Campus & Beyond

Meet the Interim President, a ‘Citizen of the University’

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By Beth Saulnier

Mike Kotlikoff may not have a class year after his name, but his understanding of—and affection for—Cornell runs deep. In his nearly quarter-century on the Hill, he has held numerous roles including leading a large research lab and serving as a department chair, Vet College dean, and University provost.

Now, he’s leading Cornell as its interim president. He took office on July 1 and is appointed until July 2026.

Mike Kotlikoff, then provost, smiles in the audience at the State of the University Address in 2016 — In the audience at the State of the University address in 2016, when he was provost.

With the aim of helping alumni get to know him, Cornellians sat down with Kotlikoff in his Day Hall office. Our conversation covered a wide range of topics, including his undergrad studies on scholarship at Penn, his thoughts on campus activism, his presidential goals, his love of Big Red basketball, and his penchant for hopping on his tractor to do chores on his family’s 50 wooded acres.

Among Kotlikoff’s first acts of the 2024–25 academic year: in mid-August, he and his wife, Carolyn McDaniel, spent a week living in Donlon Hall during student Move-In.

What do you think is special about Cornell?

One of its extraordinary attributes is its openness, which comes from our founding principle of “any person … any study.” I also think of Cornell faculty as combining excellence with humility, and having an openness to collaboration.

Another characteristic is the combination of theoretical and applied scholarship: key, foundational research, together with the practical, down-to-earth solutions that have an impact on society. Cornell’s successful combination of our Upstate and Downstate campuses is also unique in higher education.

Mike Kotlikoff and wife Carolyn McDaniel with their dog, May, greeting new students on North Campus. — Kotlikoff and his wife, Carolyn McDaniel, introduce students to their border terrier during Move-In 2024.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I think Cornell does academic collaboration better than anyone. You see this in our departments that are shared across colleges and campuses, in our centers—in high-energy physics, sustainability, and the humanities—and in our radical collaborations in AI, design, and other areas that recruit across disciplines.

More and more, the most successful universities will be those that bring together disciplinary experts to attack difficult problems.

I think Cornell does academic collaboration better than anyone.

And this is an exceptionally collegial community that fosters collaboration. I always say it’s hard to be a jerk in a small town. It’s not impossible, but you have to work at it. And most people here just don’t try very hard. [He laughs.]

Could you reflect on how the University has changed since you arrived in 2000?

Cornell Tech was a huge gamble we were able to pull off; it’s transforming New York City and has transformed the University. Also, the continued growth of biomedical research at Weill Cornell Medicine—moving it from one of the most outstanding clinical and educational programs to the highest ranks of academic medical centers in the world.

Interim President Mike Kotlikoff meets with doctors at Weil Cornell Medicine in New York City in 2024 — Meeting with Weill Cornell Medicine faculty as interim president.

Both of these advances have led to enhanced integration of the campuses that has brought us light-years ahead in the way we interact with colleagues across geographical boundaries.

Another really significant step has been the residential expansions on North Campus and West Campus, which have been fundamental for our students and a huge boon to the University. They’ve enabled us to guarantee, for the first time, on-campus housing to all of our first- and second-year students. And that added space has also made it possible for us to start in on some very overdue renovations to our older housing stock—for example, Balch Hall.

Cornell Tech was a huge gamble we were able to pull off; it’s transforming New York City and has transformed the University.

We’ve also strengthened our academic excellence in some really significant ways. Of course, the biggest example is the SC Johnson College of Business, which combined the strengths of our three outstanding business schools.

More recently, computing and information science was elevated to the status of a college—the Bowers College of Computing and Information Science.

Mike Kotlikoff, then dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, visits students in a lab in 2013 — Visiting a lab as dean of the Vet College.

We also created an entirely new school, the Brooks School of Public Policy—which, along with our cross-college departments in economics and the social sciences, has connected and elevated our expertise in those areas across Cornell.

What have been some high points of your time at Cornell?

Definitely the University’s response to COVID, which could have divided the community, but instead brought it together. It demonstrated the effectiveness of an approach relying on data and science, and it was a national model.

In addition to Cornell Tech and the North Campus Residential Expansion, I would say the development of a unified budget model.

It used to be that if you were a student in the contract colleges, there were barriers to taking classes in the endowed colleges and vice versa. A unified model has meant that every student can access the full range of intellectual disciplines.

Interim President Mike Kotlikoff poses for a selfie with students during New Student Convocation in 2024 — Jason Koski / Cornell University

Readers may be surprised that you look back on COVID—and the enormous effort that it took for the University to bring students back to campus in fall 2020—as a high point. Could you elaborate?

