CornellGraduateSchool

ANNUAL REPORT 2016–2017

contents

3 About the Graduate School

4 Letter from the Dean

6 Program Assessment and Planning

8 Student Experience

10 Inclusion

12 Financial Support

14 Field, Faculty, and Staff Support

16 Visibility

18 Statistics and Tables

Barbara A. Knuth

Senior Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School

Jan Allen

Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs

Sara Xayarath Hernández

Associate Dean for Inclusion & Student Engagement

Jason Kahabka

Associate Dean for Administration

Janna Lamey

Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Life

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VISION

The Graduate School provides strategic leadership and support for Cornell’s distinctive system of cross-disciplinary and integrative graduate education within which a diverse group of students and faculty thrive intellectually and professionally to achieve academic excellence.

MISSION

The Graduate School enhances the intellectual life of the university by enabling graduate and professional students to undertake scholarly study and advanced research, and prepare for professional work in diverse career paths. The Graduate School focuses on the following strategic areas to fulfill our mission:

Learning and Assessment: To promote excellence in learning, the Graduate School coordinates the University’s graduate assessment initiatives, and pursues partnership and external funding opportunities to develop innovative structures in support of students’ scholarly and professional development.

Student Experience: Through programming and infrastructure, the Graduate School encourages the development of a diverse community, optimizes professional development opportunities, prepares students for a multiplicity of career paths, fosterskills for lifelong health and wellness, and helps students experience considerable flexibility, freedom, and independence in their academic programs.

Field, Faculty, and Staff Support: By coordinating the graduate field structure and administering 13 degrees and nearly 100 graduate fields, we strive to deliver seamless, efficient, and aligned services that enable fields to devote their efforts and resources to research, scholarship, and instruction.

Visibility: Through internal and external communications, we celebrate and promote the talent, research, and leadership of the graduate education system at Cornell and of our students and faculty, and inform our constituent audiences about important trends and initiatives in higher education.

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Letter from the Dean

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Dear Graduate Community,

Dedication to student success is one of the Graduate School’s core values and appears in our vision and mission statement. To support student success, we use an evidence-based approach to enhance our programs and improve the student experience.

This year, we shared comprehensive surveys and other data with graduate fields and graduate students to encourage reflection, self-assessment, and improvement.

We introduced new customized dashboards to help graduate fields understand the effectiveness of their programs, while graduate students gained insights into safety, finances, and doctoral career outcomes. We also included in our benchmarks promising practices from beyond the Cornell community and learned what works best here.

Our commitment to success goes beyond data. We developed over 340 programs, workshops, and events for graduate students on topics ranging from overcoming the imposter syndrome to writing effective fellowship applications. We also modified our surveys to collect data that will help our staff determine which workshops are most effective and improve others for the future.

We shared student success stories through postings in our weekly newsletter, as well as at recognition ceremonies and many other events. I am encouraged by survey results indicating that 90% of both current students and alumni think their overall Cornell experience was good to excellent, and 95% of doctoral alumni report working in a field closely-related to their PhD.

As you review the Annual Report, please join me in recognizing the Cornell graduate community’s dedication to student success!

Barbara A. KnuthDean of the Graduate School

Graduate School lauded for promoting students’ success

DECEMBER 13, 2016

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) presented Cornell University with this year’s ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Educa-tion: From Admission through Completion.

Barbara Knuth, senior vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, accepted the co-sponsored award on Cornell’s behalf Dec. 9 during the CGS 56th Annual Meeting, held Dec. 7–10 in Washington, D.C.

The award recognizes promising, innova-tive proposals to enhance student succesand degree completion at the master’s or doctoral levels while promoting inclusive-ness. The winning institution is selected on the strength of its proposal to meet theaward’s goals and to serve as a model forother schools. The winner receives a two-year, $20,000 matching grant.

“Our goal is to achieve a campus climate in which all graduate students feel valued and accepted by faculty and peers, and where incidents of bias are minimized,” Knuth said. “This recognition from ETS

and CGS will help us to provide an environment in which all members of our graduate community understand and valuthe diverse identities, experiences and perspectives present on our campus. I amhonored to accept this award on behalf of my Graduate School colleagues and our partners across many offices at Cornell.”

Through the project Innovative Inclusion Interventions (I3): Promoting Graduate Student Success through Advancements in the Climate of Graduate Education, Cornell intends to promote graduate student success and an inclusive climate through four interventions supporting the academic and social engagement of

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graduate students across identities. These interventions include a summer success symposium, an interactive theater project, an intergroup dialogue project immersion program, and an inclusive teaching insti-tute for graduate students and postdocs.

Barbara Knuth, senior vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, joined by Sara Xayarath Hernandez, associate dean for inclusion and student engagement, accepts the ETS/CGS Award on Cornell’s behalf during the 56th Annual Meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools.

Graduate School leadershipThe Graduate School’s governing body is called the General Committee, and our “by laws” are described in the Code of Legislation. The General Committee is the administrative, legislative, and judicial board of the Graduate School and approves revisions to the Code of Legislation, approves appointments to the graduate faculty, and makes recommendations for new advanced degrees.

General Committee of the Graduate School 2016–2017

NAME FIELD OR AFFILIATION TERM END

Dean Barbara A. Knuth Graduate School

Associate Dean Jan Allen Graduate School

Associate Dean Jason Kahabka Graduate School

Associate Dean Sara Hernandez Graduate School

Anna Waymack graduate student 2017

Aravind Natarajan graduate student 2018

Members-at-LargeProfessor William Brown Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology 2019

Professor Stacey Langwick (on sabbatical fall 2016– spring 2017); replaced by Maurine Linder until May 2017

Anthropology 2019

Professor Joel Brock Applied Physics 2017

Professor Shorna Allred Natural Resources 2017

HumanitiesProfessor Eric Rebillard Classics 2019

Professor Rebecca Harris-Warrick Music 2017

Social SciencesProfessor Molly Diesing Linguistics 2019

Professor Linda Williams Development Sociology 2017

Life SciencesProfessor Monica Geber Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 2019

Professor Paul Soloway Nutrition 2017

Physical SciencesProfessor Lawrence Gibbons Physics 2019

Professor Melissa Hines Chemistry & Chemical Biology 2017

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PRIORITY ONE

program assessment and planningGOAL Promote a culture of learning, assessment, and continual improvement in Cornell graduate programs.

