Resolution 64: Reaffirm Senate Support that Cornell Establish a University Club

Passed: September 12, 2007
Sponsor: Peter Stein, Senator, Physics
Senate Discussions:

The Resolution

Whereas, The Senate, in its March 2003 meeting, strongly supported the recommendation of the University Club Task Force that Cornell establish a University Club with the mission, characteristics and capabilities described below, and

Whereas, The opening of a University Club seems as distant in September 2007 as it did in March 2003, and

Whereas, Each year the number of possible sites for a University Club diminishes as space is committed to other uses, and

Whereas, In 2002 the Cornell University Club Task Force presented to the administration a viable plan to establish a financially self‐supporting club at Cornell based on its study of the characteristics and finances of successful clubs at a number of universities, and

Whereas, The newly developed Cornell University Comprehensive Master Plan has identified the lack of social space and opportunities for faculty and staff as a major problem for Cornell, and

Whereas, The overriding goal of a University Club is to create social space and opportunities for faculty and staff,

Therefore, Be it resolved that:

The Senate reaffirms its strong support for the recommendation made by the University Club Task Force in 2002 that Cornell establish a University Club with the following mission and with the following characteristics and capabilities.

Respectfully Submitted,
Harold Bierman, Jr., Senator, JGSM
Howard Howland, Senator, Neurobiology & Behavior
Jane Marie Law, Senator, Asian Studies
Alan McAdams, Senator, JGSM
Richard Schuler, Senator, Economics
Peter Stein, Senator, Physics
Richard Talman, Senator, Physics
September 4, 2007

Background

Mission of the Cornell University Club

In 1921, president Nicholas Murray Butler of Columbia University created the Columbia Faculty House to provide a place and a setting that would bring together ʺscholars having diverse
intellectual interests … in a social unity that will both increase their satisfactions and add to their influence in the community as individuals or as a group …. The Faculty House … is as much a part
of the equipment of the University as is a library or laboratoryʺ. Because Cornell in 2003 is far more complex, broad and diverse than Columbia was when those words were written, the goal of a
university club, to forge a social unity and increase the satisfaction, effectiveness and cohesiveness of its faculty and staff, is even more vital to Cornellʹs well‐being today than it was to Columbiaʹs in 1921.

A Cornell University Club that fulfills its purpose will be far more than a good restaurant. Its aim will be to become a symbol of what Cornell is, a place whose appearance, style, ambiance
and programs will foster and reinforce a sense of fellowship between the men and women whose joint and separate labors make Cornell great.

The Cornell University Club will be a key element of the University. Faculty and staff will find it a convenient and attractive hub for meeting, talking and dining with friends and colleagues
from across the campus. Its dining facilities will present opportunities for scholarly discourse, administrative matters and social interactions. It will make a major contribution to strengthening
membersʹ sense of community as well as pride in and allegiance to Cornell. It will serve as the Universityʹs premier venue to welcome and entertain visiting scholars, corporate leaders,
recruiters, alumni and donors. It will contribute to the intellectual climate and work of Cornell by hosting lectures of general interest to faculty and staff, receptions, and departmental retreats.
Faculty and staff will find it a welcoming place in which to conduct business or to honor special occasions and accomplishments. New faculty and staff, with limited initial social opportunities,
will acclimate to the Cornell community through its congeniality. The Cornell University Club will further provide faculty and staff a convenient opportunity to bring their spouses and children into the university environment, and in so doing, demonstrate Cornellʹs commitment to family.

In summary, the Cornell University Club will be a cornerstone of the Cornell community.

Characteristics and Capabilities of the Cornell University Club

The club will be a membership organization open to all faculty and staff, housed in a rent‐free architecturally significant facility, located no more than a five minute walk from Bailey Circle (the geographical center of the Cornell faculty). The club will be a self‐governing unit within Cornell, with responsibility for its financial affairs. It will not receive financial support from Cornell beyond in‐kind contributions for major structural repairs and utilities. It will have the capability to provide distinctive, high quality food and beverage service, maintain a comfortable and up‐scale ambience, and attract a substantial special function revenue from its members. In its appearance and programs, it will visibly demonstrate alignment with Cornellʹs quality, traditions and character. It will occupy roughly 12,000 net square feet, and will have a maximum seating capacity of 250 diners.


Term 2006-2007
Senate University Faculty Senate
Status Adopted 9/12/07
Abstract Whereas, The Senate, in its March 2003 meeting, strongly supported the recommendation of the
University Club Task Force that Cornell establish a University Club with the mission,
characteristics and capabilities described below, and…
Resolution File view
Title Reaffirm Senate Support that Cornell Establish a University Club
Sponsors Peter Stein, Physics
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