US Universities are in something of a state of flux at the moment, with a combination of social, political, financial, and technological factors all combining to create unprecedented problems for how they currently operate. These schools are old, and have weathered many changes thus far, and look now to adapt to this change in circumstances.ÌýCornell has commissioned a faculty committee to create a plan to do just that. They will not immediately implement this plan of course, but we are going to read and analyze it in this article. It is interesting to see where a top college sees problems developing, and it is also helpful to see how colleges themselves plan to change, so we can begin to predict how those changes may impact students. Let’s get started!
The Committee on the Future of the American University
The of the committee is a breezy 238 pages long; there is a condensed seventeen page which boils down the key points and makes their concrete suggestions for the future. We will do our best to boil down both of these for you. This is interesting material, but that is an excessive amount of reading for anyone who isn’t a dedicated academic.
The report is focused on Cornell specifically, and the policy recommendations outlined are all framed based on what the committee thinks would work best for Cornell’s situation and vision. They do encourage other universities to take similar steps, and some may, though not all of their suggestions are broadly applicable.
The core takeaway from the report is urgency. They have a number of policy suggestions which are meant to be implemented in the near future, and a number of broader suggestions which exist as a long-term structure and plan for future development.
The report first diagnoses the core problems they see facing universities generally and Cornell specifically. These are:
- Cultural erosion: Universities are places of discourse and learning. An increased reliance on AI tools, a sharp rise in political polarization, growing general anxiety, and economic uncertainty have all contributed to weakening the culture of learning at universities and their cultural standing in the US.
- Isolation from the public: While top universities are increasingly famous and recognizable as brands, the public is ever more disconnected from what these schools actually do. This is at the root of a major crisis of public trust, where the general public no longer thinks they can rely on universities.
- Research failures: Federal funding for research is drying up in an unprecedented way, at the same time as public trust in science and the research process is increasingly strained. The rise of AI slop in research, crises in publishing, and declining numbers of graduate students puts serious pressure on this aspect of universities.
- Institutional siloing: Different aspects of academic life are increasingly apart from each other; research, teaching, administration, and different schools within the university are no longer united into a single purpose.
To counter these perceived issues, they have five key steps laid out in their vision statement. They have more than seventy proposed in the full text of their research, which goes far more in-depth into particulars; the vision statement is much more broad strokes, and fewer prescriptive actions that universities can and should take.
They do have a number of prescriptive steps they recommend Cornell adopt. They do not lay out the full details of these, but more general policies which they believe will put the school back on the right track. These are:
- Encouraging dialogue and connection, in order to teach students to evaluate the viewpoints of others and make sound judgements on them. There are serious divisions and distrust of universities, and only by fostering dialogue can schools like Cornell regain public trust.
- A commitment to whole-person education. This echoes a trend we’ve seen in K-12 schools; the point of education is to create people. This focuses on academics, yes, but also on the social and emotional sides, giving students the soft skills they need to navigate a complex society. This should be integrated into the university at large, as well as into academic coursework.
- Technology use and non-use. As AI tools become more prevalent, they advise giving faculty far more leeway in how technology is used, or not used, in classrooms and courses. They are the ones teaching students, and they know best how to ensure educational progress is made.Ìý
- Help strengthen relationships. This is related to the prior point, but universities must aid students in developing relationships; with faculty mentors, potential employers, and their peers. They must provide both opportunities for these to be built, and structure to help students do this successfully.
- Develop a new tuition model. While the committee doesn’t have a solid idea of how this should work, the fact that one is needed is quite clear. College is too expensive, and this is hurting public trust, perceptions, and potential students.
- Strengthen engagement with the public. They have several points on this, but at core, the public doesn’t fully understand what universities are, or what they do. There needs to be renewed public outreach, both within the community in which Cornell sits, and more broadly, to showcase the benefits that universities bring.
- Secure research funding. The most recent cut to federal funding for research has been shocking, but shows that universities like Cornell need to begin diversifying funding sources for their research. This can include partnerships and state funding. They must also focus on how research is carried out, focusing more on high quality research than quantity, which may necessitate changes in how faculty are evaluated.Ìý
- Promote job access for graduate students. There is increasing uncertainty for many PhD students and postdocs, especially as academia is reshuffling, so Cornell and other universities must make increasing investments in industry connections and accreditations for graduate students and postdocs.
- Provide lifelong learning opportunities. There is a proposal to make university resources more broadly accessible, perhaps allowing alumni and affiliated faculty free access to distance learning courses and lectures, or other academic resources of the university.
These are the core thrusts, but they acknowledge within the report itself that this is merely preliminary work, and that far more is needed both in terms of study and actual planning. Universities are large and complicated, and shifting them as dramatically as the report believes they must needs to be done carefully. Their final recommendation is to set up a more structured committee to begin that work, to see about implementing the needed changes and considering the technical and logistical side of how to reshape universities and their offerings.
