Heard at Cornell is a column that regularly quotes important statements from Cornellians. This excerpt is taken from President Kotlikoff’s 2025 New Student Convocation Address delivered on August 19.
“You’ll delve deeply into ideas that challenge your own worldview, and hopefully emerge with fuller understanding. And here’s the thing: that kind of intellectual growth is only really possible in a community that cherishes both the freedoms, and the responsibilities, of living in an environment of open intellectual inquiry. One that embraces the life of the mind: with the ability to listen, to argue, and yes, disagree, without ever shutting other voices down.”