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A culture of assessment is key to maintaining and enhancing graduate education at Cornell. Data collected at touch points across the student lifecycle—from prospective students to alumni—improve the understanding of all aspects of graduate education by helping graduate fields assess their programs and the Graduate School enhance recruitment, student experience, and career outcomes for graduate and professional students.

Reviewing ongoing survey data allows the Graduate School to promote academic program enhancements and improvements through a process of reflection, assessments, and planning.

Megan Biango-Daniels, PhD ’18, presenting at the inaugural Teaching as Research National Conference on June 6, 2017.

Inaugural conference highlights innovations in teaching

Monday, June 12, 2017

BY SALLY KRAL

At the inaugural Teaching as Research National Conference on June 6, scholars from across the country discussed how classroom research findings can be used to improve teaching techniques and learn-ing outcomes.

One Cornell presenter, Allison Truhlar, PhD ’17, spent a year as a teaching as-sistant observing students’ participation in unstructured online discussions and measuring how this participation affected their engagement with course content. She found that changing to a more directed, question-and-answer format better served the students—a discovery that will directly

influence how she designs her courses in the future.

The conference, co-organized by the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) anCornell University Center for the Integra-tion of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CU-CIRTL), was previously known as the Classroom Research and Teaching Symposium and has now been expandedto include researchers and scholars nationwide.

In addition to Allison’s, there were 15 otheoral presentations throughout the full-day conference, as well as 17 poster presentations, a roundtable session, and a keynotaddress. Presentation and discussion topics ranged from interactive learning techniques to supporting diversity and

inclusion in the classroom to educational software programs. In addition to Cornell graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and staff, there were presenters and attendees from nearly 20 different universities.

“After five years hosting the Classroom Research and Teaching Symposium for the Cornell community, we are delighted to welcome scholars from around the country this year,” said Senior Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Barbara Knuth, who offered opening remarks at the event. “By sharing our research experi-ences and knowledge with one another, we can strengthen our future faculty and work together with current faculty around course improvement projects.”

Knuth also noted the importance of the Graduate School’s partnership with CTE over the past several years, and the hard

work and dedication of CTE Director Theresa Pettit, CTE Teaching Support Specialist Kimberly Williams, and CU-CIRTL Director Colleen McLinn to make this national conference a reality.

Keynote speaker Michelle K. Smith, as-sociate professor of biological sciences at the University of Maine and C. Ann Mer-rifield Professor in Life Science Education, presented on how certain assessment tools can help faculty make instructional decisions, and how student data collected from these tools have inspired faculty from several institutions to share data on student learning with one another and cre-ate additional assessment opportunities to learn more about student thinking. Smith will be in residence at Cornell during the 2017-2018 academic year for a sabbatical research program.

Highlighted AccomplishmentsSelf-Assessments and ReflectionsGraduate Field Self-Assessments: To help graduate fields plan and implement meaningful program-level learning outcomes, the Graduate School reviewed each field’s biennial assessment report and provided personalized feedback and resource suggestions for designing and supporting learning outcomes for students. Graduate fields with similarlearning outcomes or initiatives were connected to facilitate cross-field interactions.

Student Self-Assessments: Student feedback is critical to improving graduate programs. Graduate student and alumni surveys contain rich data sets that provide graduate fields with insight into what aspects of the academic experience students find useful. The Graduate School displays detailed information from these surveys on our intranet for graduate fields using easily filterable tables developed in Tableau, with the ability to filter by graduate field and student demographics. Aggregated student data are posted publicly.

Alumni Career Outcomes Survey: The Doctoral Alumni Careers Outcomes Survey Report is part of an initiative to make career outcomes data more readily available to prospective and current students, graduate fields and faculty, and the Cornell community. It is posted publicly on our website.

Improve Surveys: With comprehensive input from Cornell’s Office of Institutional Research along with pilot testing, the Doctoral Experience, Exit, and Career Outcomes surveys were refined to make the data more relevant and usable for graduate fields.

Learning OutcomesProfessional Development Learning Outcomes Assessments: The Graduate School hosted 340 personal, professional, career, and academic development programs for graduate students last year. To maximize our limited resources, we developed metricsto evaluate learning outcomes. Now these outcomes are measured in the Doctoral Experiences and Career Outcomes surveys to provide comparative data about areas for improvement.

Facilitate Active Reflection and Promote InnovativPractices in the Graduate Fields: For the past severalyears, the Graduate School has conducted biennial meetings with faculty leaders of graduate fields. Sharing improved metrics, biennial learning outcome assessment summaries, and promising practices with the graduate fields has resulted in the fields tailoring their programs to better support student academic and career success. Forexample, some fields have developed fellowship writing seminars, while others are providing opportunities for graduate students to interact with alumni in meaningful ways.

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PRIORITY TW0

student experienceGOALS Enhance academic and professional development opportunities for students. Enhance graduate and professional student and postdoc life.

Graduate students choose Cornell for its outstanding academic and research opportunities. Years later, they remember Cornell for its rich student experience and support structures. The Graduate School promotes social connectivity, health and wellness, professional and career development, and graduate student life programs.

In some cases, we developed programs to meet a spe-cific need, like free child care during critical study periods. In other cases, we partnered with units across campus to ensure that graduate students are aware of Cornell’s wide array of activities, professional and career devel-opment programs, clubs, social events, and recreation opportunities. For example, Cornell Minds Matter, which was formed as an undergraduate organization, began opening programs to graduate students.

Highlighted AccomplishmentsBig Red Barn Graduate and Professional Student Center (BRB)25th Anniversary Celebration: The Big Red Barn Graduate and Professional Student Center celebrated its 25th anniversary with cake, 25-cent coffee, a trivia night, a birthday party, and an alumni weekend. A special panel included the graduate student alumni who originally

petitioned for the BRB to become a graduate student center, as well as the Graduate School Associate Dean at the time and the architect responsible for the BRB’s renovations.

