Inauguration Weekend: A Report by Toby Levine
My husband, Andy, and I returned yesterday from a fabulous Trustee-Council Presidential Inauguration Weekend. I was privileged to be both a member of the University Council and an Inauguration Delegate (which means I marched in the academic processional from the Arts Quad to Barton, where the festivities took place).
The short report is that Cornell is in great shape and great hands.
We left here at 5:40 Thursday morning and were on campus 3.5 hours later -- a personal best for speed (we won't discuss the policeman who stopped me from trying to get home in an equally expeditious manner).
Our first event was a pre-inauguration lecture by architect Richard Meier, who explained and showed some of his own work (e.g., the Getty Center in LA) as well as that of colleagues -- particularly those involved in computer imaging of architectural structures. This field has become so good that given two adjacent images, it is difficult to know which is computer generated and which is real. Computer modeling has enabled architects to make significant strides in such areas as predicting light levels in museums and libraries so that there are no surprises when the buildings are done.
Then on to the pre-inaugural lunch, robing, and lining up on the Arts Quad. I marched with the College of Human Ecology, my first time to do so in that I had not been able to attend my own graduation. The ceremony itself -- attended by about 5,000 people -- was really quite brief, all things considered. Jeff Lehman was introduced by Associate Justice (and Cornellian) Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and the President was presented with the Cornell charter, seal, and mace. He then spoke of Cornell as a transnational university stressing two themes: things that were revolutionary (quoting from Copernicus' Revolutions, a first edition of which resides in the Cornell library) and beloved (from the novel of the same name by Cornellian Toni Morrison). He also referred to his ongoing quest to define Cornell in time for its 150th anniversary in 2015 (a more highly evolved version of his remarks at our August 24 event).
Thursday night we attended Andy and Ezra's Great BIG RED Adventure, which was great fun. Rather than give you lots of details, let me refer you to www.cornelldailysun.com/articles/9579/ for a description. Suffice it to say that it gave me a new view of the great diversity of activities available to Cornell students and even allowed Jeff's son, Jacob, a chance to razz his Dad. Many of us got very little sleep that night staying up 'til all hours watching the final Red Sox/Yankees game. Boo-hoo.
The rest of Trustee-Council Weekend contained the usual mélange of large group and smaller group activities, including a State of the University address by Lehman, a "Red Tie" dinner dance on Friday night, varsity football (against Georgetown-we did not do well!), the Cornell Fund breakfast (always a great musical spoof, this year using the theme of 101 lost pledge cards). We also attended a session on the new Urban Scholars Program (very wonderful), Cornell Adult University (now online through CyberTower, on campus in the summer, and throughout the world all year), a box lunch with the Human Ecology dean (me) and the University Librarian (Andy), a lecture on international politics and why everyone hates us, and a session with Isaac Kramnick on Antigone.
Trustee Council Weekend is always a great time to see old friends and classmates as well as to catch up on what is happening on campus. Jeff Lehman seemed to be having so much fun all weekend, it was really a joy to behold. I think Cornell has a great future ahead.