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Fellow Image-Conscious Cornellians:
While all of us maintain a wide range of positions regarding the administration of our University, most of us would likely agree that the recent disposal of President Lehman was handled badly. Many of us believe there is an internal disagreement regarding the overall direction of Cornell and that such matters should have been discussed openly, frankly, and intelligently.
Whether or not we are happy that Lehman is gone, we must agree that our next president should be of great stature. We believe that our next president must possess the charisma to raise billions, to gravitas to garner obscene amounts of press, the strength to build institutional cohesion out of consistently bickering factions, and the grace to honor Cornell without trampling on the values set forth by its founders.
We believe that Colin Powell possesses each of these qualities and dozens more. He is the embodiment of Ezra's "Any person" mandate, and simultaneously, a leader of the highest order. Colin Powell can raise the stature of our University immediately. He can set a new standard for leadership at Cornell. And he can stand up to the Board of Trustees, carving a place for Cornell among the top five universities in the world. Colin Powell is far more than a "superstar dean," a "rising provost," or a university president from a non-Ivy League university. Colin Powell is the embodiment of leadership, authority, charisma, and the American Dream.
This is not pie-in-the-sky; this has the potential to be national news. While we may not be successful -- as he may not want the job -- we will at least force the board to raise the bar on "thinking outside the box." And hopefully, we will get a first-rate president and not a lackey for the board.
If you wish to join us in this quest, please contact Peter Cohl with the approval to use your name on the list of supporters. If you wish to do more, please let us know. We need leaders who are willing to contact their constituencies in order to build a groundswell of support.
-- The Alumni/Student Committee to Draft Colin Powell as Cornell President |
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