Improvements to the Big Red Barn: The Big Red Barn is where graduate and professional students

from across campus meet and enjoy refreshments, activities, and events. As part of the anniversary celebration, the BRB kicked off a crowdfunding campaign and alumni rose to the challenge, resulting in the addition of a wood stove, bike racks, and a piano.

Health and WellnessCornell Minds Matter: Originally developed by an undergraduate in 2004, Cornell Minds Matter promotes knowledge about mental health and resources on campus and works to decrease student stress at Cornell. Their free wellness and mental health programming, including meditation, yoga, Zumba, and more, was opened to graduate students this year with special programs developed just for graduate and professional students.

Sexual Violence: As part of a larger university-wide initiative, the Graduate School developed and implemented a sexual violence prevention and response program. New students participated in web-based sexual violence training. A broader roll-out and increased enhancements are planned for next year.

Office Hours with the Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Life: The Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Life Janna Lamey implemented weekly open office hours to remove barriers for students who need guidance but are unable to schedule an appointment. While most students continue to make appointments, the office hours have succeeded in making the dean’s office more accessible.

Military Service VeteransVeterans arrive at Cornell with different life experiences from other graduate students. To develop more community among veterans, the Graduate School began hosting a welcome dinner for current and incoming veterans from around the world, including the United States, China, South Korea, Israel, and Brazil. In addition, a dedicated web page for veterans was created to house information about events, resources, and listservs.

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Women Student GroupsSpeaker Series: Graduate students benefit from connections with successful Cornell alumni. This year, the Graduate School supported a partnership between the student-run Graduate and Professional Women’s Network (GPWomeN) and the alumni organization President’s Council for Cornell Women (PCCW) Mentoring Committee. The GPWomeN-PCCW Speaker Series has brought prominent Cornell alumnae to campus to speak to graduate students and postdocs on topics such as overcoming the imposter syndrome, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, negotiating skills in the workplace, and more. The five initial sessions brought large audiences and positive feedback. The speaker series will continue in 2017-2018.

Graduate Women in Science (GWIS): The Graduate School helped re-establish GWIS, which quickly became a high-capacity organization with impact. The group secured grants from several alumni organizations to launch new programming, including bystander intervention training, a workshop on issues of social justice in STEM, and FemSTEM, a peer mentoring program that matches undergraduate women in STEM with women graduate student mentors.

Students with Families InitiativesStudent Child Care Grant: The Student Child Care Grant, which is available for undergraduate and graduate/professional students with children, expanded this year to include a grant to support child care for student families during the summer months.

Time Out for Student Families at Cornell Child Care Center: In recognition

of student family needs for child care during critical study periods, the Time Out program was expanded to cover several study periods during exams. In addition, the regular Time Out program, in which student families receive free child care and the opportunity to socialize and discuss parenting issues was expanded to six sessions per year.

Cornell Career Fair: Finding a job in Ithaca can be challenging for student spouses or partners. To help

graduate student spouses and partners find jobs at Cornell, the Graduate School and Cornell’s Office of Human Resources developed a career fair where spouses/partners of graduate students can meet with representatives from Cornell’s Office of Human Resources to discuss jobs and their potential careers.

Professional DevelopmentPathways to Success: Pathways to Success provides academic, career, personal, and professional development opportunities for graduate and professional students and postdoctoral scholars. Programming is organized into the following thematic focus areas: Navigate Academia, Build Your Skills, Create Your Plan, and Prepare for Your Career. An improved web-based calendar filters programs according to learning objectives and focus areas.

Future Faculty Programs from CIRTL (Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning) at CornellPart of the NSF-supported CIRTL Network, CIRTL at Cornell develops evidence-based future faculty programs that encourage inclusive teaching and mentoring skills. This year, the Classroom Research and Teaching Symposium expanded, attracting participants from 20 other institutions. Other CIRTL at Cornell activities included hosting the Inclusive Teaching Institute, developing learning communities through massive open online courses (MOOCs), making use of peer facilitators, and awarding small grants.

At the Cornell Career Fair spouses/partners of graduate students meet with representatives from Cornell’s Office of Human Resources to discuss jobs and their potential careers.

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PRIORITY THREE

inclusionGOAL Build recruitment and student support programs to develop a more diverse graduate student body in terms of gender, race, and ethnicity, focusing particularly on those fields underrepresented in these metrics.

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At Cornell, inclusion is one of our core values. Most colleges in the United States admitted men only at the time of Cornell’s founding—we awarded our first doctoral degree to a woman eight years after Cornell’s first bachelor’s degree was awarded. Continuing our tradition of fostering diversity and inclusion, the Graduate School has focused on composition through our recruitment programs, engagement through our support of student groups and activities, inclusion through forums and structures, and achievement through our partnerships, workshops, and programs fostering student success.

Intergroup Dialogue Project facilitates new summer course for grad students and postdocs

A group of emerging scholars at Cornell learned new skills for effective dialogue, relationship-building, and managing conflict in academic environments in a new program this summer, facilitated by the Intergroup Dialogue Project (IDP).

Tailored for graduate students and post-doctoral scholars, the program is peer-ledand collegial. Meeting for six three-hour sessions at 6-2-6, the Center for Intercultural Dialogue, participants learnefrom one another by sharing issues and perspectives related to their social identi-ties, and how these might influence them as students and future scholars.

“Graduate students are required to communicate and work across cultural, social and power differences on a daily

basis,” said IDP Director Adi Grabiner-Keinan, M.A. ’11, Ph.D. ’16. “They need to navigate different spaces, ways of thought and academic practices. They are also oc-cupied with questions and thoughts about the scholars and professionals they want to become.”

A goal of the program is to “create aca-demic spaces that allow individuals and groups to work together as equals, and to challenge oppression and discrimina-tion,” she said. “You bring your unique personality to the table. Many people feel they have to hide, or can’t expose, their full identity.”

IDP seeks to positively transform campus climate and create inclusive social change through experiential learning courses

This pilot program, facilitated by the Intergroup Dialogue Project and tailored for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, is peer-led and collegial.

focused on getting past societal and insti-tutional norms and perceptions of identity to foster intercultural experiences.

