We're gonna be in the news again

George64
Well, it was just a matter of time! According to the Cornell Daily Sun, Kotlikoff folds. “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money,” channeling Everitt Dirksen.

Please tell me you guys understand what satire is.

stereax

George64
Well, it was just a matter of time! According to the Cornell Daily Sun, Kotlikoff folds. “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money,” channeling Everitt Dirksen.

Please tell me you guys understand what satire is.

So they switched the joke issue to 4/20. That works.

stereax

George64
Well, it was just a matter of time! According to the Cornell Daily Sun, Kotlikoff folds. “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money,” channeling Everitt Dirksen.

Please tell me you guys understand what satire is.

I was a math major, but I still understand satire. But for those who don’t, The Sun offered a disclaimer — “Editor’s Note: 4/20 content is a part of The Sun’s joke issue and contains exaggerated and factually inaccurate information.”

I shared this story with a young friend and he replied — “Back in our years, the parody came out on the Friday of Fall Weekend. I remember my freshman year’s issue well because none of us on the floor knew it was coming and that year, November 1965, the banner headline was that all student draft deferments were being cancelled, for the obvious reason. That morning, starting at about 7:00, people were lined up in the hallways to use the telephone to call home.” There was no disclaimer, so it was genuinely scary. For those of you who never knew life without mobile phones, in mercifully-gone University Halls, there was only one wall-mounted phone in each corridor!
.

George64

stereax

George64
Well, it was just a matter of time! According to the Cornell Daily Sun, Kotlikoff folds. “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money,” channeling Everitt Dirksen.

Please tell me you guys understand what satire is.

I was a math major, but I still understand satire. But for those who don’t, The Sun offered a disclaimer — “Editor’s Note: 4/20 content is a part of The Sun’s joke issue and contains exaggerated and factually inaccurate information.”

I shared this story with a young friend and he replied — “Back in our years, the parody came out on the Friday of Fall Weekend. I remember my freshman year’s issue well because none of us on the floor knew it was coming and that year, November 1965, the banner headline was that all student draft deferments were being cancelled, for the obvious reason. That morning, starting at about 7:00, people were lined up in the hallways to use the telephone to call home.” There was no disclaimer, so it was genuinely scary. For those of you who never knew life without mobile phones, in mercifully-gone University Halls, there was only one wall-mounted phone in each corridor!
.

War of the Worlds-esque. Wow.

stereax

George64
November 1965, the banner headline was that all student draft deferments were being cancelled, for the obvious reason. That morning, starting at about 7:00, people were lined up in the hallways to use the telephone to call home.”

War of the Worlds-esque. Wow.

Took me awhile to get this. I first thought of the Wells novel, not the radio broadcast.

stereax
War of the Worlds-esque. Wow.

Fun fact: there is no evidence the War of the Worlds caused a panic. It is a classic urban legend.

Trotsky

stereax
War of the Worlds-esque. Wow.

Fun fact: there is no evidence the War of the Worlds caused a panic. It is a classic urban legend.

Wikipedia (I know) says there was definitively SOME unrest and worry, but that it was also likely played up by the newspapers.

New York Times, October 31, 1938

George64
In my inbox this morning -

Livestream with President Michael I. Kotlikoff
Monday, April 21, 11:30 - 12:15 p.m. EDT

Don’t forget: Tune in today to hear directly from President Kotlikoff! He’ll share insights into managing today’s challenging higher education environment.

Should be interesting!
.

Now streaming on vimeo
.

George64
The Trump administration has frozen more than $1 billion in funding for Cornell and $790 million for Northwestern amid civil rights investigations into both schools, two administration officials said.

The funding pause involves mostly grants and contracts with the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education and Health and Human Services, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the unannounced decision.

Interesting article in today’s NY Times, Where Federal Dollars Flow to Universities Around the Country. Cornell is highlighted in one of the charts. Interesting how much of Johns Hopkins research budget comes from federal funding - 87 percent, compared to 49 percent for Cornell. Another interesting comparison - Hopkins lacrosse team is currently 6-8, and 0-5 in the Big 10, while Cornell is 12-1. Think Milliman’s days are numbered?

George64

George64
Another interesting comparison - Hopkins lacrosse team is currently 6-8, and 0-5 in the Big 10, while Cornell is 12-1. Think Milliman’s days are numbered?

He reached for the brass ring and quite possibly fell off the horse instead.

 

___________________________
Al DeFlorio '65

This ticket good to redeem the next ten years of puncture snark I would otherwise have felt the need to post here. I think we can all thank the author.

Since apparently this timeline could even get worse, does the campus ever have India v Pakistan protests?

Per Reuters, Cornell and other major universities sue to block cuts in indirect costs for NSF funded research.

Trotsky
Since apparently this timeline could even get worse, does the campus ever have India v Pakistan protests?

Not that I know of.

