9 Feb 2011 – 6.3.5 Postdoctoral Fellows ......................................................... 154 ...... 29 http://www.cornell.edu/reimagining/docs/aap-summary-1109.pdf ...... 37 For more information see http://www.research.cornell.edu/VPR/Policies/default.html. ...... In the wake of the 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy, Cornell's strategic approach ...
“Any Person ... Any Study”
within One University
Comprehensive Self‐Study Report submitted to the
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
February 9, 2011
Executive Summary
“Any Person … Any Study” within One University
Self-Study for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Submitted by
Cornell University
February 9, 2011
This comprehensive self‐study of Cornell University, undertaken a decade
after the previous Middle States accreditation, takes as its theme the
productive tension between Cornell’s historical (and still cherished) goals
of accessibility and breadth and its need to function with unity, focus, and
efficiency. As we measure the university by the commission’s standards,
we find several essential facts or major developments of recent years to be
especially relevant:
Cornell’s thorough and focused 2010 Strategic Plan;
the longstanding decentralization of academic and various other
responsibilities;
Cornell’s character as the land grant university of New York State;
the university’s responses to the national economic downturn,
including immediate measures as well as bold changes to create
long‐term savings in administrative costs;
the approaching retirement of a large proportion of the faculty and
Cornell’s proactive response;
the commitment to need‐blind admissions and need‐based
financial aid;
Executive Summary i ongoing efforts to improve our students’ living‐learning experience
and to continue or establish means of assessing the quality of
student learning.
We introduce Cornell in our first chapter, outlining fundamental facts
about the university and its individual colleges, describing
transformational initiatives of the past decade, and explaining the external
context that led to “Reimagining Cornell,” a comprehensive self‐
examination culminating in the 2010 Strategic Plan. Chapter 2 briefly
explains our approach to the Middle States self‐study.
The first three Middle States standards (Mission and Goals; Planning,
Resource Allocation, and Institutional Renewal; and Institutional Resources) are
examined in chapter 3, “Institutional Stewardship.” After examining
Cornell’s strategic planning process and outcome, we discuss the functions
of planning, resource allocation, and renewal, and then describe the
university’s revenues, expenses, budgeting, and related areas. We also
discuss changes brought about by the global financial crisis. We
recommend developing a more coordinated approach to planning, to be
achieved along the lines described in the 2010 Strategic Plan. We also
recommend further planning for the refurbishment of campus facilities
and for campus development as prescribed in the Campus Master Plan.
In chapter 4 we address standards 4 (Leadership and Governance), 5
(Administration), and 6 (Integrity). Here we outline Cornell’s administrative
and governance structures as well as policies related to integrity and
ethical conduct. We take note of several changes in recent years that have
centralized certain functions of the university, and we recommend that
Cornell continue on this path, so long as doing so does not jeopardize the
academic missions of the colleges. We also recommend clarification of the
roles of the assemblies, continued momentum on administrative cost‐
saving measures, and full implementation of an in‐process change in
management of conflicts of interest.
Chapter 5 considers standards 8(Student Admissions and Retention) and 9
(Student Support Services). We first examine admission policies, enrollment
targets, and recruitment of underrepresented minorities. Next, we
consider graduation and completion rates, advising, career services,
ii Executive Summary psychological services, residential life, and other aspects of student well‐
being, as well as grievance policies and privacy protections. We endorse
need‐blind admissions and competitive packages of need‐based financial
aid, recommend further attention to the retention and success of
underrepresented minorities, and suggest that Cornell reconsider the
recent policy of allowing applicants to choose an alternate college. We also
offer recommendations concerning fostering student health and well‐
being, find room for improvement in academic advising and career
services, and suggest that Cornell examine housing issues related to
transfer admission.
Our next chapter examines Cornell’s compliance with standard 10: Faculty,
considering the composition of the faculty, measures of excellence, the role
of non‐professorial faculty members, diversity, mentoring, tenure, and
other issues. We endorse Cornell’s proactive faculty renewal efforts and
support innovative hiring practices and efforts toward diversity. We
recommend professional development opportunities for all faculty,
including non‐professorial ones, and advise further consideration of the
role of emeritus faculty. Urging more consistent university‐wide support
for teaching, we recommend more widespread mentoring of junior faculty
and incentives for units to better integrate faculty members’ roles as
researchers, teachers, advisors, mentors, and agents of public engagement.
Finally, we recommend that the university continue to expand cross‐
campus and inter‐campus collaborations, with particular emphasis on the
social sciences and business.
“Educational Offerings,” our seventh chapter, focuses on standards 11–13:
Educational Offerings, General Education, and Related Educational Activities.
Here we examine undergraduate education, graduate and professional
programs, off‐campus study, and supporting factors such as the library,
information technology, and instructional facilities. We endorse moving
toward a more unified educational experience for undergraduates,
developing stronger ties across colleges, and minimizing obstacles that
may prevent students in one college from taking courses in another. We
also urge greater attention to the creative and performing arts as well as
data collection on undergraduate research. At the graduate level, we
recommend that Cornell examine the viability of some small graduate
fields as well as the adequacy of programs in English as a second
Executive Summary iii language. Other recommendations concern library services and the need
for improved means of supporting study abroad.
Next we address standard 14: Assessment of Student Learning in chapter 8.
Cornell’s many programs are at varying points in their progress toward
establishing and using effective assessment practices. We examine the
situation across undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs and
offer a general recommendation that Cornell ensure ample central support
for the assessment project. We also recommend that Cornell use a range of
resources for developing assessment activities, provide additional support
for assessment‐related work in the Center for Teaching Excellence, and
create fora in which units can share assessment models.
Standard 7: Institutional Assessment is discussed in chapter 9. This chapter
outlines our data collection and analysis services, our current assessment
activities, and plans for the future. We endorse the Strategic Plan’s aims
for institutional assessment and recommend addressing issues of
communication and transparency of data. We also see a need for more
data collection in two areas: (1) the links between students’ Cornell
experiences and their later careers and (2) the experiences and perceptions
of graduate and professional students.
In conclusion, we survey the highlights of our self‐study and affirm the
need for Cornell University to act as “one university” to maintain and
improve its research prominence and to enhance the undergraduate
experience. We see administrative efficiency and academic collaboration
as means to help Cornell achieve its ambitious goals.
iv Executive Summary
“Any Person … Any Study” within One University
Table of Contents
1. Introducing Cornell University ....................................................... 1
1.1 Facts About Cornell ......................................................................... 1
1.1.1 Mission ................................................................................ 2
1.1.2 Vision ................................................................................... 2
1.1.3 Cornell’s Colleges and Schools ............................................. 3
1.1.4 Cornell’s Leadership ............................................................ 11
1.2 Transformational Initiatives of the Last Decade ........................ 12
1.2.1 Undergraduate Residential Initiatives .................................. 12
1.2.2 Financial Aid Initiatives ....................................................... 14
1.2.3 New Life Sciences Initiative ................................................. 15
1.2.4 “Far Above”: The Campaign for Cornell ............................. 16
1.2.5 Other Initiatives .................................................................. 17
1.3 The External Context and “Reimagining Cornell” ..................... 19
1.4 “Any Person … Any Study” within One University .................... 25
2. Approach to Self Study ................................................................ 27
2.1 Organization of the Self-Study Process ...................................... 27
2.1.1 The Working Groups .......................................................... 30
2.1.2 The Steering Committee ..................................................... 31
2.2 “Any Person … Any Study” within One University .................... 32
3. Institutional Stewardship ............................................................. 35
Standard 1: Mission and Goals
Standard 2: Planning, Resource Allocation, and Institutional Renewal
Standard 3: