentative extension above University Avenue but could've gone another 50 feet. The original 1970s plan for the Johnson Museum imagined an underground extension under University Avenue and ending in Windows on the Gorge. Didn't happen. Best we got was the glassy pillbox extending Uris Library.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

Plans are moving forward to double the size of Thurston Hall.  https://ithacavoice.com/2022/04/cornell-plans-30-million-addition-to-engineering-quad/

Bleep! Evenings and weekends, it was a good place to find parking behind Thurston and the gorge. Parking for alumni versus learning space for students seems like a close call to me.

From what I can see in the article, the parking is intact.  It's the engineering quad that's getting chewed up.

[upprdeck]

Plans are moving forward to double the size of Thurston Hall.  https://ithacavoice.com/2022/04/cornell-plans-30-million-addition-to-engineering-quad/

Bleep! Evenings and weekends, it was a good place to find parking behind Thurston and the gorge. Parking for alumni versus learning space for students seems like a close call to me.

I'd like to see a feasibility study of a Cornell academic building bridging the gorge. (Yes, sarcasm font.) Frank Lloyd Wright showed it could be done (next time, maybe a little more fit and finish) with Falling Waters. The architecture building, um, Milstein Hall, I think it is, made a tentative extension above University Avenue but could've gone another 50 feet. The original 1970s plan for the Johnson Museum imagined an underground extension under University Avenue and ending in Windows on the Gorge. Didn't happen. Best we got was the glassy pillbox extending Uris Library.

as that whole road on the north side of campus is in danger if sliding away good thing they didnt go much further north.

[billhoward]

From what I can see in the article, the parking is intact.  It's the engineering quad that's getting chewed up.

Tough call, which advantages alumni better. I suppose if it's a tossup, then we should think about which better educates students.

This may be heresy, but rather than chew up green space, would it kill us to have a couple more buildings go up 6, 8, maybe 10 stories and leave some green space? OK, if was on the back of the engineering quad by the gorge, say it ruins the view from that glossy, shiny, mirrored building that replaces Collegetown Bagels and adds additional apartments that, what, 10% of students can afford? Were this CTB-replacement planted there anytime pre-2000, it would be the Death Star Building. What happened to the Student Agencies that rented out refrigerators and gave students part time work? They've grown big. I'm waiting for them to make a tender offer on TSLA.

Before more greenspace gets taken, also consider whether the land the Andrew Dickson White House sits on might have a higher purpose.

[billhoward]

Well, that'd be one way for the Milstein Bumpout to be on the gorge.

[Scersk '97]

Plans are moving forward to double the size of Thurston Hall.  https://ithacavoice.com/2022/04/cornell-plans-30-million-addition-to-engineering-quad/

Yay! Another metal and glass carbuncle, this time grafted onto the last engineering quad building that had a bit of class.

[Trotsky]

the last engineering quad building that had a bit of class.

I thought all those assholes were moving to Roosevelt Island?

[Scersk '97]

the last engineering quad building that had a bit of class.

I thought all those assholes were moving to Roosevelt Island?

I know you're being flippant, but I'll take it up to say that I very much hope that isn't the case. One of my many concerns regarding the Roosevelt Island project is whether it will cause a brain drain in science and engineering from the Ithaca campus to the great detriment of the University. Frankly, a Cornell without engineers rubbing shoulders with hotelies, architects (even the misled ones), etc., etc. is not Cornell.

To refine my architectural critique, I'll resuscitate and refine an old term of derision: let's call these things Academic McMansions. Seems these days that it takes a jagged jumble of glass and metal to make an academic village.

[George64]

One of my many concerns regarding the Roosevelt Island project is whether it will cause a brain drain in science and engineering from the Ithaca campus to the great detriment of the University. Frankly, a Cornell without engineers rubbing shoulders with hotelies, architects (even the misled ones), etc., etc. is not Cornell.

To the contrary, Cornell is making a huge capital investment in the engineering quad and created the Bowers College of Computing and Information Science in Ithaca.  For now at least, the Roosevelt Island campus offers only graduate programs, although I can envision undergraduates spending a semester or two there in the future.  Also, I think it can be a boon to faculty recruitment, giving Ithaca CS faculty an opportunity to spend some time in NYC, and vice versa.

I agree with you that the great strength of Cornell is the opportunity for all students to know and work with students in other schools and colleges.  BTW, back in the day, all engineering programs were five years, so engineers could take more courses outside their discipline.

