Martha Pollack

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Martha Pollack

| image = Martha E. Pollack in 2017.jpg

| caption = Pollack in 2017

| office = 14th President of Cornell University

| term_start = April 17, 2017

| term_end = June 30, 2024

| predecessor = Elizabeth Garrett

| successor = Michael Kotlikoff

| office1 = Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of Michigan

| term_start1 = 2013

| term_end1 = 2017

| predecessor1 = Philip J. Hanlon

| successor1 = Martin Philbert

| birth_name = Martha Elizabeth Pollack

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958 |8|27}}

| birth_place = Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| spouse = Ken Gottschlich

| education = Dartmouth College (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (MA, PhD)

| module = {{Infobox academic

|child = yes

|thesis_title = Inferring domain plans in question-answering

|thesis_url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/303509615/

|thesis_year = 1986

|doctoral_advisor = Bonnie Webber

|discipline = Artificial intelligence

|workplaces = {{plainlist|

}}

Martha Elizabeth Pollack (born August 27, 1958){{cite web |url=http://www.ithacajournal.com/story/news/2016/11/14/cornell-press-conference/93793038 |title=Martha Pollack named 14th Cornell president |first1=Matt |last1=Steecker |first2=Jeff |last2=Platsky |work=The Ithaca Journal |date=November 15, 2016}} is an American computer scientist who served as the 14th president of Cornell University from April 2017 to June 2024. From 2013 to 2017, she was the 14th provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan.{{Cite web |last=University of Michigan Provost and Executive Vice-President for Academic Affairs |title=Provost and Executive Vice-President for Academic Affairs (University of Michigan) Supplemental Files |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?cc=bhlead;c=bhlead;idno=umich-bhl-87365-3;didno=umich-bhl-87365-3;view=text |access-date=2023-01-26 |website=University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library}}

Pollack's research specialty is artificial intelligence, where her contributions include works in planning, natural language processing, and activity recognition for cognitive assistance.[https://www.provost.umich.edu/about/m_pollack/m_pollack.html Martha E. Pollack] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728125106/https://www.provost.umich.edu/about/m_pollack/m_pollack.html |date=2017-07-28 }}, Office of the Provost, University of Michigan, and [https://www.provost.umich.edu/about/m_pollack/Pollack%20CV.pdf Curriculum vitae] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728125106/https://www.provost.umich.edu/about/m_pollack/Pollack%20CV.pdf |date=2017-07-28 }}, both retrieved 2015-06-14.{{Google scholar id}} She also serves on the board of directors of IBM.{{Cite web |title=IBM Elects Martha E. Pollack to its Board of Directors |url=https://newsroom.ibm.com/2018-12-11-IBM-Elects-Martha-E-Pollack-to-its-Board-of-Directors |access-date=2019-11-13 |website=IBM News Room |language=en-us}}

Early life and education

Pollack was born in Stamford, Connecticut, on August 27, 1958. In 1979, she completed her undergraduate studies in linguistics at Dartmouth College. She earned master's and doctoral degrees in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania, completing her Ph.D. in 1986 under joint supervision of Bonnie Webber and Barbara J. Grosz.{{MathGenealogy}}{{cite thesis |title=Inferring domain plans in question-answering (theory action, intentions, discourse, common sense reasoning) |date=1986 |institution=University of Pennsylvania |type=Ph.D. |last=Pollack |first=Martha Elizabeth |id={{ProQuest|303509615}} |oclc=256348876}} Pollack is Jewish.{{Cite web |last=Harrison |first=Donald H. |date=2024-05-09 |title=Jewish President of Cornell Martha Pollack Suddenly Announces Retirement |url=https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2024/05/09/jewish-president-of-cornell-martha-pollack-suddenly-announces-retirement/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510023356/https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2024/05/09/jewish-president-of-cornell-martha-pollack-suddenly-announces-retirement/ |archive-date=2024-05-10 |access-date=2024-05-10 |website=San Diego Jewish World |language=en-US}}

Career

Pollack worked at SRI International from 1985 to 1992. In 1991, she was a IJCAI Computers and Thought Award recipient.{{Cite web |title=IJCAI-15 Awards Announcement |url=https://ijcai-15.org/ijcai-15-awards/ |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence}} Since 1996, she has been a fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. Since 2012, she was a fellow at the Association for Computing Machinery and American Association for the Advancement of Science.[http://www.aaai.org/Awards/fellows-list.php AAAI Fellows], retrieved 2015-04-16.[http://awards.acm.org/award_winners/pollack_9212507.cfm ACM Fellow award citation], retrieved 2015-04-16.[http://www.eecs.umich.edu/eecs/about/articles/2011/Pollack-AAAS-ACM.html Martha Pollack Named Fellow of AAAS, ACM], EECS, Univ. of Michigan, retrieved 2015-06-14.[http://www.aaas.org/news/aaas-members-elected-fellows AAAS Members Elected as Fellows], AAAS, December 6, 2011, retrieved 2015-06-14.

