Cornell University
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Open Doors
"I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study."
This statement, made by Ezra Cornell in 1865, proclaims Cornell University's enduring commitment to inclusion and opportunity, which is rooted in the shared democratic values envisioned by its founders. We honor this legacy of diversity and inclusion and welcome all individuals, including those from groups that historically have been marginalized and previously excluded from equal access to opportunity.
Open Hearts
Cornell's mission is to foster personal discovery and growth, nurture scholarship and creativity across a broad range of common knowledge, and affirm the value to individuals and society of the cultivation of the human mind and spirit. Our legacy is reflected in the diverse composition of our community, the breadth of our curriculum, the strength of our public service, and the depth of our commitment to freedom, equity, and reason. Each member of the Cornell community has a responsibility to honor this legacy and to support a more diverse and inclusive campus in which to work, study, teach, research, and serve.
Open Minds
Free expression is essential to this mission, and provocative ideas lawfully presented are an expected result. An enlightened academic community, however, connects freedom with responsibility. Cornell stands for civil discourse, reasoned thought, sustained discussion, and constructive engagement without degrading, abusing, harassing, or silencing others. Cornell is committed to act responsibly and forthrightly to maintain an environment that opens doors, opens hearts, and opens minds.

http://diversity.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Open%20Doors%20Open%20Hearts%20Open%20Minds%20Logo.pdf

Cornell’s current Reporting Bias System grew out of a series of events and community-action efforts and has evolved from 1999 until now. (SeePolicy 6.4, Prohibited Discrimination,Protected Status (Including Sexual) Harassment, and Bias Activity.) The system has received significant upgrades in 2015 and now extends to all campuses of the university and to all constituents. This program is designed to supplement existing discrimination-related procedures and processes, and support the efforts of administrative units that address bias activity – such as the Cornell Police, the Office of the Judicial Administrator, the Title IX Coordinators, and the Office of the University Ombudsman. The primary goal of this program is to respond to bias activity by advising the university community of the occurrence of bias incidents and crimes, providing support-related resources to individuals who have experienced bias activity, tracking outcomes of bias reports, and developing programs that will help to prevent or eliminate bias activity. The program’s process is not intended to be punitive in nature. Anyone who directly witnesses or experiences bias activity (or finds evidence of or hears about past bias activity) on the Cornell campus or in an area that impacts the Cornell community should intervene in the moment as appropriate (e.g., contact Campus Police at 911, if a crime is in progress, or interrupt the behavior in as much as the observer feels skilled and safe) and be sure to also complete this confidential report of the incident, as soon as possible. Reporting bias and the resulting efforts to understand and prevent bias activity are a matter of taking part in a caring community.This report will result in:
1) Appropriate involvement/communication from the Reporting Bias System staff in the Department of Inclusion and Workforce Diversity (DIWD); 2) Intervention with the agent, target, and witness(es) of the bias activity with assistance from the Office of the Judicial Administrator, Office of Workforce Policy and Labor Relations and Cornell University Police; 3) Follow up with the reporting person if desired. Reporting is confidential and open to anyone with an internet connection. The reporting form is here: https://publicdocs.maxient.com/reportingform.php?CornellUniv&layout_id=6

Undergraduate Admissions has specifically assigned staff members to multicultural recruiting and a College Associate in each college as well as the Office of Academic Opportunity Initiatives. The graduate School has specifically designated staff for diversity recruitment and support. There are two full-time diversity recruiters for staff in HR. There are diversity review committees in every college to oversee the search process and pools for faculty members in every department across the university on all campuses.

There are several programs throughout the university designed to support underrepresented groups within the student body. The Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives provides support and guidance to students from underrepresented racial groups, low-income and first-generation college students. Students can receive assistance and counseling for a variety of issues and the office acts as a resource and network for students helping to connect them across the campus. This office works closely with the Center for Intercultural Dialogue, which is charged with strengthening the sense of community among the student body and providing student programs. There are also services provided at a macro level through the Dean of Students Office for students.

For assistance with writing, there is an ESL peer mentoring program through the Knight Writing Institute available to students. This program offers a number of Writing Workshops across campus; students can attend drop-in hours and have someone work on a paper and review it for them to provide feedback and suggestions for improvement.

