The university is broadly organized into seven undergraduate colleges and seven graduate divisions at its main Ithaca campus, with each college and division defining its own admission standards and academic programs in near autonomy. The university also administers two satellite medical campuses, one in New York City and one in Education City, Qatar.
Cornell is one of three private land grant universities in the nation and the only one in New York.[note 1] Of its seven undergraduate colleges, three are state-supported statutory or contract colleges through the State University of New York (SUNY) system, including its agricultural and veterinary colleges. As a land grant college, it operates a cooperative extension outreach program in every county of New York and receives annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions.[7] The Cornell University Ithaca Campus comprises 745 acres, but is much larger when the Cornell Plantations (more than 4,300 acres) are considered, as well as the numerous university-owned lands in New York City.[8]
Since its founding, Cornell has been a co-educational, non-sectarian institution where admission has not been restricted by religion or race. Cornell counts more than 245,000 living alumni, and its former and present faculty and alumni include 34 Marshall Scholars, 29 Rhodes Scholars, 7 Gates Scholars, 50 Nobel laureates, and 14 living billionaires.[9][10][11] The student body consists of nearly 14,000 undergraduate and 7,000 graduate students from all 50 American states and 122 countries.[12][13]
Cornell University was founded on April 27, 1865; the New York State (NYS) Senate authorized the university as the state's land grant institution. Senator Ezra Cornell offered his farm in Ithaca, New York as a site and $500,000 of his personal fortune as an initial endowment. Fellow senator and experienced educator Andrew Dickson White agreed to be the first president. During the next three years, White oversaw the construction of the first two buildings and traveled to attract students and faculty.[14] The university was inaugurated on October 7, 1868, and 412 men were enrolled the next day.[15]
Cornell developed as a technologically innovative institution, applying its research to its own campus as well as to outreach efforts. For example, in 1883 it was one of the first university campuses to use electricity from a water-powered dynamo to light the grounds.[16] Since 1894, Cornell has included colleges that are state funded and fulfill statutory requirements;[17] it has also administered research and extension activities that have been jointly funded by state and federal matching programs.[18]
Cornell has had active alumni since its earliest classes. It was one of the first universities to include alumni-elected representatives on its Board of Trustees.[note 2]
Cornell expanded, particularly since World War II, when numerous students were funded by the GI Bill. Its student population in Ithaca in the 21st century totals nearly 20,000 students. The faculty also expanded, and by 1999, the university had about 3,000 faculty members.[19] The school has increased the number of courses. Today the university has more than 4,000 courses.[20]
Since 2000, Cornell has been expanding its international programs. In 2004, the university opened the Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.[21] It has partnerships with institutions in India, Singapore, and the People's Republic of China.[22][23][24] Former president Jeffrey S. Lehman described the university, with its high international profile, a "transnational university".[25] On March 9, 2004, Cornell and Stanford University laid the cornerstone for a new 'Bridging the Rift Center' to be built and jointly operated for education on the Israel–Jordan border.[26]
Cornell was among the Ivies that had heightened student activism during the 1960s related to cultural issues, civil rights, and opposition to the Vietnam War. Its administration was criticized for failing to have an African-American studies program, and for the low number of African-American faculty and students. The university attracted national attention in April 1969 when African-American students occupied Willard Straight Hall in protest over alleged racism.[27][28] The crisis resulted in the resignation of President James A. Perkins and the restructuring of university governance.[29]
Cornell's main campus is on East Hill in Ithaca, New York, overlooking the town and Cayuga Lake. Since the university was founded, it has expanded to about 2300 acres (9.3 km2), encompassing both the hill and much of the surrounding areas.[30] Central Campus has laboratories, administrative buildings, and almost all of the campus' academic buildings, athletic facilities, auditoriums, and museums. Collegetown contains two upper-class residence halls[31][32] and the Schwartz Performing Arts Center amid a mixed-use neighborhood of apartments, eateries, and businesses.[33]
The main campus is marked by an irregular layout and eclectic architectural styles, including ornate Collegiate Gothic, Victorian, and Neoclassical buildings, and the more spare international and modernist structures. The more ornate buildings generally predate World War II. The student population doubled from 7,000 in 1950 to 15,000 by 1970, at a time when architectural styles favored modernism.[34] While some buildings are neatly arranged into quadrangles, others are packed densely and haphazardly. These eccentricities arose from the university's numerous, ever-changing master plans for the campus. For example, in one of the earliest plans, Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park, proposed a "grand terrace" overlooking Cayuga Lake.[35]
Several of the university buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Andrew Dickson White House, Bailey Hall, Caldwell Hall, Comstock Hall, Morrill Hall, and Deke House. At least three other historic buildings—the original Roberts Hall, East Robert Hall and Stone Hall—have also been listed on the NRHP. The university demolished them in the 1980s to make way for other development.[36] In September 2011, Travel+Leisure listed the Ithaca Campus as among the most beautiful in the United States.[37]
