Overview
- The Faculty Senate voted 75–50 in favor of a no-confidence resolution on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, with five abstentions and five members not voting.
- The vote is symbolic and cannot remove President Michael Kotlikoff because the Board of Trustees holds hiring and firing power, and the board has publicly expressed support for Kotlikoff.
- New York Attorney General Letitia James has taken over a criminal inquiry and appointed former federal prosecutor Jacqueline Kelly to lead the probe while some defendants have filed court challenges seeking limits on the AG’s role.
- Cornell also commissioned an independent review led by Sally Q. Yates and has taken campus actions such as suspending fraternity parties for the academic year and imposing earlier disciplinary sanctions including expulsions.
- The vote follows a civil lawsuit by a plaintiff known as Jane Doe alleging a 2024 drug‑facilitated gang rape, has driven sustained campus protests, and adds pressure for concrete reforms to Title IX processes, Greek life oversight, and survivor support services.