Lehman to step down

[Ben Rocky '04]

I don't want to get in an argument about rankings, but here is an article to consider before you make the claim that they don't matter.

http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/99/12.2.99/rankings-matter.html

The new undergrad admissions page no longer has clipart from Microsoft Office, which is a massive improvement over the old page, which was a disgrace.  But its still a bland, boring page that doesn't show off our diverse student body or fields of study, beautiful campus, greek life or any other amazing parts about Cornell. I feel that it still does our alma matter a great injustice.

[KeithK]

I have no doubt that the rankings have some effect.  What I said was that they shouldn't matter.  The reason they affect applications, et.c is because kids (and parents) foolishly believe the marketing of the rankings.  A drop of a place or two doesn't really provide any real information about the school.  Some people certainly think it does though.

[KeithK]

[q]If you want to pay to read it on the NYT website, search 'redbud' & it is the first result that comes up.[/q]Subscription only archives.  The AP stories that I found quickly on Google gave very little detail of the situation.

To be honest, I don't even know where Redbud Woods is (are?).

[Ben Rocky '04]

My apologies, I misread your post.  It would be wonderful if they didn't matter, or didn't exist at all.  Unfortunately, they are a fact of life in American Higher-Ed and we must do our best to stay on top, even if it is meaningless.

[Ben Rocky '04]

Its the area bounded by Cornell Avenue, Stewart Avenue & University Avenue.  It would be the 600-block of Stewart Ave., Delta Phi & Von Crom's backyard.

[ugarte]

[Q]KeithK Wrote:

 [Q2]If you want to pay to read it on the NYT website, search 'redbud' & it is the first result that comes up.[/Q]
Subscription only archives.  The AP stories that I found quickly on Google gave very little detail of the situation.

To be honest, I don't even know where Redbud Woods is (are?).[/q]
Here is the article from the Sun: http://www.cornellsun.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/05/27/4297c7a25e62c

[peterg]

[Q]Ben Rocky 04 Wrote:

Redbud was long a part of the west campus plan, but it was while he was president that he adopted a university wide sustainability policy and then acted like bulldozing 150 acres wasn't a violation of his own policy.  It was also under his watch that we ended up gaining national attention for denying students degrees just because they protested the hypocrisy of his administration.[/q]

Just in case the above causes some misunderstanding, the site in question probably is no more than 2 acres, if that, and not 150 acres as indicated above.

Here is a link to a page placed by the University that has some pictures (pictures are always nice!) and a map, though there is not a current fly-over shot to give a sense of how the site looks today.

http://www.campuslife.cornell.edu/docs/redbud.html

Google "Redbud Woods" and there now tons of reports, though most not terribly informative.  The Plantations page for it, quoted on the site listed above, gives some useful information about what is actually there.

http://www.plantations.cornell.edu/collections/natareas/redbud_woods.cfm

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

I'm working on a re-vegetation project here in PA.  If that article is correct about the stuff that's growing there 1) It's truly not woods, it's a brush-patch and 2) it's of limited value to wildlife, and certainly doesn't lead to the wildlife diversity that a place like Sapsucker Woods does.  That said, I'd rather see greenery than another parking lot.

[KeithK]

Thanks for the Sun link.

I really can't say I have a problem with the Administration's actions here.  You may say "...they cared so much about Redbud Woods to sit in the president's office and have a conversation" but you don't have a right to force yourself into someone's office.  Actions have consequences even if well meaning.

[Jordan 04]

[q]"This is a University that we know and love," Pearlstein said. "When I sat in the back of the police car, I sang the Alma Mater."[/q]

Such martyrs!   ::laugh::

[Beeeej]

[Q]Ben Rocky 04 Wrote:
Lehman has not done nearly enough to work on our low positon in college rankings, and has been responsible for the departure of Inge Reichenbach and the Redbud mess.  Lets hope his replacement handles things better.[/q]

I'm curious, from what are you drawing your conclusion that Lehman has not done nearly enough to work on our "low" position in college rankings, other than your personal opinion of the UA website?

If it's drawn from the fact that our rank has not gone up, do you suppose the presidents of the schools around us in the rankings are doing nothing, or that all statistical measures of those schools' rankings stay the same from year to year, and so any improvement of Cornell should improve our rank?

Beeeej

P.S. My problem isn't that the rankings "shouldn't" matter, as Keith says, though I agree with him.  It's that when we were #14, everyone was saying they don't mean anything and aren't accurate - then when we somehow hit #7 or #6 a few years back, suddenly half my alumni friends were saying, "Finally, they got it right!"  You can't have it both ways.

[KeithK]

We were #7 or #6 one year?  I'm surprised, but considering what I think of the rankings not very surprised that I missed it.

[Tub(a)]

http://www.theithacajournal.com/news/stories/20050608/opinion/2152924.html

[French Rage]

[Q]KeithK Wrote:

 We were #7 or #6 one year?  I'm surprised, but considering what I think of the rankings not very surprised that I missed it.[/q]

We were #7 when I arrived in 2000.  Then I think 10, 14, 14.  It was all me, I confess.

[Beeeej]

It should also be noted, for those who care, that US News & World Report changes the formula every single year.  So any indicia of reliability those rankings purport to have is even further an illusion.

Beeeej