Participants in the summer program, adapted from IDP’s undergraduate classes, began by discussing “all aspects of their identities – disability, sexual orien-tation, gender, race, but also a new one – their identity as scholars, and what that means in relation to diversity and social justice issues,” she said.

“Their questions are related to mentorship, their teaching, their relationships with their colleagues,” she said. “We look at the big picture but also their personal experienc-es. We encouraged them to think about their personal life, and not to theorize things immediately.”

Graduate student and IDP co-facilitator Christine Barker said: “An interesting dimension emerged. We had humanities

students who are used to talking about theory and problematizing along-side STEM students who were more solutions-oriented.”

“That’s a critical component of their identities,” said Sara Xayarath Hernández, Graduate School associate dean for

inclusion and student engagement. “Not only as scholars, but their identities in their fields and how they process and engage with ideas.”

In discussions among the Graduate School, IDP, and the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning, “we worked together to create a meaningful process for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to explore their identities, to practice communication across difference, and to think together about authentic diversity in academia,” Grabiner-Keinan said.

This pilot program is expected to reach about 30 people over two separate ses-sions in its first year, Hernández said. The original IDP program for undergraduates started with 30 students in the fall of 2012 and now has more than 200 students each semester.

Highlighted AccomplishmentsSupport for Student GroupsLGBTQ+ Support: The Graduate School participated in several LGBTQ+ focused events and added three LGBTQ+ Ambassadors to the Graduate Student Ambassador team.

Office of Inclusion and Student Engagement Leadership Council Student Group Support: The Graduate School hosted programs and events focused on establishing and maintaining community, including: Welcome Reception, Spring Recognition Banquet, and the Renaissance Ball.

Diversity Recruitment with Graduate School AmbassadorsGraduate School Ambassadors are current graduate students who travel with faculty and staff to recruitment conferences and universities to cultivate a pool of diverse applicants. Fourteen new Ambassadors were recruited and a comprehensive training program was developed.

Programs for Underrepresented Minorities and First-Generation StudentsSummer Success Symposium: In collaboration with Diversity Programs in Engineering and the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, the Graduate School hosted the Summer Success Symposium, a program for new and continuing MS/PhD and PhD students who identify as first-generation college students and/or students of color.

Dean’s Scholars: To develop a sense of identity and community for all Diversity Fellowship recipients, the Graduate School created a Dean’s Scholars designation that recognizes these students and helps build a community among them.

Women of Color in STEM Symposium: In collaboration with Diversity Programs in Engineering, the Graduate School developed the Women of Color in STEM Symposium. The inaugural event attracted 150+ registrants, including undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and staff.

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PRIORITY FOUR

financial supportGOAL Enhance financial support for graduate education.

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97%F PH.D. STUDENTS ARE

FULLY FUNDED

Cornell University’s generous support package for doctoral students includes tuition, health insurance, and stipend. About 97 percent of doctoral students are fully funded. Tracking and planning fellowships for this many students in nearly 100 fields is a priority for the Graduate School.

Highlighted AccomplishmentsFellowship Management ToolsThe Graduate School launched a new fellowship tracking and planning system to replace the current system of complex spreadsheets. The system sends automated award notifications at the start of each term and promotes and systemizes the external fellowship top-off program.

Teaching Assistant AppointmentsTo help fields manage assistantships, the Graduate School began providing integrated reports tracking hours and appointments from HR, payroll, and student systems, and provided training for graduate fields and faculty on the use of the tool.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship reception

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Graduate School Dean Barbara A. Knuth recognized this year’s National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship winners at a reception attended by current and past winners and faculty members.

Dean Knuth at the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Reception attended by current and past winners and faculty members.

The NSF receives nearly 17,000 applications annually and awards about 2,000 fellowships. This year Cornell welcomed 29 new Fellows, bringing the total on campus to 230.

In addition to the winners, the Graduate School honored faculty members for their encouragement, support, and mentoring of graduate students, which many winners had noted in their applications.

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professor emerita of higher

External funding secured for Graduate School programs(Knuth-PI) The CIRTL Network: 22 Research Universities Preparing a National Faculty to Advance Undergraduate Success: Subaward from University of Wisconsin-Madison from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation award. $129,300 2014–2017.

(Knuth-PI) NYC ASCENT: Advancing Computer Science Careers through Enhanced Networking and Training: A Proposal for the Implementation of Best Practices in the Computer Science and Engineering Postdoc in New York City. Subaward from Computing Research Association from National Science Foundation award. $78,501 2014–2017.

(Knuth-PI with Co-PIs Jed Sparks and Susan Henry) Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL). University of Wisconsin-Madison (NSF subaward). $143,850 2013–2018 (reauthorized and extended).

(Knuth-PI) Enhancing Student Financial Education and Literacy Across Undergraduate, Graduate, and Professional Programs. Council of Graduate Schools. $40,000 2013–2015.

(Knuth-PI) Graduate Research Fellowship Program, NSF, $4,481,999 2016–2021.

(Knuth-Co-PI with A.T. Miller, PI) Building Skills, Nurturing Success, and Emulating the Academic Achievements of Ronald E. McNair Through an Expanding Community of Practice. Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program at Cornell University. U.S. Department of Education. $1,100,000 2012–2017.

(Knuth-PI, with Co-PIs Sara Xayarath Hernández and Colleen McLinn) CIRTL AGEP—Improved academic Climate for STEM Dissertators and Postdocs to Increase Interest in Faculty Careers. National Science Foundation. $106,721 2016–2021.

Student spotlight

Peter DelNero, Biomedical Engineering

Peter DelNero, a doctoral candidate in biomedical engineering, has received the 2017 K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award. DelNero is one of eight graduate students nationwide to receive this prestigious award out of more than 250 nominees from 127 institutions.

The K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award recognizes graduate students who show promise as future leaders of higher education, who are committed to academic and civic responsibility, and whose work focuses on teach-ing and learning. The award honors K. Patricia Cross,

education at the University of California, Berkeley. Carolyn Fisher, Ph.D. ’16, received the award in 2015.