From 1991 to 2000, she was on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh. In 1997, she became program chair of the International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence.[http://www.ijcai.org/past/ijcai-97/#OFFICIAL IJCAI-97 Officials], retrieved 2015-06-14.

= University of Michigan =

In 2000, Pollack joined the faculty of the University of Michigan.{{Cite web |last=University |first=Carnegie Mellon |title=Martha E. Pollack - The Inauguration of Farnam Jahanian - Carnegie Mellon University |url=https://www.cmu.edu/inauguration/speakers-performers/martha-pollack.html |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=www.cmu.edu |language=en}} She became dean of the School of Information at the University of Michigan in 2007, Vice Provost of the university in 2010, and Provost in 2013.

From 2001 to 2005, she was editor-in-chief of the Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research[http://www.jair.org/history.html JAIR History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421110530/http://www.jair.org/history.html |date=2018-04-21 }}, retrieved 2015-04-16. and president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence from 2009 to 2010.[http://www.aaai.org/Organization/past-officers.php Past AAAI Officials], retrieved 2015-06-14.

= Cornell University =

File:Cornell University president Martha Pollack at 2021 Commencement.jpg's 2021 commencement]]

On November 14, 2016, the Board of Trustees of Cornell University announced that they had unanimously elected Pollack as Cornell University’s 14th president. Her presidency began April 17, 2017,{{Cite news|url=http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2016/11/martha-e-pollack-provost-michigan-named-14th-president|title=Martha E. Pollack, provost at Michigan, named 14th president|newspaper=Cornell Chronicle|date=November 14, 2016}} and she was inaugurated on August 25, 2017.{{cite news|last1=Mediak|first1=Gabrielle|title=Thousands attend Cornell University's 14th presidential inauguration|url=http://www.twcnews.com/nys/binghamton/news/2017/08/25/thousands-attend-cornell-university-s-14th-presidential-inauguration-.html|access-date=26 August 2017|publisher=Spectrum News|date=25 August 2017}}{{cite news|last1=Butler|first1=Matt|title=Martha Pollack inaugurated as Cornell's newest president|url=http://www.ithaca.com/news/ithaca/martha-pollack-inaugurated-as-cornell-s-newest-president/article_d815482c-895d-11e7-9956-c36052649e5e.html|access-date=26 August 2017|publisher=Ithaca.com|date=25 August 2017}}

In 2022, Pollack was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.{{cite web|url=https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2022/04/pollack-pape-elected-arts-and-sciences-academy|title=Pollack, Pape elected to arts and sciences academy|publisher=Cornell Chronicle|access-date=2022-04-30}}{{cite web|url=https://www.amacad.org/new-members-2022|title=New Members - Elected in 2022|publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences|access-date=2022-04-30}}

As Cornell president, Pollack made changes to Greek Life on campus, banning hard alcohol at fraternity and sorority events, suspending chapters suspected of hazing, and requiring a full-time live-in advisor for each fraternity and sorority house.{{Cite news|url=https://cornellsun.com/2018/05/04/online-scorecard-no-hard-alcohol-among-greek-life-reforms-introduced-by-pollack/|title=Online Scorecard, No Hard Alcohol Among Greek Life Reforms Introduced by Pollack|date=2018-05-04|newspaper=The Cornell Daily Sun|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-13|first=Girisha|last=Arora}} Following widespread criticism of Cornell's culture and lack of support for students with mental health needs, she introduced plans to improve mental health services on campus.{{Cite news|url=https://cornellsun.com/2018/11/13/pollack-says-greek-reforms-on-track-addresses-mental-health-on-campus/|title=Pollack Says Greek Reforms 'On-Track,' Addresses Mental Health on Campus|date=2018-11-13|newspaper=The Cornell Daily Sun|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-13|first=Girisha|last=Arora}} She rejected calls from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement for Cornell to boycott investments in Israel.{{Cite news|url=https://www.jns.org/cornell-president-rejects-bds-refuting-student-groups-push-to-divest-from-israel/|title=Cornell president rejects BDS, refuting student group's push to divest from Israel|date=2019-03-13|work=Jewish News Syndicate|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-05}}

In January 2024, Pollack came under scrutiny by Jason Smith, chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee for the university's response to anti-semitism.{{Cite web |last=Egan |first=Matt |date=2024-01-10 |title=House takes aim at Harvard, MIT and UPenn's tax-exempt status over antisemitism {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/10/investing/harvard-tax-status-house-ways-and-means/index.html |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=CNN |language=en}}

On May 9, 2024, she announced her decision to retire as Cornell University president, effective June 30, 2024.{{Cite web |last=Lefkowitz |first=Melanie |date=9 May 2024 |title=After 'transformational' tenure, Pollack to retire June 30 |url=https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2024/05/after-transformational-tenure-pollack-retire-june-30 |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=news.cornell.edu |language=en}}