This reminds me of a card that was, and maybe still is sold at the Campus Store — "Before I came to Cornell, I couldn't even spell engineer and now I are one."
.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

One of my many concerns regarding the Roosevelt Island project is whether it will cause a brain drain in science and engineering from the Ithaca campus to the great detriment of the University. Frankly, a Cornell without engineers rubbing shoulders with hotelies, architects (even the misled ones), etc., etc. is not Cornell.

To the contrary, Cornell is making a huge capital investment in the engineering quad and created the Bowers College of Computing and Information Science in Ithaca.  For now at least, the Roosevelt Island campus offers only graduate programs, although I can envision undergraduates spending a semester or two there in the future.  Also, I think it can be a boon to faculty recruitment, giving Ithaca CS faculty an opportunity to spend some time in NYC, and vice versa.

I agree with you that the great strength of Cornell is the opportunity for all students to know and work with students in other schools and colleges.  BTW, back in the day, all engineering programs were five years, so engineers could take more courses outside their discipline.

This reminds me of a card that was, and maybe still is sold at the Campus Store — "Before I came to Cornell, I couldn't even spell engineer and now I are one."
.

The poster I remember was "Before I came here I culdint even spel studint.  Now I are won at CORNELL UNIVERSITY"

[Scersk '97]

One of my many concerns regarding the Roosevelt Island project is whether it will cause a brain drain in science and engineering from the Ithaca campus to the great detriment of the University. Frankly, a Cornell without engineers rubbing shoulders with hotelies, architects (even the misled ones), etc., etc. is not Cornell.

To the contrary, Cornell is making a huge capital investment in the engineering quad and created the Bowers College of Computing and Information Science in Ithaca.  For now at least, the Roosevelt Island campus offers only graduate programs, although I can envision undergraduates spending a semester or two there in the future.  Also, I think it can be a boon to faculty recruitment, giving Ithaca CS faculty an opportunity to spend some time in NYC, and vice versa.

I agree with you that the great strength of Cornell is the opportunity for all students to know and work with students in other schools and colleges.  BTW, back in the day, all engineering programs were five years, so engineers could take more courses outside their discipline.

This reminds me of a card that was, and maybe still is sold at the Campus Store — "Before I came to Cornell, I couldn't even spell engineer and now I are one."

How dare you counteract my paranoia with evidence, reason, and the expectation of good results! As long as everything continues along the lines you describe, I agree that the Ithaca campus will persist and might even flourish.

Would that engineering programs were still five years so that engineers could spend more time studying things like aesthetics and ethics. After all, technology, more than anything else it seems, drives change for good or ill. Of course, would that tuition were about a third of what it is, i.e., had stayed flat in real dollars from the 60s, so that staying around for an extra year didn't cost an arm and a leg.

[jtwcornell91]

One of my many concerns regarding the Roosevelt Island project is whether it will cause a brain drain in science and engineering from the Ithaca campus to the great detriment of the University. Frankly, a Cornell without engineers rubbing shoulders with hotelies, architects (even the misled ones), etc., etc. is not Cornell.

I agree with you that the great strength of Cornell is the opportunity for all students to know and work with students in other schools and colleges.  BTW, back in the day, all engineering programs were five years, so engineers could take more courses outside their discipline.

Especially for those going on to graduate school, the opportunity to learn about things outside one's discipline is an important part of Cornell, and college in general.  One of my favorite courses as an Astronomy major was the one where we read Beowulf in the original Old English.

[RichH]

One of my many concerns regarding the Roosevelt Island project is whether it will cause a brain drain in science and engineering from the Ithaca campus to the great detriment of the University. Frankly, a Cornell without engineers rubbing shoulders with hotelies, architects (even the misled ones), etc., etc. is not Cornell.

I agree with you that the great strength of Cornell is the opportunity for all students to know and work with students in other schools and colleges.  BTW, back in the day, all engineering programs were five years, so engineers could take more courses outside their discipline.

Especially for those going on to graduate school, the opportunity to learn about things outside one's discipline is an important part of Cornell, and college in general.  One of my favorite courses as an Astronomy major was the one where we read Beowulf in the original Old English.

How dare you not take a course in Zydeco evolution.

[Trotsky]

I just thought the 4 white Eng chicks were cute.