Ithaca Voice with more details on stop-work orders for cancer and defense research.

you would think if we join forces the board could buy this and people would have a place to stay when they come in for hockey games.

house for sale

upprdeck
you would think if we join forces the board could buy this and people would have a place to stay when they come in for hockey games.

house for sale

Am I mistaken, or is that where Charlie Moore invited the band over when he became AD?

upprdeck
you would think if we join forces the board could buy this and people would have a place to stay when they come in for hockey games.

house for sale

IIRC, Cornell bought the house in the 1950's when Malott's wife refused to live in the A.D. White house on-campus. It seems to me that Corson continued to live in his own house. Maybe Kotlikoff has no interest in moving, either, but surely there will be another president after him and it seems a grand place for social functions.

Not sure if it's correct but

[www.reddit.com]

Edmund Ezra Day was the last president to live in the A.D. White House on central campus. For his successor, Deane Malott, the university rented, renovated, and eventually purchased 205 Oak Hill Road. He was given this house for life as a retirement gift, and the university purchased the 511 Cayuga Heights Road property in 1963 for James Perkins—one theory being that this property was farther away from campus and therefore more difficult for students to stage protests at.

Dale Corson chose not to move in after Perkins' resignation, so Cornell sold it. They purchased 603 Cayuga Heights Road for Frank Rhodes, which too became a retirement gift. With a "special" alumni gift, the university then re-purchased Robin Hill for Hunter Rawlings in 1995, after which Lehman, Skorton, and Pollock also took residence.

nyc94
Not sure if it's correct but

[www.reddit.com]

Edmund Ezra Day was the last president to live in the A.D. White House on central campus. For his successor, Deane Malott, the university rented, renovated, and eventually purchased 205 Oak Hill Road. He was given this house for life as a retirement gift, and the university purchased the 511 Cayuga Heights Road property in 1963 for James Perkins—one theory being that this property was farther away from campus and therefore more difficult for students to stage protests at.

Dale Corson chose not to move in after Perkins' resignation, so Cornell sold it. They purchased 603 Cayuga Heights Road for Frank Rhodes, which too became a retirement gift. With a "special" alumni gift, the university then re-purchased Robin Hill for Hunter Rawlings in 1995, after which Lehman, Skorton, and Pollock also took residence.

I think that's right. I only had part of the story in my mind. [www.ithaca.com] [www.cayugaheightshistory.org]

Scersk '97

upprdeck
you would think if we join forces the board could buy this and people would have a place to stay when they come in for hockey games.

house for sale

Am I mistaken, or is that where Charlie Moore invited the band over when he became AD?

It looks like where they invited the band and hosted “hats off for hunter” to recognize his (first) retirement in 2003.

Cornell only mentioned in a table in this NY Times article. It appears that our large enrollment may soften the impact from the proposed endowment tax. At the moment, it’s progressive tax based on endowment per student.

HeafDog

ugarte

upprdeck
Harvard gonna play hardball over this stuff they are trying to pull.

so is cornell

Good. I would rather we go flat broke, and our beloved alma mater turn into a ghost town, than buckle to these clowns.

I'm not sure how this relates to Cornell's own legal action but there was a lot of press recently about how Cornell and Columbia were the only Ivies that didn't officially support Harvard's legal action. I'll leave legal terms like "Amicus Brief" to the experts.
Crimson article on who is supporting Harvard[/url

If Cornell is not offering support due to its own separate legal action then that is one thing. But I hope we are not cowering in fear.

(BTW the formatting issues with this post are due to eLynah processing of a URL insertion.)

Here is the administration’s response to my April 17 email to Kotlikoff:

Thank you for your message to President Kotlikoff, which I am sharing with leadership. President Kotlikoff deeply appreciates the engagement of our community. I wanted to share information about how Cornell is responding to recent changes in the federal and higher education landscapes.

Cornell is actively seeking details from federal officials regarding research funding freezes reported in the news media. While the university has not received any official notice confirming these cuts or the rationale behind them, we have experienced substantial federal research funding loss across every campus and within every college and school. The research at risk is vital to public health and medicine, military readiness and national security, and a range of U.S. industries.

We are responding thoughtfully and strategically – including legal, communications and policy-level engagement to reverse these cuts and protect our core mission. When federal agencies imposed funding cuts to research activities sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy, Cornell swiftly stepped forward, along with higher education groups and other leading research universities, to challenge these actions in court.

In April, President Kotlikoff joined more than 550 leaders and officials from other institutions to sign on to a letter from the American Association of Colleges & Universities calling for constructive engagement between higher education and government. Cornell leadership continues to be guided by our foundational commitment to “... any person ... any study” and our institutional principles.

Alongside peer institutions, we’re collectively showcasing the tangible, everyday impact of Cornell’s research to our state, nation, and world, and the value of colleges and universities to educating our nation’s citizens and workers. We hope you can join us by sharing this website with your fellow alumni and networks.

Sincerely,
Sarah Evans

Sarah Evans
Staff Writer & Correspondence Manager
Offices of the President and Provost
Cornell University
.