As a graduate student research-er focused on microfluidic bio-materials and cancer, DelNero recognized that working in a lab can be an isolating and imper-sonal experience with little con-nection to the people affected by cancer. To connect scientists with patients and advocates,

he helped develop a partnership between his lab and the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes, which DelNero hopes to expand to other institutions.

To further extend the connections between patients and research, DelNero teaches an undergraduate writing seminar called Dimensions of Cancer that examines the human and personal sides of cancer as well as the sci-entific. As an active participant in the Graduate School’s future faculty program, CU-CIRTL, DelNero has honed his teaching and leadership skills and helped launch the Inclusive Teaching Network, a community of graduate students and postdocs aimed at incorporating inclusive teaching practices into current and future courses.

DelNero is active in the Cornell community, teaching a seminar that guides students through public narra-tive projects in the local cancer ecosystem and leading the Cancer Brainstorming Club, Participatory Action Research Network, and Big Red Pumpkin Boat Race. He is the recipient of an Engaged Graduate Student Grant, and he is a student team member on the Engaged Curriculum Grant Community Engagement by Cancer Scientists.

DelNero accepted his award at the Association of Ameri-can Colleges and Universities’ (AAC&U) Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Jan. 25-28. The award provided the funds to attend the conference and a one-year affilia-tion with AAC&U, including subscriptions to all AAC&U periodicals.

PRIORITY FIVE

field, faculty, and staff supportGOAL Provide efficient and effective services to graduate fields to support faculty, students, and staff.

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The Graduate School provides data, administrative tools and processes, and communication services to support the graduate community. Leveraging technology to make processes more efficient is a major priority along with supporting effective, consistent, and best practices in graduate fields.

Highlighted AccomplishmentsBest PracticesAdministrative Training for Directors of Graduate Study: To promote best practices among the graduate fields, the Graduate School began regular training sessions for directors of graduate study on Graduate School policies and procedures, admissions, data systems, diversity in admissions, recruitment, student mentoring, and professional development.

Grants for Graduate Fields: To support graduate fields, the Graduate School began awarding small grants to foster programs and encourage best practices for recruiting diverse students, supporting professional development opportunities for students, enhancing students’ career preparation and exploration, and mentoring students.

Informal Lunch Discussions for Directors of Graduate Studies (DGS): The Graduate School hosted lunch discussions to provide an informal setting where directors of graduate studies can connect and discuss issues impacting their fields. Topics included policies and procedures, admissions and data systems, diversity in admissions, recruitment best-practices, student mentoring, and professional development. The pilot session, Graduate Student Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment: A Facilitated Discussion for DGSs, received positive reviews.

Jason Kahabka receives dedicated service award

Jason Kahabka ’98, M.S. ’03, admits that he should have known something was up: a rather short agenda was distributed in advance of the Nov. 29 staff meeting being held in the Big Red Barn, itself an unusual location for a meeting.

Instead, Kahabka, associate dean for administration at the Graduate School, was presented with the George Peter Award for Dedicated Service.

Kahabka says he was “blown away” when he walked in and was greeted by a crowd of more than 50 friends and colleagues. Ulysses Smith, chair of the Employee Assembly (EA), presented the award, which is given by the EA to staff members

nominated by their colleagues who “consistently demonstrate a high degree of excellence in the performance of their duties and who prove their willingness to extend themselves to help others and go above and beyond the normal expectations of their job responsibilities.”

As an associate dean, Kahabka helps support more than 100 graduate fields, working with graduate faculty, staff, and 5,100 graduate and professional students.He supervises a team and oversees graduate admissions, student services, graduate student fellowships and travel grants, technology support and data management.

Search Tool:

Barbara Knuth, senior vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, lauded Kahabka’s “strong people skills, in combination with really finely developed technological skills,” and called him a “successful collaborator” on many levels: with the student services staff, working with them as a team and giving them the freedom to work independently; with the Graduate School leadership team; and with others throughout the university, who “really look forward” to interacting with him.

Kahabka is known for using his “sense of humanity” and his knowledge of policy to work through some very tough situations, Knuth said.

Allan Bishop, associate vice president for human resources, said Kahabka has “made a tremendous impression on his

colleagues, staff, and students.” Bishop quoted Janna Lamey, assistant dean for student life at the Graduate School and a recipient of the George Peter award in 2011, who described Kahabka’s positive impact on staff: “We all want to work for Jason because of his focus on staff development and team building.”

Bishop said other nominators noted that Kahabka’s interactions with the graduate community often occur when students are in distress, and in those situations he is known for his problem-solving skills, thoughtful consideration, care, and compassion.

Michael Skinner, graduate student services representative, and Marcia Sawyer, graduate field assistant and George Peter award recipient in 2008,

also highlighted Kahabka’s dedication, motivation, imagination, accessibility and knowledge – and his commitment to graduate students.

Kahabka said it is “great to work to find solutions with people who really care.”

“I am shocked and overwhelmed to receive this award,” he said after the ceremony. “There are many evenings I leave work thinking about all the tasks and important projects that I hoped to complete that day but couldn’t because I simply ran out of time. The kind words of support I heard from my colleagues today help to remind me that we are all trying to make Cornell better, and that even the small things we do can really be meaningful for someone else’s work.”

MilestonesChecklists and milestones are effective means for helping students stay on track. This year, the Graduate School leveraged PeopleSoft to provide students with milestone data and a checklist of pending and completed milestones.

Making Policies Easier to UnderstandTo improve faculty, staff, and student

awareness of policies and benefits supporting graduate students, the Graduate School launched an interactive and searchable tool that allows students to search and filter policies according to keyword. For instance, a search for “maternity” yields “Parental Accommodation Policy,” Cornell’s policy governing maternity and paternity leave.

Accessible Language: Policies were rewritten in accessible language to foster better understanding and promote benefits available to graduate and professional students.

Admissions and Records ManagementElectronic Records Retention: The Graduate School implemented a new admissions records retention process through the Electronic Student Record system. Prior to the change, admissions records were kept in a student’s file. New tools in ImageNow allow for better separation of document types and customized retention plans for each class of record. These tools automatically purge documents at the end of a retention period, saving staff time and resources.

