John Tomasi, the inaugural president of Heterodox Academy (HxA), will speak on "The University at a Crossroads - and How We Can Build Cultures of Open Inquiry" Nov. 18, 5:30-7 p.m. in Lewis Auditorium, G76 Goldwin Smith. The talk, free and open to the public, will also be live streamed; register here.
John Tomasi
Tomasi's lecture is part of a series of events organized by the Provost's Committee on the Future of the American University, which is exploring how Cornell can evolve to best serve future generations while pursuing its core mission of education, scholarship, public impact, and community engagement. These events are intended to spur a community conversation around key topics, including public trust in universities, AI and higher education, fostering pluralism and the future of research.
"Tomasi argues that universities need to be more open to dissenting ideas in order to fulfill university's truth-seeking mission, but that reform should happen from within rather than be imposed from without," said event organizer Phoebe Sengers, co-chair of the committee and professor of science and technology studies in the College of Arts & Sciences (A&S) and of information sciences in Cornell Bowers College of Computer and Information Science.
"The real question for us now is whether universities will simply mirror the polarization of our society - or model something better," Tomasi said. "Can we show that disagreement, done well, is not a threat but a form of collaboration? That people who think differently can still make progress together?"
Read the full story on the College of Arts and Sciences website.
