A founder of the greatest university, <a href="http://www.cornell.edu" rel="nofollow">Cornell</a>, stands immortalized in green copper patina overlooking "the Arts Quad" at the center of the original campus.

Ezra Cornell said he "would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study." He thought students should not only study in the traditional sense but also have paying jobs and volunteer their time to the local community, all at the same time. Modernly, Cornell Tradition Fellowships reward undergraduates who exemplify this practical, but challenging ideal. (I thank Howard and the late Joan Maisel for my own Cornell Tradition fellowship, which enriched my education for four years.)

Among other progressive positions, Cornell University admitted and graduated women at every level from its beginning, admitted students from any ethnicity, any nation, and any religion, and the university itself had no religious affiliation. Most of these positions have since become essential for serious educational institutions in the United States; for example, even the University of Notre Dame no longer favors Roman Catholics in admissions. Cornell's commitment to "any student" includes that admissions are "need-blind," meaning one's ability to pay tuition is not a criterion. Few schools can make that promise and of those who can, even fewer are willing. Committing to "any student" is a commitment to diversity.

There is one point of progress in which Cornell still stands alone. Cornell is both a State University of New York and an Ivy League school. As the only university comprised of both private and public colleges, Cornell's diversity is unrivaled. Traditional academia grows more fruitfully alongside the practical mission of the state and in the community of some of the world's best business, law, and medical schools. There is no better fulfillment of Ezra Cornell's vision for any student and any study.