The Future of the American University

Kavita Bala, University Provost, and members of the Provost’s Committee on the Future of the American University

Thursday, Feb. 19th from 11:00-12:00pm- In Person & Zoom

*There will be interactive group discussions in person and on zoom throughout the event.

Description: In fall 2025, Provost Bala appointed a faculty-led Committee on the Future of the American University to explore how the university can evolve to best serve future generations while pursuing its core mission of education, scholarship, public impact, and community engagement. For centuries, universities have been committed to seeking truth, advancing discovery-based knowledge and creative expression, educating future generations, and serving the broader society. Today, three core issues offer challenges and opportunities:

•  A crisis of public trustin institutions of higher learning, fueled by concerns about costs, value, public access, and viewpoint diversity
•  Shifting university–government relations, disrupting longstanding arrangements that have fueled discovery and innovation while drawing outstanding scholars to universities from around the world
•  Rapid technological change, including the emergence of artificial intelligence, reshaping the behaviors, attitudes, cognition, and skills of the coming generation

Join Provost Bala and members of the committee to hear more about their work and to share your perspectives on the future of higher education and Cornell.

Bio: Kavita Bala is a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and professor. She became the 17th provost of Cornell on January 1, 2025. In this role, she acts as the university’s chief academic officer, chief budgeting officer, and first deputy officer to the president and works to enhance the university’s excellence in teaching, scholarship, and outreach. Learn more about the Committee on the Future of the American University at its website.