Overall Rating Platinum
Overall Score 85.42
Liaison Lisa Kilgore
Submission Date March 4, 2021

STARS v2.2

Cornell University
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 7.37 / 8.00 Mark Lawrence
Communications Mgr
ACSF
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution adopted one or more sustainability learning outcomes that apply to the entire student body or, at minimum, to the institution's predominant student body?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the sustainability learning outcomes?:
Sustainability-focused

A list of the institution level sustainability learning outcomes:

Cornell University awards about the same number of graduate degrees (3,600 in 2019) as undergraduate degrees (3,796 in 2019) each year, so we see the different colleges within Cornell as a better measure of the predominant student body. Five colleges within Cornell University have established sustainability-focused learning outcomes, including the two largest schools (College of Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences). The five colleges accounted for 4,898 graduates in 2018-2019 academic year, which is the predominant body of the University.

The five colleges with sustainability-focused learning outcomes are listed here in descending order of size, along with the number of graduates from the 2018-2019 academic year and the sustainability-focused learning outcome as published online.

College of Engineering: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/students/undergraduate-students/curriculum
1850 graduates
- lead design processes that include consideration of the impact designs have on people, societies, and the environment.
- identify contemporary global issues and recognize their professional and ethical responsibility to contribute to solutions for the social, economic, and environmental challenges faced by humanity.

Arts & Sciences (A&S): https://as.cornell.edu/curriculum
1454 graduates
- Global Citizenship (GLC-AS): Courses in this area examine the history, culture, politics, religion, and social relations of peoples in different parts of the world, as well as their interactions. They encourage students to think broadly about the global community and their place within it, beyond the boundaries of their particular national or cultural group, and cultivate skills of intercultural engagement that are vital to their role as global citizens. These courses introduce students to global challenges such as war and peace, social and economic inequalities, international migration, and environmental sustainability, and encourage students to think critically about international responses to these challenges.

Agricultural & Life Sciences (CALS): https://cals.cornell.edu/education/cals-experience
965 graduates
- Apply concepts of sustainability to the analysis of one of more major challenges facing people and the Earth’s resources.

College of Human Ecology: https://www.human.cornell.edu/admissions/mission
497 graduates
- Apply multi-disciplinary perspectives: Identify complex interactions between individuals and their environments; explain interactions within and between the natural, physical, and social sciences; manage diverse and changing social, technological, and material environments; collaborate across disciplines to understand and analyze issues
- Display commitment to ethical principles: Identify ethical and moral issues; know and adhere to ethical principles in academics, research, design, and practice; recognize conflicts of interest; attribute source materials

College of Veterinary Medicine: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/education/doctor-veterinary-medicine/curriculum
132 graduates
- An understanding of the interactions among animals, people, and the environment
- A commitment to professionalism, including a commitment to animal welfare and to following the best practices in relation to ethical, cultural, global, business management, and legal issues

(2018-2019 graduate data is from https://irp.dpb.cornell.edu/university-factbook/graduation-and-degrees-conferred)


Total number of graduates from degree programs:
7,396

Number of graduates from degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability:
1,268

A brief description of how the figure above was determined:

Degree programs listed on the Fields of Study website (https://www.cornell.edu/academics/fields.cfm) were assessed for the three criteria listed above. See the attached pdf of documentation describing the programs, which criteria they meet, and the number of 2018-2019 graduates.


A list of degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability:

See the attached pdf.


Documentation supporting the figure reported above (upload):
Do the figures reported above cover one, two, or three academic years?:
One

Percentage of students who graduate from programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability:
17.14

Website URL where information about the sustainability learning outcomes is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.