One of Cornell University's largest donors has left a memo calling on the board of trustees to call for President Martha Pollack to resign, declaring he will no longer donate money to his alma mater that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion.
Former Cornell trustee Jon Lindseth, a major supporter of the Ivy League institution for decades, wrote a letter to current trustees on Tuesday asking them to consider his concerns at an emergency meeting this Saturday.
The letter condemns how DEI ideology has become embedded in educational institutions, claiming it has created a “toxic academic environment” and undermined educational excellence. He calls DEI corrupt and accuses Pollack of not only allowing it, but encouraging it and helping it thrive.
“I am shocked to learn that my alma mater’s recent disastrous involvement in DEI policies that have permeated every part of the university is deteriorating the quality of education it provides,” Lindseth wrote.
“… “Until the University reframes its approach to education, replacing DEI groupthink with Cornell’s original noble intentions, I can no longer make a general contribution,” he added.
The letter addresses the recent resignations of Harvard University President Claudine Gay and University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill amid controversy and scandal, as well as ongoing efforts to remove MIT President Sally Kornbluth. This comes amid a series of judgments against Ivy League campus presidents.
In his letter, Lindseth referred to Pollack's initial indifferent response to the October 7 terrorist attacks that killed more than 1,200 Israeli citizens as a “watershed moment.”
He also said he has decided to remove a bust of Abraham Lincoln from the campus library in 2021 because some people found it offensive. It was eventually returned, but “even Lincoln could be canceled under the current administration.” “This is an absolute disgrace,” he wrote.
“As with any major educational institution, the president is ultimately responsible for the culture of the university. “Under President Pollack’s leadership, anti-Semitism and general intolerance have increased on campus,” he wrote.
Cornell's media relations department did not immediately respond to a request Tuesday. college fix I'd like your opinion. Board representatives also did not respond to a request to ask whether Lindseth's concerns would be added to Saturday's agenda.
The letter contains seven demands: the resignation of Pollack and principal Michael Kotlikoff; Elimination of DEI personnel and programming; Adoption of Cornell Free Speech Alliance policy recommendations; Affirms that SCOTUS affirmative action rulings will be respected. Public support for freedom of expression and academic freedom; Elimination of biased response systems; and the cancellation of the university's new Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures.
“The damage this administration has done to Cornell’s reputation and academic standing saddens me, and a comprehensive change in leadership and priorities is needed to put Cornell back on the path to academic excellence,” Lindseth wrote. Board of Directors.
Pollack has served as president since 2017. Lindseth argues that Provost Kotlikoff should leave his position because he was “closely involved in denigrating Cornell’s academic legacy under DEI.”
Lindseth chastised top administrators for ignoring and ignoring a 100-page report from the Cornell Free Speech Alliance released in August calling for sweeping policy changes on campus.
The alliance's report recommends 20 policy changes, including adding free speech training to new student orientation, implementing the renowned Chicago Principles of Free Speech, eliminating DEI course requirements, eliminating an anonymous bias reporting system and providing strong due process for students.
Lindseth's letter was published online by the Ivy Excellence Initiative, part of the education nonprofit Common Sense Society.
The goal of the initiative is to advance “an important university reform movement that brings together alumni groups, dissenting faculty, and frustrated donors to ensure that universities pursue true academic excellence and open inquiry.”
More: Cornell joins DEI scholars to form new Free Speech Council
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