Chinese Transcripts: This year, the Graduate School began accepting certified, translated copies of Chinese applicant’s transcripts and degrees from the Chinese Ministry of Education using the CHISECC service.

Improve Thesis and Dissertation Submission and the Degree Conferral ProcessProquest: The Graduate School retired the legacy Graduation Manager system and transitioned to a vendor-hosted Proquest Electronic Theses and Dissertation solution for storing and publishing theses and dissertations.

Survey of Earned Doctorates: The National Science Foundation’s Survey of Earned Doctorates is now included in the dissertation submission process as a required item, helping maintain Cornell’s historically high response rate. The Graduate School is aiming for 100-percent compliance in the future.

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PRIORITY SIX

visibilityGOAL Enhance visibility of graduate education opportunities at Cornell and contribute to improving graduate education nationally.

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This year the Graduate School strengthened communi-cations to internal and external audiences by launching a long-term website redesign project, developing a hub for professional and career development, a search engine to make policies and procedures easier to find, and con-tinuing our popular communications methods including weekly Graduate Announcements electronically, and the Ask a Dean column responding to student questions.

Beyond the Cornell community, graduate students visit ed Washington, D.C. to advocate for graduate education while Graduate School staff held leadership positions at the Council of Graduate Schools and other national organizations.

Highlighted AccomplishmentsWebsite RedesignWith an aging website and over 1,000,000 visitors per year, the Graduate School website was ready for a redesign. The project goals included special attention to improving content and findability of important information

and promoting messages that emphasize our organiza-tional goals. This year, the Graduate School completed a discovery phase, needs analysis, and RFP. Next year, the project will be designed and developed with a go live date in Summer 2018.

Sharing Good News and Resources The Graduate School is proud of Cornell’s outstanding graduate community and shares positive stories about graduate students, faculty, alumni, and programs, high-lighting the benefits, policies, support structures, resourc-es, and procedures that provide a framework for student success. In the process, Graduate School Announce-ments was transformed from a weekly events listing to a small news magazine. Anecdotally, these changes were popular, with open rates rising from 58 to 68% this year.

Ask a Dean As part of our efforts at transparent communication, the Graduate School publishes an advice column (Ask a Dean) in which students email their questions and get a response from a dean within three business days. This

Graduate and professional students lobby on Capitol Hill

BY KRISTEN ADAMS AND ELIZABETH ELLIS

Eighteen graduate and professional students traveled from the Ithaca campus and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City to Capitol Hill for Cornell Advocacy Day April 5.

Students met with members of Congress and their staffs to discuss science policy, graduate federal student aid, research funding and immigration policy (including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). By all accounts the students’ messages were well-received on Capitol Hill.

“I believe Advocacy Day not only pro-vides a well-rounded experience for the students, but is also vital in informing members of Congress and their staff about the importance of these issues to Cornell,” said Kristen Adams, associate director of Cornell’s Office of Federal Relations. “This year we had a great group of students, the highest number of participants, and their stories were told in nearly 40 congressio-nal offices.”

Students visited 38 congressional offices from 12 states, and each student visited representatives of his or her home state.

Sabrina Solouki, a doctoral student in immunology and infectious disease, explained how her research would not be possible without federal funds allocated to individual students and laboratories.

“When I was an incoming graduate stu-dent, I had a very stressful time finding a lab that had enough financial support to take on an additional graduate student. Having gone through this uncertain situ-ation firsthand, I realized the tremendous role federal investment in basic and ap-plied research plays,” Solouki said.

Jake Wolf, DVM ’17, met with U.S. Reps. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., and Charlie Dent, R-Pa. He said it’s valuable for the legisla-

tors to be able to “put a face on those who work in the sciences” and explained why graduate and professional student funding is essential to help students achieve their dreams.

“As someone who grew up in a lower middle-class family, education was always my way of advancing life,” Wolf said. “Without the lower interest rate offered through graduate student loans, I would not be able to hope to repay my veterinary school loans one day.”

Morgan Carter, a plant pathology doctoral candidate, was “incredibly inspired by my Advocacy Day experience and will be pursuing more opportunities to engage in

advocacy and be an active citizen. It was a great introduction to talking to legislators and learning how to present a position from multiple angles, depending on the priorities of the representative you were pitching to.”

Doctoral students Solouki and Catherine Sun (natural resources), who participated in Advocacy Day, were also selected to attend the American Association for the Advancement of Science Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering Workshop April 2-5 in Washington. They learned more about the structure and organization of Congress, federal budget and appropriations processes, and tools for effective science communication and

civic engagement.

They met with Cornell alumni Melanie Stansbury, M.S. ’07, a professional staff member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Adam Rosenberg ’98, staff director of the House Science Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy.

“Melanie and Adam were both extremely generous with their time and insights,” said Sara Xayarath Hernandez, associate dean for inclusion and student engagement in Cornell’s Graduate School. “Having the opportunity to connect with alumni working on the Hill made for an even more mean-ingful experience.”

17

quickly became the most popular feature in Graduate School Announcements.

Leadership This year, Graduate School deans engaged in active ser-vice and leadership through positions at national organi-zations and advocacy on Capitol Hill.

■ Past Chair of Board of Directors, Council of Graduate Schools, Senior Vice Provost and Dean of the Gradu-ate School Barbara A. Knuth

■ Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Council of Graduate Schools, Associate Dean for Inclusion and Student Engagement Sara Xayarath Hernandez

■ Executive Committee of the Board, National GEM Consortium, Associate Dean for Inclusion and Student Engagement Sara Xayarath Hernandez

■ President, Northeast Association of Graduate Schools, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Jan Allen

Advocacy Day and Graduate Students March for ScienceIn addition to periodic meetings with legislators to raise awareness about policy issues related to graduate educa-tion, the Graduate School collaborated with Cornell’s Federal Relations office and the NIH-funded Broadening Education in Scientific Training (BEST) program to take graduate students to Washington to participate in Advo-cacy Day and the AAAS CASE Workshop.