It certainly was a significant challenge, but we rose to it. It required the best of the University, bringing together everyone—the skeptics and the proponents—and interacting with the community, reassuring our legislative leaders that we could do this. And we saw a tremendous commitment from our community—particularly our students, whose careful behavior was ultimately responsible for our success. So it was both a challenge and a high point.

then-Provost Mike Kotlikoff chats with colleagues during a reception for women faculty on the Willard Straight Hall terrace in 2018 — Jason Koski / Cornell University

What other challenges have you faced?

The biggest was the 2008 economic downturn. What we learned from that was actually the same as from COVID: be prepared. The reason that we were able to be successful in the COVID challenge was that we were prepared.

Speaking broadly, how has the role of a university president changed in the past few decades?

Certainly there’s more pressure and scrutiny. Higher education is under—“attack” is a strong word. But there are questions from the public about our value and concerns about whether we’re too elite or intolerant of other views.

That’s an unfortunate characterization, and an exaggeration. Of course, there are elements of truth in everything; we have to be open to self-inspection.

Mike Kotlikoff, then dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, accompanies Risa Palm, then SUNY provost, on a tour of veterinary college facilities in 2007 — Accompanying the then-provost of SUNY on a 2007 tour of the Vet College.

There are also unreasonable expectations on the part of the public that we should be able to control political expression and limit things that upset people—and unreasonable impatience on the part of our students about how they can force change by disrupting campus.

All of that has put presidents in this country under increased pressure. I think the best response is hewing to our principles, which have led to the most successful educational system in the world.

What do you see as the particular advantages and/or challenges of a presidency that is interim and inherently time-limited?

It gives you the opportunity to set some goals and try to achieve them.

Given the challenges of these times and the political divisions in the country and on our campus, one of my goals is to build community and foster civility, openness, a reasoned approach, and respect for others’ opinions.

One of my goals is to build community and foster civility, openness, a reasoned approach, and respect for others’ opinions.

I think the short-term nature of an interim presidency allows someone who’s been a citizen of this university for the last 24 years to try to pull the campus together.

The disadvantages, of course, are that you can’t embark on long-term strategies without trespassing on what future presidents or others in the University might want to do.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next two years?

One is building community, both at the University and within our local community. That also extends to strengthening the connections across our campuses.

Also, I think we are entering into a time of some financial headwinds. So we have to think carefully about our finances and make sure that the University has the right reserves and is prepared for anything that might come.

President Elizabeth Garrett touring the Nano facility along with Provost Michael Kotlikoff — Cornell University

You mentioned being a citizen of the University. You’ve held so many roles at Cornell; how does this breadth of experience inform your approach?

It’s a great advantage. Academic leadership is fundamentally different than corporate leadership. As a provost, president, dean, or chair, you don’t have the power to command anyone to do anything. Your only currency is your reputation: what you’ve done in your discipline, the strength of your ideas, and how you listen to others and incorporate good ideas.

Mike Kotlikoff with his lab group at the College of Veterinary Medicine in an image from the early 2000s — At left, with members of his lab shortly after he arrived on the Hill.

Having had experience at all these levels, in a place with extraordinary breadth, provides knowledge and gives the community confidence about you—or at least a willingness to listen to your ideas.

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I don’t rely on that or presume it. But I certainly hope that most people feel that they can trust me and know that I have the University’s best interests at heart.

Another role you’ve had is as a Cornell dad: one of your children (Emmett ’16) is an alum. How has this further informed your perspective?

I certainly have seen my family benefit from the tremendous education that Cornell provides.

then-Provost Michael Kotlikoff and his wife, professor Carolyn McDaniel, kiss their son, Emmett ’16, during the Commencement procession in 2016 — Cornell University

Our son is a computer science graduate, and he’s now an employee of Google in New York City and very much enjoys what he’s doing.

Both of our kids grew up in Ithaca, and I’ve also seen its value and uniqueness. I’ve seen the extraordinary dedication of teachers in the public school system, and how Cornell and Ithaca interact to the benefit of this community—whether it’s the school systems, childcare, or so many other areas.

You’ve said that historian Carl Becker’s 1940 “Freedom and Responsibility” speech—in which he argued that Cornellians must balance the ability to chart their own paths with the obligation to use their educations for the public good—is an appropriate lodestar. How might it help us today?

Becker made the point that one clear purpose of a university is preparing students to enter a democracy—providing the understanding that democracies rely both on individual freedoms and a responsibility to respect others.

