{"id":40274,"date":"2024-09-09T09:16:22","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T13:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=40274"},"modified":"2024-09-09T09:16:23","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T13:16:23","slug":"meet-interim-president-kotlikoff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/meet-interim-president-kotlikoff\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Interim President, a \u2018Citizen of the University\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A conversation with Mike Kotlikoff\u2014from his pride in Cornell\u2019s COVID response to his passion for homemade pizza<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Beth Saulnier<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike Kotlikoff may not have a class year after his name, but his understanding of\u2014and affection for\u2014Cornell runs deep. In his nearly quarter-century on the Hill, he has <\/em>held numerous roles<\/em><\/a> including leading a large research lab and serving as a department chair, Vet College dean, and University provost.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, he\u2019s leading Cornell as its interim president. He took office on July 1 and is appointed until July 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Mike
Jason Koski \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
In the audience at the State of the University address in 2016, when he was provost.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

With the aim of helping alumni get to know him, <\/em>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\u2019s 50 wooded acres.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among Kotlikoff\u2019s first acts of the 2024\u201325 academic year: in mid-August, he and his wife, Carolyn McDaniel<\/a>, spent a week living in Donlon Hall during student Move-In.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you think is special about Cornell?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of its extraordinary attributes is its openness, which comes from our founding principle of \u201cany person \u2026 any study.\u201d I also think of Cornell faculty as combining excellence with humility, and having an openness to collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s successful combination of our Upstate and Downstate campuses is also unique in higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mike
Jason Koski \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Kotlikoff and his wife, Carolyn McDaniel, introduce students to their border terrier during Move-In 2024.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u2014in high-energy physics<\/a>, sustainability<\/a>, and the humanities<\/a>\u2014and in our radical collaborations in AI, design, and other areas that recruit across disciplines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More and more, the most successful universities will be those that bring together disciplinary experts to attack difficult problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I think Cornell does academic collaboration better than anyone.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And this is an exceptionally collegial community that fosters collaboration. I always say it\u2019s hard to be a jerk in a small town. It\u2019s not impossible, but you have to work at it. And most people here just don\u2019t try very hard. [He laughs.<\/em>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Could you reflect on how the University has changed since you arrived in 2000?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cornell Tech<\/a> was a huge gamble we were able to pull off; it\u2019s transforming New York City and has transformed the University. Also, the continued growth of biomedical research at Weill Cornell Medicine<\/a>\u2014moving it from one of the most outstanding clinical and educational programs to the highest ranks of academic medical centers in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Interim
Sreang Hok \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Meeting with Weill Cornell Medicine faculty as interim president.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019ve 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\u2014for example, Balch Hall<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Cornell Tech was a huge gamble we were able to pull off; it\u2019s transforming New York City and has transformed the University.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve also strengthened our academic excellence in some really significant ways. Of course, the biggest example is the SC Johnson College of Business<\/a>, which combined the strengths of our three outstanding business schools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recently, computing and information science was elevated to the status of a college\u2014the Bowers College of Computing and Information Science<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mike
Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Visiting a lab as dean of the Vet College.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We also created an entirely new school, the Brooks School of Public Policy<\/a>\u2014which, along with our cross-college departments in economics and the social sciences, has connected and elevated our expertise in those areas across Cornell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What have been some high points of your time at Cornell?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Definitely the University\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

In addition to Cornell Tech and the North Campus Residential Expansion, I would say the development of a unified budget model. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Interim
Jason Koski \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Posing for a selfie during 2024 New Student Convocation.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Readers may be surprised that you look back on COVID\u2014and the enormous effort that it took for the University to bring students back to campus in fall 2020\u2014as a high point. Could you elaborate?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It certainly was a significant challenge, but we rose to it. It required the best of the University, bringing together everyone\u2014the skeptics and the proponents\u2014and interacting with the community, reassuring our legislative leaders that we could do this. And we saw a tremendous commitment from our community\u2014particularly our students, whose careful behavior was ultimately responsible for our success. So it was both a challenge and a high point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"then-Provost
Jason Koski \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
At a faculty reception in 2018.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n

What other challenges have you faced?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking broadly, how has the role of a university president changed in the past few decades?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certainly there\u2019s more pressure and scrutiny. Higher education is under\u2014\u201cattack\u201d is a strong word. But there are questions from the public about our value and concerns about whether we\u2019re too elite or intolerant of other views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s an unfortunate characterization, and an exaggeration. Of course, there are elements of truth in everything; we have to be open to self-inspection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mike
Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Accompanying the then-provost of SUNY on a 2007 tour of the Vet College.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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\u2014and unreasonable impatience on the part of our students about how they can force change by disrupting campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you see as the particular advantages and\/or challenges of a presidency that is interim and inherently time-limited?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It gives you the opportunity to set some goals and try to achieve them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019 opinions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

One of my goals is to build community and foster civility, openness, a reasoned approach, and respect for others\u2019 opinions.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I think the short-term nature of an interim presidency allows someone who\u2019s been a citizen of this university for the last 24 years to try to pull the campus together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disadvantages, of course, are that you can\u2019t embark on long-term strategies without trespassing on what future presidents or others in the University might want to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

