A new faculty-led committee will explore how the university can evolve to best serve future generations while pursuing its core mission of education, scholarship, public impact and community engagement.
Provost Kavita Bala has charged the Committee on the Future of the American University with envisioning Cornell's long-term future, at a time when the fundamental value of higher education is being questioned. Universities are grappling with a loss of public trust, the reshaping of their decades-long compact with the federal government and rapid technological change - including artificial intelligence.
"This is a consequential moment in the history of higher education. Envisioning the future of American higher education is a bold but necessary endeavor," she said. "Grounded in our enduring founding principles, Cornellians are up to this task, and I look forward to the insightful conversations we have together across campus and beyond."
The committee members, recommended by their respective deans, represent a range of academic disciplines and areas of expertise. The committee will engage in discussions across campus, report on progress at the end of the fall semester and continue its exploration in spring 2026.
The committee will examine pressing questions across four key areas:
- Undergraduate education: How should a university educate undergraduates in the face of diminished trust and significant sociotechnical change? How can universities best train today's students to become responsible citizens in a polarized world, with the capacity to debate and disagree constructively with those who hold different views? How can Cornell embrace change while retaining its commitment to the power of reading and writing, dialogue, human ingenuity and critical thought?
- Graduate education: The dual pressures of diminished trust in higher learning and reduced federal funding present a consequential challenge to graduate education. How should universities train the next generation of scholars, researchers, entrepreneurs, creatives and leaders?
- Scholarship: What is the future of university scholarship? If federal support continues to wane, how can American universities retain global leadership in research through new partnerships and funding models? How does Cornell build trust with and better serve a public that increasingly doubts the value of scholarship and has concerns about integrity and ideological bias?
- Public impact and community engagement: As a social institution, the university is embedded in American communities, providing services and support that go beyond the contributions of its educational and research missions. How can Cornell leverage the knowledge it generates to inform policy and practice and to improve the daily lives of communities, families and individuals?
"Across each of these core missions of the university, we must assess the challenges and opportunities presented at this historical moment, engaging with supporters and skeptics within our university and beyond," Bala said.
A key component of the committee will be gathering input, feedback and comments from the Cornell faculty, staff, students and alumni, as well as the broader community through a variety of listening session and other forums. The committee co-chairs are:
