David J. Skorton M.D.

About

David J. Skorton is president of Cornell University, professor in the Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College and in Biomedical Engineering at the College of Engineering and a board-certified cardiologist. He is former president of the University of Iowa. Skorton is a member and past chair of the Business-Higher Education Forum and a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Recent Posts

How College Health Centers Help Students Succeed

Of all the dramatic changes in higher education in recent years, one that goes largely unnoticed is the tremendous growth in the mission, services, and facilities of health centers.

Rating President Obama's College Ratings

With tuition too high and graduation rates too low at many institutions, many Americans want and need to know, in the simplest terms, where to find the best value for their money. President Obama has launched a useful debate about how to measure effectiveness in higher education.

Do We Really Need More Guns On Campus?

State laws requiring colleges and universities to allow guns on their campuses are a bad idea. There's no evidence that guns on campus prevent campus crime—and there are issues characteristic of the college-aged population, such as high-risk drinking and greater vulnerability to impulsive suicide, that make it especially dangerous.

A College Education Online?

We wonder, with our tongues halfway in our cheeks, whether seventeen-year-olds will want to spend four years, or three, or even two living with mom and dad and staring at a computer screen.

A Sober Assessment of High-Risk Drinking on College Campuses

The number of students who engage in high-risk drinking on U.S. campuses easily exceeds the population of New York City.

A Nation of Immigrants in a Borderless World

In the 21st century, we are losing our understanding and appreciation of immigration as an integral part of the American Dream. Why have immigration issues become so politically radioactive?

The Problem of College Cost

The long, contentious, and often self-interested debate on whether higher education is becoming too expensive has become even more strident since the Great Recession. Is there really a "crisis" in college costs? Are colleges to blame?