George64
Here is the administration’s response to my April 17 email to Kotlikoff:

Thank you for your message to President Kotlikoff, which I am sharing with leadership. President Kotlikoff deeply appreciates the engagement of our community. I wanted to share information about how Cornell is responding to recent changes in the federal and higher education landscapes.

Cornell is actively seeking details from federal officials regarding research funding freezes reported in the news media. While the university has not received any official notice confirming these cuts or the rationale behind them, we have experienced substantial federal research funding loss across every campus and within every college and school. The research at risk is vital to public health and medicine, military readiness and national security, and a range of U.S. industries.

We are responding thoughtfully and strategically – including legal, communications and policy-level engagement to reverse these cuts and protect our core mission. When federal agencies imposed funding cuts to research activities sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy, Cornell swiftly stepped forward, along with higher education groups and other leading research universities, to challenge these actions in court.

In April, President Kotlikoff joined more than 550 leaders and officials from other institutions to sign on to a letter from the American Association of Colleges & Universities calling for constructive engagement between higher education and government. Cornell leadership continues to be guided by our foundational commitment to “... any person ... any study” and our institutional principles.

Alongside peer institutions, we’re collectively showcasing the tangible, everyday impact of Cornell’s research to our state, nation, and world, and the value of colleges and universities to educating our nation’s citizens and workers. We hope you can join us by sharing this website with your fellow alumni and networks.

Sincerely,
Sarah Evans

Sarah Evans
Staff Writer & Correspondence Manager
Offices of the President and Provost
Cornell University

You might also want to read President Kotlikoff’s State of the University address.

Roy 82

HeafDog

ugarte

upprdeck
Harvard gonna play hardball over this stuff they are trying to pull.

so is cornell

Good. I would rather we go flat broke, and our beloved alma mater turn into a ghost town, than buckle to these clowns.

I'm not sure how this relates to Cornell's own legal action but there was a lot of press recently about how Cornell and Columbia were the only Ivies that didn't officially support Harvard's legal action. I'll leave legal terms like "Amicus Brief" to the experts.

Crimson article on who is supporting Harvard

If Cornell is not offering support due to its own separate legal action then that is one thing. But I hope we are not cowering in fear.

(BTW the formatting issues with this post are due to eLynah processing of a URL insertion.)

Roy, bud, you forgot this: ]

Friday’s NY Times: “And in a statement on Wednesday ominously titled “a message on financial austerity,” leaders at Cornell, which also has a substantial endowment, described a dire landscape.”

This from the Ithaca Voice. Says Cornell headcount [one assumes this to mean to employees not stoners] grew wildly the last 3-4 years. Maybe Cornell did not replace some departed staff during the Covid years and then overdid the hiring:

Matt Butler, EIC, The Ithaca Voice
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff and other university leaders delivered the news via a campus-wide email Wednesday [6/18/25] afternoon.

The letter announced the initiation of a “comprehensive review of programs and headcount across the university,” caused by a 15% growth in the workforce since 2021 that has, in Kotlikoff’s words, “greatly outpac[ed] our revenue.”
[ithacavoice.org]

Our 15th president, in addition to being a solid hoops fan, is master of the dry understatement.

billhoward
This from the Ithaca Voice. Says Cornell headcount [one assumes this to mean to employees not stoners] grew wildly the last 3-4 years. Maybe Cornell did not replace some departed staff during the Covid years and then overdid the hiring:

Matt Butler, EIC, The Ithaca Voice
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff and other university leaders delivered the news via a campus-wide email Wednesday [6/18/25] afternoon.

The letter announced the initiation of a “comprehensive review of programs and headcount across the university,” caused by a 15% growth in the workforce since 2021 that has, in Kotlikoff’s words, “greatly outpac[ed] our revenue.”
[ithacavoice.org]

Our 15th president, in addition to being a solid hoops fan, is master of the dry understatement.

No doubt they overhired like many other private organizations within and outside of the higher education sector. They're just a bit late in reducing headcount because it looks much worse when a university does it compared to a Deloitte or a Meta.

I think they forget that the head count has been down and they are trying to fill lines that were in the budget but have been empty.

When headcount is relative to the Covid years then maybe there was some extra positions to fill. But a little part of us all suspects academia doesn't run as lean as, say, Google.

Finally, some good news! Will Professor Steve Strogatz do for math what Carl Sagan did for science?

George64
Finally, some good news! Will Professor Steve Strogatz do for math what Carl Sagan did for science?

Can't access the Times, but Strogatz co-authored a brilliant piece of instructional software for differential equations that was sold by Addison-Wesley back in the 90s.

Al DeFlorio

George64
Finally, some good news! Will Professor Steve Strogatz do for math what Carl Sagan did for science?

Can't access the Times, but Strogatz co-authored a brilliant piece of instructional software for differential equations that was sold by Addison-Wesley back in the 90s.

Try archivebuttons.com: [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/01/insider/math-revealed.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare]