US Political Polarization : What Role Does Cornell & The Ivies Play ?

A number of Cornell faculty members have correctly noted that the political polarization of America is contributing to problems on campus. However, the particular character of today’s political polarization : a) is sourced from our universities; and b) seems very different than any other time in American history.

Historically, it seems that the mission of the “university” within Western Civilization is to :

1. Store, study, reflect upon, and coalescence the vast human knowledge and wisdom accumulated by past scholars, philosophers, authors, scientists, civil and religious leaders, historical and political events, etc which define the civilization of which the university is a part;

2. To take on the responsibility of conveying the best ideas and lessons from this massive body of knowledge to the next generation of students;

3. On an incremental basis, to add to (as appropriate) this knowledge via careful examination and research;

4. All for the purpose of building on the civilization’s past knowledge to enable the subject civilization to thrive and prosper in the future.

Thus, in the past, the primary mission of the university has always been to uphold and convey the civilizational history, achievements, and pillars upon which the existence of the university itself is wholly dependent.

The problem today is that America’s elite universities seem to have lost sight of the above sacred purpose of honoring and propagating the best of its civilizational legacy. Instead, Cornell, Harvard, the Ivies, and other leading universities now seem focused on disputing, devaluing, and disparaging the civilization upon which it depends --- by an insidious effort to re-write civilizational history in the most unflattering terms (e.g. the “1619 Project”) with grossly unfair and imbalanced characterizations of heartless colonialism, white supremacy, rapacious imperialism, rampant injustice, economic cruelty, systemic racism, and social abuse, etc…. all while overturning long-honored and time-tested Enlightenment concepts such as open inquiry, free expression, rationality, merit, the scientific method, academic freedom, etc. Thus, our elite universities seem intent on destroying the successes and legacy of the American Enterprise --- in order to make today’s students dislike, rather than respect, honor, and learn from the achievements of their civilization and nation, Cornell’s removal of its once cherished Abe Lincoln Bust and Gettysburg address from public display is a recent example of such civilizational and national disavowal.

A Troubled Time For Cornell and America’s Universities

The campus demonstrations of the 1960s aimed to reverse maladies and policies present in the US at that time – by promoting civil rights for African-Americans, women, the disabled and ending the Vietnam War, etc. However, the 1960s did not constitute a complete refutation of the American Enterprise (from its founding roots and principles) in the manner that we see many academics and university leaders disparaging the US and the West today. Rather, the political movements of the 1960s urged the nation to honor and uphold America’s founding tenets more faithfully.

If the purpose of a Western university has been to convey the knowledge, achievements, and wisdom of a truly remarkable civilization to future generations, it appears such purpose largely no longer exists. Rather, today’s university purpose looks to many to be an effort to denigrate our civilizational history and values – not to honor and propagate the best of these.

This is what seems new to me about today’s “polarization” on campus. But, as Lincoln said “A house divided against itself cannot stand”. Nor can a nation (or civilization) divided against its own history and legacy long survive.

This is the existential crisis that today’s universities seem to present to America and the West. We are all watching this play out in real time…..

Carl Neuss

Cornell ‘76

UC Berkeley ‘78

Harvard ‘85