What do you hope to accomplish in the next two years?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One is building community, both at the University and within our local community. That also extends to strengthening the connections across our campuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"President
Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Touring a clean room in Duffield Hall with then-President Elizabeth Garrett (right).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You mentioned being a citizen of the University. You\u2019ve held so many roles at Cornell; how does this breadth of experience inform your approach?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a great advantage. Academic leadership is fundamentally different than corporate leadership. As a provost, president, dean, or chair, you don\u2019t have the power to command anyone to do anything. Your only currency is your reputation: what you\u2019ve done in your discipline, the strength of your ideas, and how you listen to others and incorporate good ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Mike
provided<\/figcaption>
At left, with members of his lab shortly after he arrived on the Hill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Having had experience at all these levels, in a place with extraordinary breadth, provides knowledge and gives the community confidence about you\u2014or at least a willingness to listen to your ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t 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\u2019s best interests at heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another role you\u2019ve had is as a Cornell dad: one of your children (Emmett \u201916) is an alum. How has this further informed your perspective?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I certainly have seen my family benefit from the tremendous education that Cornell provides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"then-Provost
Cornell University<\/figcaption>
With his wife and son at Commencement 2016.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n

Our son is a computer science graduate, and he\u2019s now an employee of Google in New York City and very much enjoys what he\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both of our kids grew up in Ithaca, and I\u2019ve also seen its value and uniqueness. I\u2019ve seen the extraordinary dedication of teachers in the public school system, and how Cornell and Ithaca interact to the benefit of this community\u2014whether it\u2019s the school systems, childcare, or so many other areas.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve said that historian <\/strong>Carl Becker<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s 1940 \u201cFreedom and Responsibility\u201d speech\u2014in 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\u2014is an appropriate lodestar. How might it help us today?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Becker made the point that one clear purpose of a university is preparing students to enter a democracy\u2014providing the understanding that democracies rely both on individual freedoms and a responsibility to respect others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

[Carl] Becker made the point that one clear purpose of a university is preparing students to enter a democracy.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As an institution of higher education, we need to do a better job of conveying those principles to our students. You\u2019re not always going to get what you want. It\u2019s fine to be passionate about your ideas\u2014but 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You attended Penn on scholarship; how might that make you especially aware of college affordability challenges?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t like the experience some of my classmates had; I didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"then-Provost
Lindsay France \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Chatting with students at a 2016 Latino studies \u201cFridays with Faculty\u201d lunch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Students without a privileged background may feel that they don\u2019t belong here, or find it difficult to navigate this place. It is important to emphasize: if you\u2019ve been admitted, you belong here, and you can succeed. I\u2019m extraordinarily proud that Cornell educates more undergraduate students on financial aid than any of our Ivy peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2014to join with students across universities to change U.S. foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

It is important to emphasize: if you\u2019ve been admitted, you belong here, and you can succeed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But some individuals were more radical. I remember going to Washington and being tear-gassed in front of the Justice Department\u2014because 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And we all felt the consequences of that decision. So I am familiar with the dynamic of protest and the consequences of civil disobedience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"then-Provost
Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Kotlikoff and the late Professor Emeritus James Turner unveil a stone commemorating the Wait Avenue site of Cornell\u2019s first Africana Studies and Research Center during a 2016 ceremony, as then-Ithaca mayor Svante Myrick \u201909 looks on.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What might you have learned from the protests at Cornell last semester that you could apply going forward?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That we have a duty of care to all of our students\u2014to make sure that everyone feels supported and can access our educational programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

We have a duty of care to all of our students\u2014to make sure that everyone feels supported and can access our educational programs.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s our responsibility to support free expression to the absolute extent that we can\u2014until 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve been a big supporter of Cornell\u2019s community of students who are military veterans. How has increasing that population contributed to the University\u2019s mission?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2014though certainly all of those\u2014but also viewpoint and experiential diversity. All of that combines to enable us to do the best work that we can possibly do.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Interim
Ryan Young \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
With members of Cornell’s military community at a fall 2024 student welcome event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

What would you like alumni to know about you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That Cornell has been the most important institution in my life. I didn\u2019t go to Cornell, but I\u2019ve become so enamored of the unique nature of this institution and its founding history, and I feel privileged to have played leadership roles here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Cornell has been the most important institution in my life.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve also met many alumni\u2014wonderful people whom I view as some of my dearest friends. That\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How will alumni get to meet you over the coming months?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I plan to be as open and visible as possible, both on and off campus. I\u2019m 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\u2019re approaching these challenging times, and how we\u2019re continuing to do what Cornell has always done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"then-Provost
Jason Koski \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
At the dedication of Klarman Hall in 2016, with Touchdown and University benefactors Franci Blassberg \u201975, JD \u201977, and and Joe Rice. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alumni should state their views, just like our students and faculty. We are not going to make everyone happy in a situation where there\u2019s such division, but we should hear from a variety of voices. The Cornell community benefits greatly from a diversity of thought and perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The Cornell community benefits greatly from a diversity of thought and perspective.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019ve had expressive activity and some disruptions, it hasn\u2019t prevented us from providing what [President Emeritus] Hunter [Rawlings] has called Cornell\u2019s \u201cawakening of human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are your favorite Cornell events and activities to attend?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mike
Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Kotlikoff and McDaniel pose in a photo booth at the 2014 staff service recognition dinner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n

My wife and I are season ticket holders to the basketball games, and you\u2019ll see us at wrestling, hockey, and other sports, both men\u2019s and women\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, alumni events; the extraordinary passion that alumni hold for this institution is unlike anything I\u2019ve seen anyplace else. It really is a testament to the impact that Cornell has on people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the former Vet dean, what pets or other animals do you have at home?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now we\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

What books are you reading right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m Your Man<\/a><\/em>, a biography of Leonard Cohen\u2014which I love. Also Campus Free Speech<\/a><\/em> by Cass Sunstein, which I\u2019m finding very enjoyable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have a favorite hobby?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Interim
Jason Koski \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Sporting a custom jersey\u2014courtesy of Big Red Athletics\u2014as the 2024\u201325 academic year begins.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Collaborative; open; excellent; humble; and impactful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top: Kotlikoff outside A.D. White House, home of Cornell’s first president.<\/em> (Lindsay France \/ Cornell University)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published September 9, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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