A. D. White Professors-at-Large at Cornell

10/03/2026

An Encore for Opera! 👏 🎭 🎶 ✨

We're still applauding the news that the Metropolitan Opera's new "Opera for All" initiative, which will make 70,000 free tickets available each season, will open the doors of one of the world's great cultural institutions to thousands of new audience members!

The announcement feels especially special as we prepare to welcome A. D. White Professors-at-Large at Cornell Dawn Upshaw back to the campus this month. Her own Met journey began in 1984 and ultimately included nearly 300 appearances on one of the world's most celebrated stages.

A multi-GRAMMY-winning soprano and Opera Hall of Fame inductee, Upshaw may be retired from the concert stage, but she continues to shape the future of the art form through teaching, mentorship, and artistic leadership.

Join us on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7:30pm, Barnes Hall where Upshaw will lead a special edition of the Cornell Voice Program’s “Salon Solèy: Inhabiting Text & Music in Contemporary American Art Song” in a one-night only event.

Drawing from more than seventy years of repertoire by composers including Margaret Bonds, George Crumb, Caroline Shaw, and others, the acclaimed American soprano will guide student singers and pianists in an evening centered on the intimate relationship between text, music, imagination, and embodied performance in contemporary American art song.

Open to all. Admission is free. Tickets required.
🎟️ cornelltickets.com
Cornell University Cornell Music

10/01/2026

Nominations are now open for the next cohort of A.D. White Professors-at-Large!

Read more about the program and this year's call for nominations in the Cornell Chronicle article below.

Cornell faculty members, academic departments and groups of departments are invited to submit nominations for the A.D. White Professors-at-Large Program in the fields of arts, humanities, life sciences and physical sciences.

09/29/2026

📢 Now Open: 2026-27 Call for Nominations for Cornell's A.D. White Professors-at-Large Program

The A.D. White Professors-at-Large Program is pleased to invite nominations of internationally distinguished scholars and artists in the following areas:

♦️ Arts
♦️ Humanities
♦️ Life Sciences
♦️ Physical Sciences

Nominations of individuals whose work bridges traditional disciplinary boundaries are especially encouraged. Note: Following an exceptionally successful nomination cycle last year, the Social Sciences roster is currently at capacity. We look forward to reopening nominations in that category in a future cycle.

This unique program gives Cornell faculty the opportunity to bring eminent thinkers, creators, and innovators to campus for fully supported, immersive visits that enrich the intellectual and creative life of the university and broader community.

🗓️ Preproposal submissions are due Monday, November 23, 2026.

A.D. White Professors-at-Large are appointed to six-year terms as non-resident visiting professors at Cornell and typically make two or three visits during their tenure, creating opportunities for conversations, collaborations, and new connections across disciplines and communities

Since its inception, the Program has welcomed luminaries including geneticist Barbara McClintock ’23, ’25, ’27; novelist Toni Morrison ’55; primatologist Jane Goodall; jazz musician Wynton Marsalis; and actor and writer John Cleese.

Explore the call for nominations and learn more about the Program: 🔗 https://adwhiteprofessors.cornell.edu/2026-27-call-for-nominations/
A. D. White Professors-at-Large at Cornell

09/19/2026

Thanks to everyone who joined us yesterday for our first keynote of the semester, "Chasing Ice on a Changing Planet: A Talk by James Balog”! 🌍 📸

We’ve got an incredible lineup of visitors and events this fall. Be sure to check out the full schedule at ➡ adwhiteprofessors.cornell.edu.

Hope to CU out & about!

09/12/2026

09/12/2026

We are delighted to share the wonderful news about the new James Balog Earth Vision Award at the Denver Art Museum!

As described, “The James Balog Earth Vision Awards (JBEVA) competition is open to photographers worldwide. The awards are intended to recognize and encourage photographers whose applications demonstrate sustained commitment and significant accomplishment.” Submissions are being accepted through October 1.

We are also thrilled to welcome James Balog back to the Cornell campus this week (Sept. 16-17), as an A. D. White Professors-at-Large at Cornell. His visit marks the inaugural Legacy Visit in our new Legacy Visitor Series. He’ll be giving the keynote lecture, “Chasing Ice on a Changing Planet,” on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 4:30pm, 132 Goldwin Smith Hall.

The talk will mark the opening of the Cornell Library’s exhibit, "Rivers of Ice: Three Centuries of Glacial Science," which features Balog’s photographs.

Join us in celebrating James Balog’s groundbreaking work, the launch of his new award, and his return to our campus community!

For decades, photographer James Balog has used the camera as a tool for environmental awareness. Now, that legacy continues through the James Balog Earth Vision Award, a new biennial initiative at the Denver Art Museum.

Designed to support photographers addressing environmental change, the award recognizes photography's power to inform, inspire, and connect audiences to the world around them.
🏆 $40,000 First Prize
🏆 $25,000 Finalist Prize

Applications are open through October 1, 2026. Learn more here: https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/james-balog-earth-vision-awards

Image: James Balog, "Kissing Bergs, Ilulissat Isfjord, Greenland," 24 August 2007

09/11/2026

09/11/2026

Environmentalist photographer James Balog will launch a series of visits this fall from the A.D. White Professors-at-Large program, with a lecture about his work documenting the rapid retreat of glaciers around the world.

Named for Cornell’s first president, the program sponsors visits from scholars and public intellectuals in the life sciences, physical sciences, humanities, social sciences and the arts.
Other A.D. White Professors-at-Large visits this semester:

· Dawn Upshaw (arts): Oct. 19-23;
· Palagummi Sainath (social sciences): Nov. 2-6;
· Ellen Rothenberg (life sciences): Nov. 16-20; and
· Kotchakorn Voraakohm (social sciences): Nov. 23-24.

Full article ⬇

James Balog will discuss his work documenting the worldwide rapid retreat of glaciers on Sept. 17 as part of the visiting professors program.

05/22/2026

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