The Campaign To Do the Greatest Good at Human Ecology

Financial aid for Human Ecology undergraduates helps Cornell sustain its need-blind promise and removes financial barriers for the most deserving students. Nearly 50% of our students require some financial aid. Ensuring CHE is affordable, and remains so, for our students is best accomplished through adding to our endowed funds, which provide secure, predictable funds in perpetuity. The legacy and impact of a scholarship gift is profound and spans generations, opening doors for highly qualified students who would not otherwise be able to enroll.

As a top-tier research institution, our ability to recruit and support the most promising graduate students hinges on the funding we offer. Graduate fellowships are key to attracting the most talented students from around the world. These students not only bolster our current research and instructional capacity - they are also tomorrow’s academic and industry leaders. To remain competitive when vying for the most promising talent, graduate fellowships are essential to attracting outstanding students to join CHE’s research teams. Even with Cornell’s reputation as a world-renown research institution, financial support is often graduate a student’s top priority. This investment opportunity directly supports graduate students and strengthens activities at the heart of our academic mission, ensuring that we produce the most promising scholars and teachers.

Sustained support for research, internships and other experiences outside the classroom provide more opportunities for students to apply their learning, investigate career options and develop professional networks. Student stipends for summer research and real-world learning experiences are currently limited. Sponsored summer internships provide funding for students who want to take low paying or unpaid internships to pursue their academic or professional interests. This is key to reducing barriers for students who may not have the financial means to forego summer earnings. Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) internships focus on building relationships with community partners to implement programs that can improve human health and well-being, providing our students the opportunity to have a positive impact across New York State.

In July 2023, Dean Rachel Dunifon announced that Professor Tashara Leak would serve as the inaugural Associate Dean for CHE in NYC. Formerly known as the Urban Semester program, in 2024 CHE launched an eight-week summer internship program in New York City (NYC) for rising juniors and seniors, underscoring our commitment to community-engaged learning and professional development. The CHE in NYC summer internship program:

• Empowers students with career-ready skills—providing hands-on learning experiences in NYC, students are equipped with professional development and interpersonal skills essential for their careers.
• Aligns with CHE’s vision for growth—The program directly supports CHE's strategic goals, particularly in expanding its presence in NYC and fostering leadership in key fields like health, sustainability, and technology.
• Creates lasting impact—By growing the program to support 25 students across five specialized tracks by 2028, it builds a pipeline of future leaders who will make a lasting impact in communities around the world through their CHE disciplines. 

For our vision to succeed, Cornell Human Ecology must cultivate a connected and unified presence in New York City, defined by a network of people and programs delivering our mission as the publicly engaged college of the future. Current use funding will allow us to secure space and resources for faculty and students to bridge connections between Ithaca and NYC.

Offering endowed positions to outstanding faculty helps the college recruit and retain top scholars whose work informs the future of human health and well-being and shapes the education and career trajectory of our students. As CHE works to attract both early-career and established researchers to join the college, it is vital that we reward and recognize excellence with the honor of named professorships. These endowed chairs are also used to retain our current faculty, as this distinction reflects the central role their leadership and expertise have in the work happening in the college.

"Research for the public good" is not just a motto in Human Ecology, it is at the core of the questions we explore, the partnerships we build to research in the real world, and our commitment to move quickly from idea to impact. Recent breakthroughs by our researchers include a revolutionary new process to recycle polyester textiles, the development of mobile diagnostics to pinpoint nutritional needs on the ground in developing countries, and a holistic, evidence-based approach to rebuilding families affected by opioid addiction. While our faculty leads these efforts, Human Ecology's research is propelled by collaboration with graduate assistants who review literature, conduct experiments, and analyze
results.
 

There is clear evidence that undergraduate research opportunities are a key predictor of student outcomes across the country. The NIH conducted a study that found undergraduates who participated in research not only improved academically but also gained skills applicable in all areas of life, such as self-confidence and resilience. CHE is extraordinary in that close to 80% of our undergraduates participate in research. Working collaboratively with faculty, students learn from top scholars about the elements of study design and refinement, participant recruitment and consent, and data analysis.