Our Commitments

"Any Person, Any Study."  

 - Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, on Cornell's founding mission.

Cornell University is a place where intercultural skills are developed and used everywhere:  throughout our diverse campus groups, with our community partners, within our classrooms and in our workplaces.  At Cornell, we recognize people with diverse backgrounds and experiences bring great value to education, discovery, creativity, and engagement which is reflected in our long history of diversity and inclusion.

  • Join our commitment to diversity and inclusiveness.

  • Add to our intellectual community with your unique perspective.

  • At Cornell we don’t simply want you to fit in with what we are already doing—we want you to expand our horizons, blaze new trails, pursue new knowledge, and share all of what you have to offer with all of us.

At Cornell, we are always seeking new and more effective approaches towards fulfilling our diversity and inclusion mission through the institution's newly established Core Values. We are continually improving our campus culture and demographic diversity through a focused framework for progress, Belonging at Cornell, and through careful attention to regulatory guidance.  

Cornell's equal opportunity policies support our commitment to diversity and inclusion while meeting compliance obligations under federal and state laws, including 

  • Americans with Disabilities Act
  • Civil Rights Act 
  • Equal Pay Act 
  • Rehabilitation Act 
  • Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act.

Compliance obligations, as they relate to equal education and employment, are outlined in Cornell's EEEO statement.

University Policy 6.4: Prohibited Bias, Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual and Related Misconduct governs our commitment to an educational setting and workplace that is free from discrimination and harassment.

The university has processes to provide resolutions for individuals who have concerns related to the treatment they have received from others. These concerns include gender (including pregnancy), sex, race, color, ethnic or national origin, age, creed, religion, color, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military or veteran status, actual or perceived disability, ex-offender status, and individual genetic information. Information about these processes can be found in Policy 6.4 or related policies, including

For a complete list of University policies, visit the University Policy Office.

Concerns and complaints related to equal opportunity in education and in employment based on aspects of diversity protected under federal, state, and local law should be directed to Laura Rugless, Associate VP for the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX (lwr25@cornell.edu).