Student Assembly

Dear Adam,

Thank you for sharing the Student Assembly Resolution 36, “In Support of the Establishment of an International Student Center.” I appreciate your concern for Cornell’s international student community and also your acknowledging the university’s internationalization mission of “Bringing Cornell to the World and the World to Cornell.”

I conferred with Vice President for Student and Academic Services Susan Murphy, Dean of Students Kent Hubbell, and Director of ISSO Brendan O’Brien on this matter. The assembly’s request to ‘consolidate all the currently available resources for international students under on roof’ is simply not practical nor possible. The ISSO, Cornell Abroad, the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, the Holland International Living Center (HILC), area studies programs, and numerous multicultural student organizations to unite international students, US returning study abroad student, visiting faculty, and permanent faculty, have different missions and different population whom they target.

That said, I believe that Dean Hubbell and Director O’Brien would be more than willing to explore with some students if any adjacent space could be found to the existing ISSO that might provide a bit of a gathering place for international students while they also access the ISSO for its many resources. I am willing to ask Dean Hubbell to convene a group of appropriate staff and students to explore that option, if that is of interest, as well as to meet with members of the assembly and other students to explore ways to enhance the experience of international students and to create a greater sense of community.

I am unable to approve the Resolution as written, but would ask for the group to assemble as outlined above. Please let me know how you wish to proceed.

Thank you again for your support of Cornell’s international community.

Sincerely,

David Skorton