Why Democracy Needs Libraries With censorship on the rise, the University Librarian weighs in on the critical role these institutions play in civic and educational life
What My Winding Career Path Taught Me About College I struggled with what to do after graduation—but in our data-heavy landscape, today’s students are much more empowered
I Want to See Women in STEM—So I Wrote a Book About It I’m thrilled that many more female students are enrolled in the sciences—but there’s more work to be done
Why Being a Student Chimesmaster Put Me ‘At the Top of the World’ Looking back, I realize that successfully competing to play Cornell’s iconic instrument was a quintessential ‘wow’ moment
Genealogy Research Helped Me Find My Cornellian Cousins I discovered that I’m descended from an enslaved couple who settled a town called Promised Land—and so are two fellow alumni
Remembering a Fellow Grad Student Who Went on to Be a Literary Icon Newly arrived from Germany, I formed a friendship with a classmate who became a legendary author: Toni Morrison, MA ’55
I Fly Solo in My 90s—And Here’s How You Can Do It, Too Thanks to many miles of experience (and a walker named Charlie), I have my routine for taking plane trips alone down to a science
In Praise of Schmoozing I have always embraced chance encounters—and those serendipitous interactions have made all the difference
I Visited Every County in the U.S.—and Yes, There’s a Club for That My decades-long, map-crossing quest is a reminder that ‘the shortest distance between two points is no fun’
I Aided Afghan Refugees—With my Interior Design Skills On the Hill, I studied in Human Ecology and served in Army ROTC. A humanitarian crisis brought those two worlds together