Located among the rolling valleys of the Finger Lakes region, the campus on a hill provides views of the surrounding area, including 38 miles (61.4 km) long Lake Cayuga. Two gorges, Fall Creek Gorge and Cascadilla Gorge, bound Central Campus and are used as popular swimming holes during the warmer months (although the university and city code discourage their use).[38] Adjacent to the main campus, Cornell owns the 2,800 acre (11.6 km2) Cornell Plantations, a botanical garden containing flowers, trees, and ponds, with manicured trails providing access through the facility.[39]
The university has embarked on numerous 'green' initiatives. In 2009, a new gas-fired combined heat and power facility replaced a coal-fired steam plant, resulting in a reduction in carbon emissions to 7% below 1990 levels, and projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 75,000 tons per year.[40] This facility satisfies 15% of campus electrical needs,[41] and a university-run, on-campus hydroelectric plant in the Fall Creek Gorge provides an additional 2%.[42] The university has a lake source cooling project that uses Lake Cayuga to air condition campus buildings, with an 80% energy saving over conventional systems.[43] In 2007, Cornell established a Center for a Sustainable Future.[44] Cornell has been rated "A-" by the 2011 College Sustainability Report Card for its environmental and sustainability initiatives.[45]
Cornell's main campus is on East Hill in Ithaca, New York, overlooking the town and Cayuga Lake. Since the university was founded, it has expanded to about 2300 acres (9.3 km2), encompassing both the hill and much of the surrounding areas.[30] Central Campus has laboratories, administrative buildings, and almost all of the campus' academic buildings, athletic facilities, auditoriums, and museums. Collegetown contains two upper-class residence halls[31][32] and the Schwartz Performing Arts Center amid a mixed-use neighborhood of apartments, eateries, and businesses.[33]
The main campus is marked by an irregular layout and eclectic architectural styles, including ornate Collegiate Gothic, Victorian, and Neoclassical buildings, and the more spare international and modernist structures. The more ornate buildings generally predate World War II. The student population doubled from 7,000 in 1950 to 15,000 by 1970, at a time when architectural styles favored modernism.[34] While some buildings are neatly arranged into quadrangles, others are packed densely and haphazardly. These eccentricities arose from the university's numerous, ever-changing master plans for the campus. For example, in one of the earliest plans, Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park, proposed a "grand terrace" overlooking Cayuga Lake.[35]
Several of the university buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Andrew Dickson White House, Bailey Hall, Caldwell Hall, Comstock Hall, Morrill Hall, and Deke House. At least three other historic buildings—the original Roberts Hall, East Robert Hall and Stone Hall—have also been listed on the NRHP. The university demolished them in the 1980s to make way for other development.[36] In September 2011, Travel+Leisure listed the Ithaca Campus as among the most beautiful in the United States.[37]
Located among the rolling valleys of the Finger Lakes region, the campus on a hill provides views of the surrounding area, including 38 miles (61.4 km) long Lake Cayuga. Two gorges, Fall Creek Gorge and Cascadilla Gorge, bound Central Campus and are used as popular swimming holes during the warmer months (although the university and city code discourage their use).[38] Adjacent to the main campus, Cornell owns the 2,800 acre (11.6 km2) Cornell Plantations, a botanical garden containing flowers, trees, and ponds, with manicured trails providing access through the facility.[39]
The university has embarked on numerous 'green' initiatives. In 2009, a new gas-fired combined heat and power facility replaced a coal-fired steam plant, resulting in a reduction in carbon emissions to 7% below 1990 levels, and projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 75,000 tons per year.[40] This facility satisfies 15% of campus electrical needs,[41] and a university-run, on-campus hydroelectric plant in the Fall Creek Gorge provides an additional 2%.[42] The university has a lake source cooling project that uses Lake Cayuga to air condition campus buildings, with an 80% energy saving over conventional systems.[43] In 2007, Cornell established a Center for a Sustainable Future.[44] Cornell has been rated "A-" by the 2011 College Sustainability Report Card for its environmental and sustainability initiatives.[45]
Cornell's medical campus in New York, also called Weill Cornell, is on the Upper East Side of Manhattan,New York City. It is home to two Cornell divisions, Weill Cornell Medical College and Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and has been affiliated with the NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital since 1927.[46] Although their faculty and academic divisions are separate, the Medical Center shares its administrative and teaching hospital functions with the Columbia University Medical Center.[47] These teaching hospitals include the Payne Whitney Clinic in Manhattan and the Westchester Division in White Plains, New York.[48] Weill Cornell Medical College is also affiliated with the neighboring Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center, Rockefeller University, and the Hospital for Special Surgery. Many faculty members have joint appointments at these institutions. Weill Cornell, Rockefeller, and Memorial Sloan–Kettering offer the Tri-Institutional MD–PhD Program to selected entering Cornell medical students.[49] From 1942 to 1979, the campus also housed a Cornell school of nursing.[50]
