Public Engagement

Human Ecology student listens to a resident at the Cayuga Ridge Nursing Home.
Engagement

Igniting Positive Change in Our World

Research, scholarship and collaboration underpin Cornell’s excellence in public engagement.

A deep-rooted commitment to outreach, extension and engagement infuses our state, domestic and global mission of developing knowledge that benefits humanity.

Learning and Extension

Knowledge, Community and Action

Cornell was founded on the principle that our labs, classrooms and extension programs focus on societal challenges. A robust exchange of ideas with communities and citizens allows us to learn from, and develop and implement solutions to, fundamental public concerns.

West Africa bird market

Traveling the World for Planetary Health

Cornell’s Expanding Horizons program sends veterinary student researchers to developing countries.

Collin Dillingham ‘18 pours apple juice into a fermentation tank in the teaching winery.

Hard cider production, from fruit to fermentation

Working with small- and large-scale producers, students learn the full cycle of cider in a first-of-its-kind course.

Students walking past a sign for Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans

Small business bootcamp for those who have served

At Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, Cornell offers experiential training for service members focused on the hospitality industry.

boats on the beach in Vietnam

A Vietnamese view on global climate change

Meeting with farmers and community leaders in the Mekong Delta, students saw the effects of extreme weather to the nation’s economy and culture firsthand.

Research Examples

  • Community-Engaged Education

    Kids learn about bones and teeth at 2015 Kids' Science Day

    The real-world perspectives and collaboration found in community-engaged courses enhance students’ academic experiences and prepare them for leadership positions after graduation.

  • Global Community Engagement

    four women on a mountaintop

    Cornell’s public engagement extends beyond the boundaries of New York state to people and communities around the world — urban and rural, private and public.

Discovery and Outreach

Research with a Public Purpose

Cornell supports a community of scholars known for radical collaboration spanning disciplines, locations and industries and focused on translating ideas into solutions.

Helen Cheng stands on a shoreline
Helen Cheng, coastal resilience specialist with New York Sea Grant
  1. “What makes us human?”
    A podcast and essay series showcases Cornell’s newest conclusions about what it means to be human in the 21st century.
  2. Cornell scientists tapped to preserve trees on the National Mall
    The National Park Service relies on Cornell scientists to develop a comprehensive plan to preserve elms on the Mall.
  3. A new kind of influenza vaccine
    Cornell professors have created a method for a quick-acting, long-lasting single-shot influenza vaccine for pandemic outbreaks.
  4. CollabSpace: A place for makers and builders
    A free online resource for all ages, CollabSpace inspires a passion for STEM learning for communities and schools around the globe.

Discovery and Outreach Examples

  • Field Research

    Team members lay out bridge decking at sunset, near the end of their two-month stay in Calcha, Bolivia

    By applying field research to public engagement, Cornell produces transformative solutions to the world’s most challenging societal problems.

  • Lab Research

    Peishen Huangat work in the Cornell Center for Materials Research

    With more than 100 specialized centers, institutes and programs for cutting-edge science, Cornell research improves lives in countless ways.

The Engaged Student Experience

Engaged Cornell

Engaged Cornell advances the university’s mission through community-engaged discovery and learning that contribute to solving many of the world’s biggest challenges.

Engaged Cornell is:

  • championing research, curricula and co-curricular activities that are identified, designed and implemented with partner communities
  • preparing students to become global citizens leading social change
  • inspiring a new generation of teaching and research at Cornell and beyond

Engaged Cornell appears across campus and around the world in work led by students, faculty, staff and their community partners. Cornell’s colleges and schools offer a vast array of engaged programming, which is supported and augmented by many other units on campus, including those in the Engaged Cornell Hub.

Counselor hugs camper, covered in blue paint
Counselor and camper share a bonding moment during the Camp PALS Olympics

Engaged Cornell
At-A-Glance

Who’s involved
Open to all Cornellians and their community partners
What happens
Work with communities to define needs and create solutions
Where it happens
In classrooms, field work and communities in Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York state and around the world

The Cornell Land Grant

A Spirit of Public Engagement

As the land-grant institution in New York state, we have a special responsibility — unique among the Ivy League — for research and public engagement. We are a university community committed to improving the quality of life in New York state, the nation and the world.

  1. Learn More About the Land Grant

Explore Cornell Public Engagement

Continue Exploring …

Back to top
  1. Undergraduate Research
  2. Cornell Abroad
  3. Cooperative Extension
  4. Sustainability