Mike Kotlikoff reaches out to shake a student's hand at Convocation.

‘Experience the Breadth of Cornell and Ithaca’

Interim President Mike Kotlikoff invites new students to think beyond a diploma—to all that the Big Red community can offer

“In the President’s Words” brings the president’s messages to the broader Cornell community, so alumni can hear from the University’s leader first-hand. He delivered the following address at New Student Convocation in Schoellkopf Stadium on Sunday, August 25.

By Mike Kotlikoff

I am so very pleased to be here with all of you, and to be greeting the newest members of the Cornell community. Whether you’re part of the freshman Class of ’28 or a transfer student new to Cornell; wherever you come from, whatever your goals; whatever lies behind you and whatever lies ahead: all of you are now Cornellians.

I have met many of you already up on North Campus, where my wife and I have been living for the last week in Donlon Hall. Let me take a couple of minutes this morning to tell you a little bit about this university—which is now your university.

New students holding fans that say "Go Big Red" at Convocation.Sreang Hok / Cornell University
Fans provided cooling—and Big Red Spirit.

You probably know already that it was born out of the radical ambition of Ezra Cornell, who aspired to “found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.” It’s a great aspiration that welcomes all to learn and discover in whatever area they choose.

Toward the end of the American Civil War, Ezra Cornell—who was a New York state senator at the time—got together with a fellow senator: Cornell’s future first president, Andrew Dickson White.

Together, they plotted to create a new kind of university. One that would reshape American education—and in doing so, reshape the post-Civil War United States.

It would be a university that was not connected to a religious denomination; that was not only for people of means or social status; that was open to women and people of color from its founding.

Their plan embraced the democratic ideals of our nation, in ways that challenged existing views of class and privilege and of race and gender—and existing ideas of what should and should not be taught in a university.

Mike Kotlikoff chats with two female students outside a white tent
Lindsay France / Cornell University
Chatting with new Cornellians.

And they applied those ideals to the pursuit of academic excellence and practical benefit to society, with radical respect for both individual rights, and shared obligations.

They launched a tradition that endures to this day—one that Cornell historian Carl Becker later called “freedom and responsibility.”

Together, [Ezra and Andrew] plotted to create a new kind of university. One that would reshape American education—and in doing so, reshape the post-Civil War United States.

Now, none of the principles our founders insisted on in 1865 sound too wild and crazy today.

But back then, their ideas were seen as not just unrealistic or impractical, but really threatening to the social norms of the day—and to a hierarchy that saw separation and stratification as part of a natural order.

From its very beginnings, Cornell has been about breaking down barriers: between people and ideas; knowledge and practice; potential and achievement.

Mike Kotlikoff chats with parents at a family welcome event in Willard Straight HallNoël Heaney / Cornell University
Greeting parents at a welcome event in the Willard Straight Memorial Room.

To be a Cornellian is to inherit that tradition, of any person and any study.

It means embracing the freedom to learn and explore and share ideas, along with the responsibilities of being part of an academic community, united in a shared mission—living with, listening to, and respecting others and their ideas, while forming one’s own independent views and discussing them freely.

From its very beginnings, Cornell has been about breaking down barriers: between people and ideas; knowledge and practice; potential and achievement.

All of you are now part of that tradition. You’re part of an amazing community that will always be a part of you, that will leave you with more knowledge, more experiences, many memories, and friends for a lifetime—and a place to return to, throughout your lives, that will always feel like home.

And if there’s one thing I’d like all of you to keep in mind between now and graduation, it’s that your goal isn’t a Cornell diploma to hang on the wall—but a Cornell education, to enrich your lives.

Mike Kotlikoff and Ryan Lombardi talk to a mother and son during Move-InJason Koski / Cornell University
At Move-In with a family and Ryan Lombardi (far right), VP for Student and Campus Life.

As our 10th president, Hunter Rawlings III, once put it: “genuine education is not a commodity—it is the awakening of a human being.”

And the best way to pursue that awakening is to dive into both the freedom and the responsibility of being a Cornellian: being fully part of this community of remarkable people, and finding your own passion and excellence.

One of the best parts of being at Cornell—and I say that as someone who’s been here for close to 25 years—is the people you will meet here.

One of the best parts of being at Cornell—and I say that as someone who’s been here for close to 25 years—is the people you will meet here.

They are, across the board, not only some of the smartest, most talented, and most accomplished people you could ever hope to meet, but also the most curious, the most interesting, and the most down-to-earth.

And what makes them so interesting, I think, is that curiosity, and the diversity of their backgrounds and experiences.

As you would expect, your university and college leadership include members of prestigious societies with numerous honors, publications, and awards.

New students with their arms around each other at Convocation.Sreang Hok / Cornell University
Convocation attendees get an early lesson in how Cornellians sing the “Alma Mater.”

They are authors, principal investigators, and inventors, with incredibly impressive accomplishments—celebrated for their teaching, innovation, and research.

They also count among their credentials experience as an answering service operator, farmhand, mall-stand cookie-baker, horse groom, and short-order cook; construction worker in New Jersey, cocktail waitress in Florence, dry-cleaner in Georgia, sugar-cane cutter in Belize, and dairy farm manure manager here in Central New York.

A male cheerleader at Convocation.
Sreang Hok / Cornell University
A cheerleader revs up the crowd.

I will tell you what each of them would tell you: that all of those experiences made them who they are, and brought them to where they are, with more understanding and respect for the world around us, and the people in it.

So take the time to experience the breadth of Cornell and Ithaca to the greatest extent possible.

Talk to the people you meet here: in your classes, in your jobs, and around town.

Take classes that interest you, and try something that scares you—whether it’s dance or debate or rock-climbing. Check out some of our hundreds of student organizations.

And above all, get outside! Hike Buttermilk or Taughannock Falls, have a picnic at Stewart Park, explore the Ithaca Commons and Sapsucker Woods.

Take classes that interest you, and try something that scares you—whether it’s dance or debate or rock-climbing.

Cornell is a place to follow your curiosity, discover your passions, and learn and explore just about anything.

And as diverse as this community is, all of you share one thing in common. All of you are Cornellians. And while most of you in the bleachers today will only be at Cornell for a few years—all of you will be Cornellians for a lifetime.

We’re glad to have you. Welcome to Cornell!

Top: Kotlikoff greets new students in Schoellkopf. (Sreang Hok / Cornell University)

Published August 28, 2024

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