On a more micro level, each college and school has an office dedicated to its diverse student population. Through this office, counseling and advising services are offered to its students, as well as mentoring in some programs and peer support and guidance in others. The College of Engineering, for example, has Diversity Programs in Engineering (DPE). Through this office, the students have regular appointments with the staff and advisors. The staff advise several student lead organizations including the Society for Women Engineers (SWE), the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), and the National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE). Each college has an office that acts in a similar way providing services to students.

Also, the university has well-established ethnic studies programs that offer academic support and mentoring and advising to students. These include the American Indian Program, the Africana Studies and Research Center, Latino Studies Program, the Asian American Studies Program. There are also resource centers and programs for students including the Asian/Asian American Center, the LGBT Resource Center, Student Disability Services Office, and the Women’s Resource Center.

For staff, there are active Colleague Network Groups for women of color, men of color, LGBT employees, military veterans and people with disabilities as well as an office of workforce diversity and inclusion.

Faculty are regularly convened in a women's faculty organization and faculty of color luncheons as well as the academic directors of LGBT Studies, Women's Studies, Africana Studies, Inequality Studies, Latino Studies, Asian American Studies, and others.

FSAP provides individual support for faculty and staff members, with some counselors with specific expertise for providing support for under-represented individuals.

Cornell partners with local organizations and employers to build a community of inclusion and support as well as mutual recruitment and social activities.

Cornell has several programs that help build a diverse faculty for higher education.

Cornell is a member of the national 21-institution CIRTL Network (Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning), whose mission is to develop future faculty particularly in the STEM disciplines, with a specific focus on learning through diversity. The Cornell CIRTL program is housed in the Graduate School. http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/cu-cirtl

Cornell was awarded a Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program grant for 2012-2017 to nurture McNair scholars -- undergraduates from underrepresented groups who will go on to complete doctoral study.

The Graduate School and the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives run the Graduate Students Mentoring Undergraduates Program, which provides opportunities for underrepresented graduate students to mentor underrepresented undergraduate students. https://www.oadi.cornell.edu/preprofessional/mentoring.cfm

Our Undergraduate Research Program (led by Laurel Southard) aims to facilitate, coordinate, and support undergraduate research experiences for students. Having students work side-by-side with faculty and graduate students in labs and other research settings may stimulate interest in and capacity for progressing into graduate school and the professoriate. http://undergraduateresearch.cornell.edu/

The Mellon Mays program in the College of Arts and Sciences supports the Ph.D. aspirations of under-represented students in the humanities. The Mellon Post-Doctoral program prepares under-represented scholars for careers at major research 1 universities including successful recruitment to Cornell.

Through the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives, we offer the pre-professional programs Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program, and Cornell Professional Opportunities Program. Both of these (CSTEP funded partially by the state, CPOP funded by Cornell) provide opportunities, encouragement, and programming to build the capacity of undergraduate students to pursue advanced education in the sciences, technical fields, and the professions. https://www.oadi.cornell.edu/preprofessional/index.cfm

Through the Center for Teaching Excellence, we offer future faculty teaching preparation programs, master teaching assistant certificate programs, and a variety of workshops and other support structures to encourage graduate students to be excellent teachers as well as researchers, preparing them for the professoriate.
http://www.cte.cornell.edu/

Through the Graduate School, we offer diversity fellowships for students from groups historically underrepresented in graduate education. The Associate Dean for Inclusion and Student Engagement leads programs for diverse graduate students on transferable skills and professional and career development.
http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/diversity

Reporting Bias System: https://www.hr.cornell.edu/diversity/reporting/bias_response.html
To report a bias incident/form: https://publicdocs.maxient.com/reportingform.php?CornellUniv&layout_id=4
Bias Reporting Team Members: https://www.hr.cornell.edu/diversity/reporting/bias_team.html

http://living.sas.cornell.edu/live/apply/apply_undergrad/gender_inclusive_housing.cfm

https://hr.cornell.edu/our-culture-diversity

http://facultydevelopment.cornell.edu

https://hr.cornell.edu/our-culture-diversity/get-involved/colleague-network-groups

https://www.oadi.cornell.edu/programs/student-success-programs/mcnair.html