That pattern has been stunningly reversed. For the past five years, not a single regular meeting was canceled, and of the 44 scheduled meetings, only one, the snowed-out meeting of last December, failed to attract a quorum. But while an engaged faculty, vigorous debate and a meaningful agenda is a necessary condition for healthy faculty governance, it is not sufficient. A second condition is the willingness on the part of the administration to look to the senate as the definitive voice of the faculty, and the third is the ability of the senate to provide advice that is thoughtful, considered and in the best long-term interests of Cornell. The latter two conditions can only be built on a solid foundation of patience, experience and mutual respect.
Democracy is a messy business.
Senate members often, and perhaps always, lack the perspective, experience, knowledge and dedication to the business at hand that the administration brings to the table. Faculty have other interests and other obligations. Their primary loyalty to those whom they represent often results in a vision that is narrowed in space and time. For better or worse, Cornell is not a democracy. In universities, the role of faculty representative bodies is almost exclusively advisory.