On December 19, 2011, Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology won a competition for rights to claim free city land as well as $100 million in subsidies to build an engineering campus in New York City. The competition was established by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in order to increase entrepreneurship and job growth in the city's technology sector. The winning bid consisted of a 2.1 million square feet state-of-the-art tech campus to be built on Roosevelt Island on the site of the former Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital. Instruction began in the fall of 2012 in a temporary location in Manhattan (111 Eighth Avenue in space donated by Google).[51] Thom Mayne of the architecture firm Morphosis has been selected to design the first building to be constructed on Roosevelt Island. Begun in 2014, construction is expected to be completed for the fall start of the 2017 academic year.[52]
In addition to the tech campus and medical center, Cornell maintains local offices in New York City for some of its service programs. The Cornell Urban Scholars Program encourages students to pursue public service careers, arranging assignments with organizations working with New York City's poorest children, families, and communities.[53] The NYS College of Human Ecology and the NYS College of Agriculture and Life Sciences enable students to reach out to local communities by gardening and building with the Cornell Cooperative Extension.[54] Students with the NYS School of Industrial and Labor Relations' Extension & Outreach Program make workplace expertise available to organizations, union members, policy makers, and working adults.[55] The College of Engineering's Operations Research Manhattan, in the city's financial district, brings together business optimization research and decision support services addressed to both financial applications and public health logistics planning.[56] The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning has a 11,000 square foot Gensler-designed facility in 26 Broadway (The Standard Oil Building) in the Financial District that opened in 2015.[57]
Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar is in Education City, near Doha. Opened in September 2004, this is the first American medical school to be established outside the United States. The college is part of Cornell's program to increase its international influence. The College is a joint initiative with the Qatar government, which seeks to improve the country's academic programs and medical care.[21] Along with its full four-year MD program, which mirrors the curriculum taught at Weill Medical College in New York City, the college offers a two-year undergraduate pre-medical program with a separate admissions process. This undergraduate program opened in September 2002 and was the first coeducational institute of higher education in Qatar.[58]
The college is partially funded by the Qatar government through the Qatar Foundation, which contributed $750 million for its construction.[59] The medical center is housed in a large two-story structure designed by Arata Isozaki, an internationally known Japanese architect.[60] In 2004, the Qatar Foundation announced the construction of a 350-bed Specialty Teaching Hospital near the medical college in Education City. The hospital was to be completed in a few years.[21]
Cornell University owns and/or operates other facilities.[61] The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, site of the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, was operated by Cornell under a contract with the National Science Foundation from its construction until 2011.[62] The Shoals Marine Laboratory, operated in conjunction with the University of New Hampshire,[63] is a seasonal marine field station dedicated to undergraduate education and research on the 95-acre (0.4 km2) Appledore Island off the Maine–New Hampshire coast.[64]
Cornell has facilities devoted to conservation and ecology. The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, operated by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is in Geneva, New York, 50 miles (80 km) northwest of the main campus. It operates three substations: The Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory (CLEREL) in Portland, New York,[65] Hudson Valley Laboratory in Highland,[66] and the Long Island Horticultural Research Laboratory in Riverhead.[67]
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca's Sapsucker Woods performs research on biological diversity, primarily in birds.[68] On April 18, 2005, the lab announced that it had rediscovered the ivory-billed woodpecker, long thought to be extinct (Some experts disputed the evidence and subsequent surveys were inconclusive).[69] The Animal Science Teaching and Research Center in Harford, New York, and the Duck Research Laboratory in Eastport, New York, are resources for information on animal disease control and husbandry.[70][71]
The Cornell Biological Field Station in Bridgeport, New York, conducts long-term ecological research and supports the University's educational programs, with special emphasis on freshwater lake systems.[72] The Department of Horticulture operates the Freeville Organic Research Farm and Homer C. Thompson Vegetable Research Farm in Freeville, New York.[9] The university operates biodiversity laboratories in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic,[73] and one in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest (Cornell University Esbaran Amazon Field Laboratory).[74]
The university arranges study abroad and scholarship programs. The Cornell in Washington is a program that allows students to study for a semester in Washington, D.C., holding research or internship positions while earning credit toward a degree.[75] Cornell in Rome, operated by the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, allows students to use the city as a resource for learning architecture, urban studies, and art.[76] Similarly, the Capital Semester program allows students to intern in the New York state legislature in Albany.
As New York State's land grant college, Cornell operates a cooperative extension service with 56 offices spread out across the state, each staffed with extension educators who offer programs in five subjects: Agriculture and Food Systems; Children, Youth, and Families; Community and Economic Vitality; Environment and Natural Resources; and Nutrition and Health.[77] Cornell also operates New York's Animal Health Diagnostic Center.[78]
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