However, other faculty members at Cornell see dangers other than outside investment. Now, at least, it is Monsanto Corporation paying a professor the money that puts him in a Mercedes. But it could be Cornell. And if we are dealing with important universitywide issues, where we need to respond to some sort of rapidly changing marketplace, it is not completely clear how faculty-governance bodies fit in the picture. One of the most vivid examples of the clash can be found in faculty resistance to a rallying call adopted by some of the leaders of the e-Cornell effort.
Some professors respond with frustration.
It seems to mean, 'We don't know what we are doing, but we want to do something,' and it is really anathema to the faculty to plan to go ahead and do something without really understanding it. I'm part of the train, too. Having to operate at the pace of a corporation would be something new, to be sure, though. While administrators said they would create a faculty advisory committee for the venture, Mr. Hochner wonders if that is enough. If the faculty participate in the original design, then the implementation will go much more smoothly.