ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) – Research can continue at Cornell.
On November 7, the university announced that it reached an agreement with the federal government to “immediately restore and continue the university’s research funding.”
President Michael Kotlikoff says Cornell has not been found in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the government has agreed to close all investigations and compliance reviews.
“I am pleased that our good faith discussions with the White House, Department of Justice, and Department of Education have concluded with an agreement that acknowledges the government’s commitment to enforce existing anti-discrimination law, while protecting our academic freedom and institutional independence,” said Kotlikoff. “These discussions have now yielded a result that will enable us to return to our teaching and research in restored partnership with federal agencies.”
In a statement, Kotlikoff praised the resilience of faculty, staff, and students after multiple months of stop-work orders, grant terminations, and funding freezes of over $250 million. The agreement recognizes Cornell’s right to establish policies and procedures independently, choose whom to hire and admit, and determine the curriculum, while reaffirming its commitment to “follow the law, protect everyone in our community from discrimination, and make admissions and hirings based on merit.”
Kotlikoff will himself regularly certify Cornell’s compliance with the agreement, and the university will provide admissions data and “continue to conduct campus climate surveys and carry out foreign gift and contract reporting in accordance with the existing law.”
According to Section 14 under the Terms of the Agreement, Cornell will pay the United States $30 million in equal installments over the next three years. Cornell will also invest an additional $30 million into research programs that will “directly benefit U.S. farmers through lower costs of production and enhanced efficiency, including but not limited to programs that incorporate AI and robotics, such as Digital Agriculture and Future Farming Technologies.” Cornell is a top-tier institution in agricultural sciences.
“I am pleased that our good faith discussions with the White House, Department of Justice, and Department of Education have concluded with an agreement that acknowledges the government’s commitment to enforce existing anti-discrimination law, while protecting our academic freedom and institutional independence,” said President Kotlikoff. “These discussions have now yielded a result that will enable us to return to our teaching and research in restored partnership with federal agencies.”
You can read President Kotlikoff’s full statement here, and the full text of the agreement is available here.