[Carl] Becker made the point that one clear purpose of a university is preparing students to enter a democracy.

As an institution of higher education, we need to do a better job of conveying those principles to our students. You’re not always going to get what you want. It’s fine to be passionate about your ideas—but you further those ideas by persuasion, rational argument, and facts, not by issuing demands and trying to compel others to accept your point of view.

You attended Penn on scholarship; how might that make you especially aware of college affordability challenges?

I did not go through college as a privileged student, and that gives me a sense of the struggle that many of our students have coming to Cornell. My experience wasn’t like the experience some of my classmates had; I didn’t do many student activities because I always needed to work. And I knew that I was incredibly fortunate to have the scholarship I did have, because there was absolutely no way I could have gone to Penn without that support.

then-Provost Michael Kotlikoff chats with students at a 2016 Latino Studies “Fridays with Faculty” Lunch — Chatting with students at a 2016 Latino studies “Fridays with Faculty” lunch.

Students without a privileged background may feel that they don’t belong here, or find it difficult to navigate this place. It is important to emphasize: if you’ve been admitted, you belong here, and you can succeed. I’m extraordinarily proud that Cornell educates more undergraduate students on financial aid than any of our Ivy peers.

Political activism and protest activity on college campuses created unique challenges during the last academic year. What do you remember about activism from your own student days?

I was a student during the Vietnam War, and many of us demonstrated against it. We were trying to organize effectively, to have our voices heard—to join with students across universities to change U.S. foreign policy.

It is important to emphasize: if you’ve been admitted, you belong here, and you can succeed.

But some individuals were more radical. I remember going to Washington and being tear-gassed in front of the Justice Department—because although many of us were exercising our freedom of speech and we were there to peacefully protest, some students made the deliberate decision to break windows and break the law.

And we all felt the consequences of that decision. So I am familiar with the dynamic of protest and the consequences of civil disobedience.

then-Provost Michael Kotlikoff and professor emeritus James Turner unveil a commemoration stone during the Africana Commemoration Dedication Ceremony in Ithaca in 2016 — Kotlikoff and the late Professor Emeritus James Turner unveil a stone commemorating the Wait Avenue site of Cornell’s first Africana Studies and Research Center during a 2016 ceremony, as then-Ithaca mayor Svante Myrick ’09 looks on.

We cannot, should not, and do not wish to suppress political expression. What we need to do, however, is continue to make sure this university does what it does best: facilitate the exchange of opinions while advancing our core mission for all. Protecting that core mission is the primary responsibility of leadership, and I take that responsibility very seriously.

What might you have learned from the protests at Cornell last semester that you could apply going forward?

That we have a duty of care to all of our students—to make sure that everyone feels supported and can access our educational programs.

We have a duty of care to all of our students—to make sure that everyone feels supported and can access our educational programs.

It’s our responsibility to support free expression to the absolute extent that we can—until it begins to disrupt the business of the University, which is educating students, doing research, and discovering new knowledge. When that happens, we need to respond proportionally, but effectively.

You’ve been a big supporter of Cornell’s community of students who are military veterans. How has increasing that population contributed to the University’s mission?

Veterans bring a diversity of life experience, and in some cases of political views. We need to support diversity in all its dimensions; not just racial, gender, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity—though certainly all of those—but also viewpoint and experiential diversity. All of that combines to enable us to do the best work that we can possibly do.

Interim President Mike Kotlikoff speaks with student veterans during a welcome event in the Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room in 2024 — With members of Cornell's military community at a fall 2024 student welcome event.

What would you like alumni to know about you?

That Cornell has been the most important institution in my life. I didn’t go to Cornell, but I’ve become so enamored of the unique nature of this institution and its founding history, and I feel privileged to have played leadership roles here.

Cornell has been the most important institution in my life.

I’ve also met many alumni—wonderful people whom I view as some of my dearest friends. That’s been a real privilege: meeting individuals, many of whom did not come from a privileged background, but benefited from a Cornell education and maintain a connection and commitment to the institution.

How will alumni get to meet you over the coming months?

I plan to be as open and visible as possible, both on and off campus. I’m planning a number of events around the country and the world, to meet people and talk about what is really happening on campus, how we’re approaching these challenging times, and how we’re continuing to do what Cornell has always done.

then-Provost Mike Kotlikoff poses with The Big Red Bear, Franci Blassberg, and Joe Rice at the dedication of Klarman Hall in 2016 — At the dedication of Klarman Hall in 2016, with Touchdown and University benefactors Franci Blassberg ’75, JD ’77, and and Joe Rice.