What Cornell’s Report Means for You
At this point, Cornell’s report is nothing more than words on a page. These are recommendations, and non-binding, nothing more. It is up to Cornell’s administration which of these suggestions they follow, adn to what extent, and up to each individual university what insights they glean from this work, and what they decide to do with them.
That said, it is a sign of shifts coming to universities, ones which will impact students who are currently applying, or who are thinking about applying in the future. While the extent which universities will change is uncertain, we can see them preparing to change, and with that, what they are looking for in students. Here are the key places where we see change coming, and what that means for current and future applicants.
An Increased Desire for Dialogue
As political polarization, and social polarization, increase, universities are increasingly looking to become places of discourse. Traditionally, this has always been the case, though there has been an increase perceptually recently that universities are echo chambers. This is not the intention or policy of universities, but this is how they are viewed.
We therefore expect Cornell and other universities to focus on adding new policies to promote and protect dialogue, and to admit students who are comfortable having these conversations. Many universities are already adding supplemental essay questions where they ask about a time you have had a disagreement with a peer, and we anticipate this will continue.
An Increase in Non-AI Policies
In classwork, admissions, and all other aspects of university life, we anticipate a continued move away from generative AI, and policies to prevent student use of AI for completing classwork. This may be more prevalent at top universities, those with the resources to teach smaller and more resource intensive classes that rely less on technology.
If you rely on these tools as a crutch in completing your classwork in high school, it is going to be a major system shock to come to college and not be able to use them. The point of the work in high school is to prepare you for college. Writing helps you structure thoughts coherently; reading and summarizing helps you learn to identify and retain key information. If you are aiming to attend a top college, you should begin actively building these skills.
A Refocus of Research Efforts
Colleges exist to do research. This will continue to be true in spite of funding cuts, but funding cuts are likely to restructure how research is done and paid for. We anticipate lab mergers, more projects done by combinations of universities and large groups of professors, and fewer paid opportunities for students, as the funding for student research assistants comes from research grants.
Students interested in pursuing research will need to put in more effort, and there is likely to be more competition for spaces. Universities without the resources available at schools like Cornell are likely to have even more difficulty funding research projects, and we may see universities trying to capitalize on the results of research far more. We also anticipate more industry partnerships for research funding, which could impact the directions research takes.
A Shift in Classroom Education
While the academic subjects taught at universities change with increasing levels of understanding, we anticipate seeing a much broader inclusion of soft skills in the curriculum. Many skills which were previously taught in high schools have fallen by the wayside, and colleges are noticing this lack. In order to prepare students for the broader world, they must have these skills, and so we anticipate seeing slight but significant changes to how courses are structured and offered.
This will cover interpersonal skills primarily, those ways in which students must interact with each other and the world around them, what educators often cluster as social-emotional learning. This feels unserious, but anyone who’s ever had to do a group project knows how important these skills are. Pretty much every career requires you to work with other people, and being able to do that well is a key skill many students need to acquire.
A Shift in How Tuition is Calculated
This is most likely to occur at top universities like Cornell. Currently, very few students actually pay the full price of tuition at these schools; most get some combination of discounts and scholarships, paying far less than sticker price. The sticker shock of college tuition is a major turnoff for many students, and universities are seeking a way to lessen this.
We are not sure how they will do this, because even top universities do enjoy charging a small percentage of students the full price of tuition, especially international students. While these schools do have large endowments, tuition funding lets them be flexible. Cornell and other colleges are pulled in two directions at once with this, and we are interested to see how they will handle it.
More Long-Term Resources
Top colleges already provide a number of resources to alumni; mostly these are small things. My own college offers networking opportunities, the occasional lecture series, and career advising for recent graduates. Cornell is looking into further offerings, and how they can build a more integrated alumni network and experience.
For students choosing a school, the alumni benefits may feel a long way off, but could become worth considering. If schools offer discounted accreditation programs, or coursework, to alumni, then that becomes a significant value. This probably shouldn’t be the reason you choose a particular school, but may cause one to be a more valuable investment for your time and tuition dollars.
Final Thoughts
Cornell has put a lot of effort into devising this plan, creating a path forward in a rapidly changing landscape for higher education. It remains to be seen how much of this they will implement, and whether or not other colleges will follow their lead, but they are right that change needs to happen, that things cannot remain static. We hope this article has helped you understand Cornell’s position, and what their new plans might mean for your college journey.
If you are looking for advice applying to a top school, or navigating what admissions officers want from students in a rapidly shifting admissions landscape, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our mentors are experts of the admissions process, and we always stay fully up to date on what’s happening in admissions, and what colleges expect to see from students. Schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can make your admissions pathway easier.
