Public Engagement

Members of the Craft Beverage Institute.

Engaged Cornellians

Leading positive change locally and globally

Public engagement is foundational to everything we do as an institution. By contributing to this deep-rooted university commitment, our students, faculty, staff and alumni — Engaged Cornell — are forging community partnerships, solving local and global challenges and creating knowledge to benefit humanity.

270+

Community-engaged learning courses offered by the university
7,000

Students working annually in local communities
544

Engagements with federal policymakers (2019)
1.7M

New Yorkers reached by Cornell Cooperative Extension programs each year

Engaged students, scholars and communities

As they lead positive change in the world, our students, faculty, staff and alumni are creating a legacy of engaged Cornellians.

Cornell-Tanzania collaboration on medical equipment

Cornell and Tanzanian students combine their skills and knowledge to repair medical devices and engage in senior capstone projects.

Tanvir Ahmed, left, a Cornell Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow, buys produce at a market in India in January.

Cornell unites science and policy to end hunger

Ceres2030, headquartered at Cornell, brings together growers and researchers on a mission to eradicate world hunger by 2030.

Worker sewing a mask on a sewing machine.

Providing masks for incarcerated people

The Cornell Prison Education Program led efforts with numerous partner institutions to help protect nearly 43,000 prisoners in the state.

Gift supports visiting journalist program, Cornell Tech

Alumna Jan Rock Zubrow’s generosity supports programs aimed at boosting civil discourse and advancing ethics in technology.

Rebekah Jones ’19 (left) and the Public Service Center’s Amy Somchanhmavong at the 2018 Community Engagement Showcase.

At the annual Community Engagement Showcase, engaged Cornellians connect on projects they’re pursuing with local partners around the globe.

From their first day through graduation, students have opportunities to engage with communities and make a difference in the world — through classes, labs, field research, study abroad and internships.

Three life stages of the blacklegged (deer) tick suspended in a vial.

Led by Cornell, the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases pursues vital research related to tick-borne diseases and public health.

As a world-class research institution, Cornell seeks to generate knowledge for the public good, translating ideas into solutions that benefit individuals, communities and industries.

The statue of Ezra Cornell on the Arts Quad.

Founded in 1865 as New York state’s land-grant institution, Cornell has pursued public engagement from its beginnings, building lasting connections to communities statewide.

Connecting and Enriching Communities

Cornell relies on a robust exchange of ideas with the public to understand local needs, develop and implement solutions, and deepen community capacity. Building upon the unique strengths of our partners, our public engagement includes extension, outreach, policy briefings, solutions-oriented institutes and much more.

Cornell researchers use robots on the ground and drones in the air to monitor the quality and growth of crops at the Musgrave Research Farm in Aurora, New York.

Serving New York State

As New York’s land-grant institution, with our Ithaca campus within the ancestral homelands of the Cayuga Nation, Cornell creates and disseminates knowledge that improves the quality of life for all people in our state. More about .

Get Involved

Engaged Cornell Hub

The Engaged Cornell Hub, which is currently staffed virtually during the pandemic, is the front door for students to connect and learn more about public engagement at Cornell.

Engaged Cornell Hub

The Engaged Cornell Hub, which is currently staffed virtually during the pandemic, is the front door for students to connect and learn more about public engagement at Cornell.

Learn more