Kotlikoff says he never followed up and had not read the police report
Faculty at Cornell University are scheduled to conclude debate Wednesday on a proposed no-confidence resolution in the administration, with an anonymous electronic ballot to follow through Nov. 6. The session is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. and will be closed to the public and media. Individual votes will be anonymous. The faculty vote would not by itself remove Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff; the university’s trustees ultimately decide who leads it.
The action follows widespread frustration over Cornell’s response to a woman who reported she was gang raped at a campus fraternity house in 2024. A woman identified in court documents as Jane Doe filed a lawsuit last month alleging that seven Chi Phi fraternity members sexually assaulted or exploited her in October 2024 and that Cornell mishandled her complaints. All seven men have denied the allegations.
The scheduled session follows an Oct. 14 Faculty Senate meeting at which faculty members confronted Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff about the university’s handling of the allegations. That meeting was closed to the media. In an audio recording obtained by The Associated Press, Kotlikoff acknowledged some missteps, defended his leadership and asked for more time to implement reforms and push for cultural changes in student social life. He urged faculty to have confidence in his leadership, pointing to an independent investigation into the university’s handling of the case. He said the investigation could lead to meaningful reforms.
The criminal investigation by Cornell’s police department stalled after the local district attorney declined to pursue charges. In an interview with The New York Times, Kotlikoff said he never followed up to learn what had happened to the woman or to the criminal investigation. Asked by a faculty member whether he read the Cornell Police Department’s report on the rape allegations, Kotlikoff acknowledged that he had not. He said the police investigation was confidential and that university policy says top administrators should not have a role in criminal investigations. “I really reject the idea that I had no interest in it or was not concerned about it,” Kotlikoff said.
Kotlikoff insisted that experienced leadership was necessary to confront the university’s problems, and said replacing a president would harm Cornell’s reputation. He became the university’s interim president in July 2024 and took the job permanently last year.
After Kotlikoff left the Oct. 14 meeting, a string of faculty speakers said they had lost confidence in the administration’s ability to combat sexual assault on campus. Some Faculty Senate members warned that a hasty no-confidence vote would do little to address the underlying problems.
Faculty also questioned Cornell’s handling of a disciplined student’s return to campus, including his assignment to a shared dorm room with a roommate who was unaware of his disciplinary history.
Kotlikoff has faced other challenges, including a dining and custodial workers strike, criticism of his decision last year to pay $60 million to settle Trump administration civil rights investigations, and accusations from activists that his administration stifled campus protests.
The faculty vote would be largely symbolic, but it could send a message to the university’s trustees, who ultimately decide who leads Cornell.