Cornell Leadership in Honesty and Reliable Knowledge

Whereas dishonesty, falsehoods, and the distortion or suppression of reliable knowledge have become critical public issues of particular urgency;


Whereas a central mission of colleges and universities is the discovery, validation, communication, and preservation of reliable knowledge;


Whereas social media, the internet, and other forms of digital communication are dramatically changing the patterns of our communication in a manner that, like speech and writing themselves, can sometimes blur fact and fiction and create conditions where reliable knowledge is drowned out by large volumes of false information;


Whereas Cornell University has a unique position as both a private and land-grant university with an official “…mission to discover, preserve, and disseminate knowledge; [to] produce creative work; and [to] promote a culture of broad inquiry throughout and beyond the Cornell community,” and “…through public service, to enhance the lives and livelihoods of our students, the people of New York, and others around the world”;


Therefore be it resolved that Cornell university leadership and faculty should expand and initiate educational activities, both on- and off-campus, to explain established academic practices for
discriminating between fact and opinion, validating facts, establishing what is reliable knowledge, and exposing the communication practices that distort, confuse, and seek to repress or censor reliable knowledge.
Be it further resolved that Cornell faculty and leadership should work with communication experts, journalists, and other relevant groups to develop innovative means, appropriate to the changing
technology of communicating reliable knowledge with the public.


Be it further resolved that the Cornell leadership should collaborate with other colleges and universities to forward these objectives.

Sponsors:

Senators


• Cynthia Bowman (Law)

• John Brady (Food Science)

• Jeffrey Doyle (Senator-at-large)

• Greg Ezra (Chemistry and Chemical Biology)

• Clare Fewtrell (Molecular Medicine)

• Maureen Hanson (Molecular Biology and Genetics)

• Martin Hatch (Music)

• Robert Howarth (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)

• Andre Kessler (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)

• Linda Nicholson (Molecular Biology and Genetics)

• Alison Power (Science and Technology Studies)

• Jonathan Schuldt (Communication)

• Nathan Spreng (Human Development)

Additional Faculty


• Brian Chabot (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)

• John Eckenrode (Human Development)

• Peter Enns (Executive Director, Roper Center for Public Opinion Research)

• Stephen Ellner (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)

• Thomas Gilovich (Psychology)

• Daniel Lichter (Director, Institute for the Social Sciences)

• Derek Pereboom (Chair, Philosophy)

• Karl Pillemer (Director, Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research)

• David Shalloway (Molecular Biology and Genetics)

• William Trochim (Policy Analysis and Management)

• Kim Weeden (Chair, Sociology)
Elaine Wethington (Human Development)

Appendix:

Cornell Leadership in Honesty and Reliable Knowledge

We encourage concrete actions that go beyond public statements, although such statements are valuable. Some actions can be performed by faculty alone, but most will benefit from, if not require,
support from University staff and administrative units for planning and implementation (e.g., University Relations for developing and disseminating educational and outreach materials, the Library for developing and managing web pages, Development offices to raise funding for outside speakers and for producing videos and other materials). It is important that public activities focus on honesty and reliable knowledge, that they leverage reputable and trustworthy sources of information, and that they be nonpartisan. Whenever possible, these should be developed in collaboration with other universities and academic organizations. The Cornell University leadership is encouraged to develop coalitions towards achieving these goals.

Examples of Potential Concrete Leadership Activities

On-campus education

• Encourage explicit teaching in individual classes about how we gain reliable knowledge in this domain.

• Campus-wide: weekly seminars, forums, outside speakers on how we determine reliable knowledge, honesty and dishonesty. (e.g., a named annual lecture analogous to the Iscol Distinguished Environmental Lecture).

Off-campus education and outreach

• Developing and distributing instructional materials (K through college level) for discriminating fact from opinion, validating facts, and establishing what is reliable knowledge.

• Instructional materials to explain how scholars seek the truth in different fields.
• Create “popular” videos on reliable knowledge: scientific method, efforts to undermine reliable knowledge (tobacco & cancer, etc.), fake news, etc.

• Develop and maintain a web-page portal for the public to submit questions to Cornell experts

Public structures

• Web pages providing links to reliable information on socially relevant current questions and facts relevant to current public issues (i.e., the “reference librarians to the world”).

• Creating and promulgating standards for online journalism to provide links to supporting information and primary sources of information and data.

• Support partnerships between academia and public communication professionals, on digital communications challenges in a democratic society.

• Library support for public access to and preservation of endangered data.

Sent to President Martha Pollack on May 3, 2017 

President Pollacks Response dated May 17, 2017:

May 27, 2017

Dear Charlie,

Thank you for sending me the Faculty Senate Resolution on “Cornell Leadership in Honesty and Reliable Knowledge.” I am strongly supportive of both the objectives of the resolution and of many of the specific activities identified in it as ways to achieve those objectives and enable Cornell to play a leadership role in this space. Indeed, the academic symposium that will be part of my inauguration is entitled “Universities and the Search for Truth,” and it will address many of the issues discussed in the resolution.

Over the next few months leading up to the inauguration, I would like to work with the provost and others, including the deans and faculty leadership, to develop plans and determine support for programs aligned with the senate resolution. I will stay in touch with you during this process.

Best,
Martha

Martha E. Pollack

President, Cornell University

300 Day Hall

Ithaca, NY 14853

Tel: 607-255-5201

Resolution

Amended Resolution

Appendix

Sponsors