After months of planning, including epidemiological studies and development of a high-volume testing lab, the campus reopened with a hybrid approach to a residential semester (with in-person, online, and hybrid teaching modalities), an extensive surveillance testing program, and a revised academic calendar allowing students to return home for Thanksgiving to finish the semester remotely. The reopening plan proved highly successful, thanks to tremendous efforts behind the scenes.

The Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, opened in fall 2021, launched with faculty from the Departments of Policy Analysis and Management (College of Human Ecology) and Government (College of Arts and Sciences), along with other policy-engaged scholars from fields across the university. The school includes undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD programs. Building on current faculty expertise, the school’s areas of strength include health policy, international and domestic policy, and sustainability, with a clear mission of public engagement.

Uniting strong programs across our schools and colleges, Cornell has also established new cross-college “super-departments” in psychology and sociology. In both cases, participating faculty are drawn from departments of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and of Human Ecology, with possible additions from other colleges in the future. Further, the super-department in economics has expanded to include economists from policy analysis and management.

The Brooks School and super-departments work with the Cornell Center for Social Sciences, which accelerates, enhances, and amplifies social science research at Cornell by supporting grants and fellowships, facilitating collaboration, and providing necessary research infrastructure.

As an outgrowth of the committee’s work, the NYC Visioning grant initiative launched in spring 2019, seeking to provide funding for collaborative, cross-disciplinary pilot projects to expand learning and research opportunities in New York City for Cornell faculty and students. Each project involves faculty members collaborating across two or more colleges, with a focus on extending research and outreach more deeply into NYC and strengthening connections across Cornell’s campuses.

The three Task Force subcommittees – focused on Campus Experience; Campus Response; and Regulation of Speech and Harassment – released their final reports in June 2018. The university implemented many of these recommendations, along with additional initiatives to further advance campus climate, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and continues our ongoing, collective work in these areas.