As part of ongoing advocacy for science funding, gradu-ate students participated in the March for Science in Washington, DC on April 22.

Graduate Education in the Cornell Chronicle

Pollack: PhDs Can Inform Discourse, Model Expert Thinking

Maplewood Graduate Housing Complex Dedicated

Knuth Updates GPSA on Strategic Progress and Student Debt

Cornell Ranked Among Best U.S. News Graduate School Rankings

Graduate School Lauded for Promoting Students’ Success

Jason Kahabka Receives Dedicated Service Award

Future Professors Learn Academia Unwritten Rules

All Faculty Students Staff Have Voice in Campus Governance

Graduate and Professional Students Lobby Capitol Hill

President Pollack Reaffirms Values in Meeting with GPSA

More than 200 Soggy Students Champion Science in D.C. March

Grant Enables Graduate Students to Travel to 47 Nations

Graduate Student Honored for Teaching, Cancer Patient Program

18

statistics

19

applications, admittances, and matriculations

Graduate Student Admissions by Degree Type, 2007–2016

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

5,000

5,500

6,000

6,500

7,000

7,500

8,000

8,500

9,000

9,500

10,000

10,500

11,000

11,500

2007 2008 2009 2010 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Research Master's Degree Applications Research Master's Degree Admittances Research Master's Degree Matriculations Professional Master's Degree Applications Professional Master's Degree Admittances Professional Master's Degree Matriculations

2011

Doctoral Degree Applications Doctoral Degree Admittances Doctoral Degree Matriculations

Doctoral Trend Research Master's Trend Professional Master's Trend

9,230

3,134

7941,081

6,158

10,817

9,691

8,981

2,070

Yield

Doctoral Students

Professional Master’s Students

Research Master’s Students

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

2007 2011 2016

Over the past 10 years, the Graduate School has experienced steady growth in applications for all degrees; the overall application growth rate between 2007 and 2016 was 58%.

Overall applications to the Graduate School reflected 5% growth since last year, with application growth reflected in both the research and professional master’s programs; doctoral applications to Cornell University fell by 1% between 2015 and 2016.

For all degrees, the “selectivity rate” over the past 10 years has remained just above 20%, indicating the competitiveness of Cornell graduate programs. In 2016, yield for all degree types was above 40%—an indication of the high caliber student Cornell has matriculated. The doctoral selectivity rate in 2016 was 15%; the yield was 41%

Doctoral Students

Research Master’s Students

Professional Master’s Students

Fall 2007–2016 Admissions Notes

2015–2016 change

2011–2016 change

2007–2016change

Doctoral Degree Applicants -1% -10% 5%

Doctoral Degree Matriculants 8% 2% -10%

Research Master’s Degree Applicants 18% 91% 161%

Research Master’s Degree Matriculants 8% 82% 118%

Professional Master’s Degree Applicants 9% 46% 187%

Professional Master’s Degree Matriculants -3% 12% 54%

20

Research Degree Admissions by Ethnicity, 2007–2016

RESEARCH DEGREE APPLICATIONS BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016

0

00

00

00

00

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

10,024

581

886

2,843

5,714

396

11,921

610

1,350

3,295

6,905

11,761

640

1,371

2,912

7,248

230

Total Research Degree Applications, Admittances, or Matriculations

US Underrepresented Minority

Total (incl. URM) US Minority

US White

US Unknown

International

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

0

3,000

6,000

9,000

12,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

2,000

10,024

581

886

2,843

5,714

396

11,921

610

1,350

3,295

6,905

11,761

640

1,371

2,912

7,248

230

1,604

119

230

603

652

99

1,576

126

289

590

635

62

1,837

123

298

675

817

47

0

200

400

600

800

0

3,000

6,000

9,000

12,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

1,000

10,024

581

886

2,843

5,714

396

11,921

610

1,350

3,295

6,905

11,761

640

1,371

2,912

7,248

230

747

55

105

280

307

54

689

64

117

257

287

28

786

49

112

279

378

17

0

200

400

600

800

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

3,0

6,0

9,0

12,0

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

1,000

2,000

1,604

119

230

603

652

99

1,576

126

289

590

635

62

747

55

105

280

307

54

689

64

117

257

287

28

786

49

112

279

378

17

1,837

123

298

675

817

47

RESEARCH DEGREE ADMITTANCES BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

2,000

1,604

119

230

603

652

99

1,576

126

289

590

635

62

1,837

123

298

675

817

47

RESEARCH DEGREE MATRICULATIONS BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016

0

200

400

600

800

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

1,000

747

55

105

280

307

54

689

64

117

257

287

28

786

49

112

279

378

17

Ten Year Research Degree Review

Applications

55% increase in the number of applications from minority students

17% overall increase in applications

Admittances

30% increase in the number of admittances from minority students

15% overall increase in admittances

Matriculations

7% increase in the number of matriculations from minority students

5% overall increase in matriculations

Yield

2016 yield for underrepresented minorities: 40%

2016 yield for all students: 43%

21

Professional Degree Admissions by Ethnicity, 2007–2016

PROFESSIONAL DEGREE APPLICATIONS BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

3,134

229 418

792

1,695

193

6,135

8,981

376798

1,140

6,886

157

341762

1,254

3,974

145

0

200

400

600

800

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

1,000

1,400

1,200

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

855

75169

238

373

68

1,502

113256

388

745

110

1,171

102

259

347

534

31

1,315

115

267

281

732

35

2,290

164438

601

1,199

52

2,963

182

436

499

1,967

61

0

200

400

600

800

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

1,000

1,400

1,200

3,134

229 418

792

1,695

193

855

75169

238

373

68

6,135

8,981

376798

1,140

6,886

157

1,171

102

259

347

534

31

1,315

115

267

281

732

35

341762

1,254

3,974

145

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

3,134

229 418

792

1,695

193

1,502

113256

388

745

110

6,135

8,981

376798

1,140

6,886

157

2,290

164438

601

1,199

52

2,963

182

436

499

1,967

61

341762

1,254

3,974

145

Total Professional Degree Applications, Admittances, or Matriculations

US Underrepresented Minority

Total (incl. URM) US Minority

US White

US Unknown

International

PROFESSIONAL DEGREE ADMITTANCES BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