Many alumni like to share their thoughts about the University with Cornell leadership; what do you see as the best and most productive way for them to do so?

Alumni should state their views, just like our students and faculty. We are not going to make everyone happy in a situation where there’s such division, but we should hear from a variety of voices. The Cornell community benefits greatly from a diversity of thought and perspective.

The Cornell community benefits greatly from a diversity of thought and perspective.

I hope alumni appreciate the goodwill of the leadership and faculty, and the good work that is continuing on campus. The fact is that while we’ve had expressive activity and some disruptions, it hasn’t prevented us from providing what [President Emeritus] Hunter [Rawlings] has called Cornell’s “awakening of human beings.”

What are your favorite Cornell events and activities to attend?

Mike Kotlikoff and wife Carolyn McDaniel pose in a photo booth at the 59th Service Recognition Dinner at Cornell in 2014 — Cornell University

My wife and I are season ticket holders to the basketball games, and you’ll see us at wrestling, hockey, and other sports, both men’s and women’s.

Also, alumni events; the extraordinary passion that alumni hold for this institution is unlike anything I’ve seen anyplace else. It really is a testament to the impact that Cornell has on people’s lives.

As the former Vet dean, what pets or other animals do you have at home?

Right now we’re at a historical low. We have a border terrier; my wife has five chickens and is planning on donkeys. We also have bees. I have no doubt that the menagerie will grow in the coming years.

What books are you reading right now?

I’m Your Man, a biography of Leonard Cohen—which I love. Also Campus Free Speech by Cass Sunstein, which I’m finding very enjoyable.

Do you have a favorite hobby?

I like to get on my tractor and clear things or do projects. I enjoy fixing things around the property and putting up wood. I also like to ride my bike. Another thing is homemade pizza: my wife makes the dough, and I make the pizza.

Interim President Mike Kotlikoff, sporting a jersey with his name, prepares to exit Bartels Hall after meeting with student athletes and athletics staff in 2024 — Jason Koski / Cornell University

And finally: Cornellians has hosted a popular Homecoming activity in which students and alumni sum up what Cornell means to them in five words or fewer. What words would you choose?

Collaborative; open; excellent; humble; and impactful.

Top: Kotlikoff outside A.D. White House, home of Cornell's first president. (Lindsay France / Cornell University)

Published September 9, 2024

Comments

Caril MacCorkle, Class of 1964
9 Sep, 2024

How fortunate Cornell is to have Mike Kotlikoff as president at this time!

Reply
Jon A. Lindseth, Class of 1956
9 Sep, 2024

A first rate conversation. Cornell needs Mike to succeed and I wish him all the best.

Reply
Lowell Reiland, Class of 1974
10 Sep, 2024

Interim President Mike Kotlikoff,

I wholeheartedly feel that you are embarking upon what is and will be personally successful for your growth, and will be of a stimulus for our Dearly Beloved Cornell.

To me you exude being a People Person, far from the top-down “type,” which will instill confidence in all — from Alumni through each and every new Cornell Student.

We all trust that in the end the “Presidential Search Committee” will decide to keep you on as a Long Term President in keeping with other highly respected Progressive Cornell Presidents of the past!

All of our best continued success for you.

Reply
Larry, Class of 1978
10 Sep, 2024

Good luck Interim President Kotlikoff in meeting all of Cornell’s challenges. It’s also refreshing that a Cornell president is such a big supporter of Cornell sports. I’ve long believed Cornell has underinvested in its athletic facilities and teams. Investing in both should generate a good return, igniting school spirit and alumni interest (and donations). Since it costs a lot to win and even more to lose…

Reply
Leland Pillsbury, Class of 1969
10 Sep, 2024

We can “see your footprints” all over the University, Mike. Put another way, your list of accomplishments in all of your roles at Cornell, from laboratory research professor at the Vet College, to it’s Dean, to your extraordinary tenure as Provost, and now as our President is amazing. At every stage of your journey, you’ve provided Cornell with exactly what was most wanted and needed, and done it with grace and humility.

Reply
- Dr. Joseph Jurgielewicz, Class of 1983
  15 Sep, 2024
  
  Hi Lee ….,
  
  Leaving LA now for Philly …helping Michael with a project ….stayed with Isabella & Michael for 2 nights ….
  
  Had a great time with you in Newport …thanks ….till next time……
  
  Hi to Mary …
  
  Reply

Meet the Interim President, a ‘Citizen of the University’

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