Kotlikoff to new students: Keep an open mind, engage with different ideas
(Sreang Hok/Cornell University)
By David Nutt, Cornell Chronicle
For new students arriving at Cornell, one thing is certain: they will find people and ideas different from those they’ve encountered before.
“Some of them you’ll disagree with. Some of them will make you uncomfortable. Some of them might offend you,” President Michael I. Kotlikoff told the nearly 4,800 first-year and transfer students and family members gathered Aug. 19 at Schoellkopf Field for New Student Convocation. “My suggestion – if you want to get the most out of your time here – is to learn from the people who don’t think and speak like you, as well as the people who do.”
Kotlikoff advised the students to listen carefully, speak their minds respectfully and form their own opinions thoughtfully.