It seems that one of our most controversial alumni –– Ann Coulter ’84 –– struck a nerve in the Cornell community this past week.

As many have already read on her blog, in The Sun or even in New York Magazine, Coulter took a heavy swing at fellow alumnus and political pundit Keith Olbermann ’79 last Wednesday in an attempt to belittle his “non-Ivy degree.” Coulter, a graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, denounced the legitimacy of the Communication Major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in order to demean the level of intelligence of students within the school. Her claims were pretty tongue in cheek, and her petty rhetoric sadly did very little to bolster her own intelligence, especially in referring to CALS as the “Old MacDonald Cornell.”

I’ve got to admit that what passes for Cornell’s motto, “any person … any study,” sounds terribly trite and rather boring. Surely there must be a better phrase that encapsulates the essence of Cornell. Well, I’ve scratched my head and racked my brains and I’ve come up with … nothing. Our uncle Ezra had it exactly right.