Launched in September 2025, the Committee on the Future of the American University is charged with exploring how the university can evolve to best serve future generations while pursuing its core missions.
The committee is pleased to share its preliminary frameworks with the Cornell community as it seeks feedback to inform the next phase of its process. Since its launch, the committee has engaged more than 2,100 stakeholders across over 200 meetings and events. Those stakeholders include students, staff, faculty, administrators, trustees, parents, and alumni; as well as federal, state, and local officials; journalists; peer institution leaders; and outside experts.
These documents address each of the missions of the American university: undergraduate education, research and scholarship, public impact and community engagement, and graduate and professional education. Each mission framework offers key challenges, core principles, speculative scenarios, and examples of next steps.
Your feedback, submitted via a Qualtrics survey or to fau@cornell.edu, will be used to develop a report over the coming months.
Town Halls
Faculty and staff are invited to a series of town halls organized by colleges and units to learn more and provide input. For more information, email fau@cornell.edu.
- Tue. April 21, 3:00 - 4:00 pm: Arts and Sciences
- Wed. April 22, 1:00 - 2:00 pm: Human Ecology
- Thu. April 23, 12:00 - 1:00 pm: Veterinary Medicine
- Fri. April 24, 9:30-10:30 am: ILR School
- Fri. April 24, 11:00-12:00 pm: Alumni Affairs and Development
- Fri. April 24, 1:30 - 2:30 pm: Law School
- Wed. April 29, 12:00 - 1:00 pm: Architecture, Art, and Planning
- Thu. April 30, 2:00 - 3:00 pm: Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Fri. May 1, 2:00 - 3:00 pm: SC Johnson College of Business
- Wed. May 6, 3:30 - 4:30 pm: Cornell Tech
- Wed. May 6, 3:30 - 5:00 pm: Faculty Senate
- Thu. May 7, 9:00 - 10:00 am: Cornell Duffield Engineering
- Thu. May 7, 3:00 - 4:00 pm: Graduate School; Continuing Education; Student and Campus Life; Enrollment & Undergraduate Education
- Wed. May 12, 3:00-4:00 pm: Cornell Bowers CIS
- Wed. May 13, 3:00 - 4:00 pm: Budget and Planning; Facilities and Campus Services; Human Resources; Information Technology; International Affairs; Johnson Museum of Art; Library; Research and Innovation; University Relations
- Fri. May 15, 1:00 - 2:00 pm: Cornell Brooks