Chime In As Higher Ed Looks to the Future, It’s Vital to Understand the Past Stories You May Like How Cornell’s First President Transformed Higher Education ‘Good Health, Tempered Courage, and Sound Common Sense’ Libe Slope, Friends, and East Hill Sunsets: Your Fondest Memories I'm an alum who co-chairs a faculty task force exploring Cornell’s role in a changing educational, research, and social landscape “Chime In” comprises brief first-person essays by Cornellians. Do you have a topic in mind? Email us at cornellians@cornell.edu! Editor’s note: The author serves as co-chair of the Committee on the Future of the American University, a group of 18 faculty appointed by the provost to explore how Cornell can evolve to best serve future generations while pursuing its core mission of education, scholarship, public impact, and community engagement. By Praveen Sethupathy ’03 “Why can’t Cornell just go back to being a liberal arts college?” This is what a Cornellian friend asked me when I expressed deep concern about the challenges facing universities—which include federal blocks to research funding, waning public trust, shifting relations with the government, and a cultural revolution brought about by technology and AI. I started to formulate my response about the critical value of research and innovation on a university campus, but something else was bugging me: we never were a liberal arts college. provided The great American novelist Robert Penn Warren once said that “history can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves … so that we can better face the future.” What is Cornell, and what can it offer the country and world? To even begin to approach this question, we must first understand and appreciate the historical trajectory of universities in the U.S. American liberal arts tradition dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries; colleges like Harvard, Yale, William & Mary, and Princeton were primarily founded on religious principles and provided instruction for men of high status in subjects such as Western literature, philosophy, and rhetoric. John Henry Newman, a renowned poet and theologian who was born in the era of these colleges, said “the power of the university is enlargement of the mind.” What is Cornell, and what can it offer the country and world? To even begin to approach this question, we must first understand and appreciate the historical trajectory of universities in the U.S. The ethos of the time was that a college education should be pursued largely for its own sake, to develop the intellect in the pursuit of truth—a private good for those of high class and status that may then trickle down to the broader society. The contours of the modern university only started taking shape in the mid-19th century, when a new wave of universities started dotting the American landscape, among which Cornell and a few others were arguably the bona fide leaders. The industrial revolution had dramatically altered the country, and new skills, capabilities, and innovations were widely and critically needed for the evolving economy. With wealth gained from big industries such as oil, telegraph, railroad, and steel, philanthropists founded larger universities, modeled after renowned German institutions of higher education, which emphasized research and discovery. rare and manuscript collectionsA.D. White in front of his eponymous home on the Hill. In 1862, Andrew Dickson White, the co-founder and first president of Cornell, wrote that “the ideal university is one that provides … highly prized instruction to all regardless of sex or color … an asylum for science … a center from where ideas shall go forth to bless the nation.” The vision was a melding of the private and public good, extended to any person for the benefit of all. This spirit captured the attention of the country; later, Frederick Rudolph, the famous American historian of higher education, would refer to Cornell as the “first American University.” In 1876, the first president of Johns Hopkins, Daniel Gilman, would say in his inaugural address that the university should “extend the realm of knowledge … promote scholarship.” Universities were no longer just about instruction in what is already known, but havens for the pursuit of the unknown (research), to train for a wide array of callings (workforce development), and promote the public good (societal impact). Stories You May Like How Cornell’s First President Transformed Higher Education ‘Good Health, Tempered Courage, and Sound Common Sense’ These new universities were still largely run by philanthropy, which limited their size and reach. It was not until the 20th century, and in particular the national needs and priorities that arose from World War II and the Cold War, that the relationship with the federal government expanded and strengthened. It was not until the 20th century, and in particular the national needs and priorities that arose from World War II and the Cold War, that the relationship with the federal government expanded and strengthened. With government support, university education was perceived by the public as offering the opportunity for social mobility and economic advancement, and federal investment in research and innovation skyrocketed. In 1945, a landmark treatise—Science, the Endless Frontier: A Report to the President on a Program for Postwar Scientific Research—was published on the importance of federal investment in research even in times of peace. It was a cataclysmic shift in university-government relations, as well as the size and reach of the university. And two decades later, Clark Kerr, chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, in his book the Uses of the University, proposed a new term: “multiversity.” rare and manuscript collections A synchrotron in Cornell's Newman Lab, established for the study of particle physics, in the mid-1900s. It highlighted the fact that the modern, top-tier research university is actually a decentralized, multifaceted institution that has gone well beyond its classical origins—and, he wrote, is now not only a “hub for knowledge production” but also a “prime instrument of national purpose,” able to contribute to “economic and social growth.” The university had doubled down on the shifts that had started to take place in the 19th century in terms of its raison d’etre—not only to provide intellectual formation but also to encourage innovation, address national needs, promote social mobility, and advance economic progress. Today, American universities are renowned and sought-after worldwide. The brightest, most curious, most innovative students from across the globe want to attend the top universities in America, year after year. The modern, top-tier research university is actually a decentralized, multifaceted institution that has gone well beyond its classical origins. A study of history helps us understand who we are today—but where are we going from here? Are the aspirations of White, Gilman, and Kerr still relevant? There is no singular definition of an “American university,” because institutions of higher education have always adapted in part to meet the needs and goals of an evolving society. We are now at another consequential period in history and we must do what universities have done before at important junctures: clarify timeless principles, but also adapt and transform where necessary. Alexandra Bayer / cornell universityStudents on the first day of classes in fall 2025. In what areas are we already strong and well-positioned to meet the moment, and in what ways have we missed the mark and fallen short of our promise? How do we chart an exciting new direction for Cornell as a shining example of the American university for the future? These questions are at the heart of the work of the Future of the American University committee, and we eagerly look forward to engaging stakeholders within and beyond the university, including alumni, to reimagine our future—still where “any person” can study, still to do “the greatest good” for everyone. A former computer science major in Arts & Sciences who holds a doctorate from Penn, Praveen Sethupathy chairs the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the Vet College. The Committee on the Future of the American University, of which he is co-chair, welcomes ideas and feedback at fau@cornell.edu. Published November 25, 2025 Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Cornelliana 150 Years of Mechanical Engineering on the Hill: Fascinating Facts Alumni Beyond PB&J: Alum’s Company Sells Creatively Flavored Nut Butters Glorious to View A Look at Reunions of Yesteryear, Saturated in Big Red Spirit