1,502

113256

388

745

110

2,290

164438

601

1,199

52

2,963

182

436

499

1,967

61

PROFESSIONAL DEGREE MATRICULATIONS BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016

0

200

400

600

800

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

1,000

1,400

1,200

855

75169

238

373

68

1,171

102

259

347

534

31

1,315

115

267

281

732

35

Ten Year Professional Degree Review

Applications

95% increase in the number of applications from underrepresented minority students

Admittances

65% increase in the number of admittances from underrepresented minority students

Matriculations

69% increase in the number of matriculations from underrepresented minority students

Yield

2016 yield for underrepresented minorities: 63%

2016 yield for all students: 44%

Research Degree Admissions by Graduate Field, Fall 2016

22

Graduate Field

APPLICATIONS

2015 2016 % change

ADMITTANCES

2015 2016 % change

MATRICULATIONS

2015 2016 % change

Aerospace Engineering 100 82 -18% 16 15 -6% 6 6 0%

Africana Studies 51 62 n/a 3 5 67% 1 4 300%

Animal Science 39 34 -13% 12 7 -42% 9 5 -44%

Anthropology 147 118 -20% 18 15 -17% 8 5 -38%

Applied Economics and Management 283 289 2% 41 53 29% 21 17 -19%

Applied Mathematics 135 174 29% 21 20 -5% 8 8 0%

Applied Physics 198 200 1% 46 55 20% 17 16 -6%

Archaeology 22 23 5% 16 16 0% 7 7 0%

Architecture 29 28 -3% 2 6 200% 2 4 100%

Asian Literature, Religion and Culture 44 50 14% 6 5 -17% 4 3 -25%

Asian Studies 66 76 15% 14 16 14% 8 6 -25%

Astronomy and Space Sciences 105 113 8% 7 23 229% 1 4 300%

Atmospheric Science 35 44 26% 3 2 -33% 2 1 -50%

Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology 237 235 -1% 47 51 9% 18 16 -11%

Biological and Environmental Engineering 73 69 -5% 11 6 -45% 6 5 -17%

Biomedical Engineering 404 374 -7% 55 53 -4% 20 19 -5%

Biophysics 26 32 23% 8 13 63% 1 4 300%

Chemical Engineering 393 393 0% 71 102 44% 22 41 86%

Chemistry and Chemical Biology 273 269 -1% 84 79 -6% 42 26 -38%

City and Regional Planning 96 76 -21% 31 25 -19% 12 10 -17%

Civil and Environmental Engineering 258 302 17% 43 31 -28% 15 17 13%

Classics 74 49 -34% 7 9 29% 5 5 0%

Communication 126 102 -19% 12 11 -8% 9 8 -11%

Comparative Biomedical Sciences 72 47 -35% 14 12 -14% 12 7 -42%

Comparative Literature 71 88 24% 7 8 14% 3 3 0%

Computational Biology 118 70 -41% 34 6 -82% 14 4 -71%

Computer Science 1,086 1,113 2% 133 162 22% 56 71 27%

Design and Environmental Analysis 75 83 11% 26 22 -15% 13 16 23%

Development Sociology 58 66 14% 8 7 -13% 2 4 100%

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 107 108 1% 10 16 60% 6 11 83%

Economics 571 578 1% 45 55 22% 13 16 23%

Electrical and Computer Engineering 428 439 3% 57 59 4% 26 24 -8%

English Language and Literature 261 221 -15% 24 29 21% 10 16 60%

Entomology 56 34 -39% 11 5 -55% 10 4 -60%

Environmental Toxicology 13 11 -15% 0 1 n/a 0 0 n/a

Fiber Science and Apparel Design 42 50 19% 8 18 125% 7 12 71%

Food Science and Technology 214 206 -4% 26 31 19% 17 25 47%

Genetics, Genomics and Development 68 84 24% 23 30 30% 7 13 86%

Geological Sciences 51 63 24% 8 9 13% 5 5 0%

Germanic Studies 23 21 -9% 11 11 0% 3 4 33%

Government 315 331 5% 25 15 -40% 15 13 -13%

History 162 150 -7% 22 21 -5% 10 10 0%

23

Graduate Field

APPLICATIONS

2015 2016 % change

ADMITTANCES

2015 2016 % change

MATRICULATIONS

2015 2016 % change

History of Art, Archaeology and Visual Studies 57 63 11% 5 4 -20% 3 4 33%

Horticulture 25 31 24% 7 10 43% 5 9 80%

Hotel Administration 19 27 42% 4 6 50% 4 4 0%

Human Development 84 85 1% 18 14 -22% 10 10 0%

Immunology and Infectious Disease 93 99 6% 15 8 -47% 10 3 -70%

Industrial and Labor Relations 76 85 12% 12 13 8% 8 6 -25%

Information Science 117 122 4% 14 19 36% 4 11 175%

Law 40 0 -100% 2 0 -100% 2 0 -100%

Linguistics 81 104 28% 8 14 75% 2 7 250%

Management 349 375 7% 22 20 -9% 11 7 -36%

Materials Science and Engineering 433 557 29% 66 82 24% 24 22 -8%

Mathematics 270 265 -2% 33 25 -24% 13 8 -38%

Mechanical Engineering 392 503 28% 49 98 100% 17 39 129%

Medieval Studies 23 15 -35% 3 4 33% 2 3 50%

Microbiology 80 69 -14% 18 12 -33% 8 6 -25%

Molecular and Integrative Physiology 26 21 -19% 3 3 0% 2 3 50%

Music 139 110 -21% 4 9 125% 4 6 50%

Natural Resources 49 47 -4% 14 12 -14% 11 11 0%

Near Eastern Studies 28 39 39% 4 3 -25% 2 2 0%

Neurobiology and Behavior 75 91 21% 6 11 83% 2 7 250%

Nutrition 78 117 50% 10 25 150% 7 14 100%

Operations Research and Information Engineering 178 172 -3% 36 33 -8% 12 9 -25%

Pharmacology 24 34 42% 2 3 50% 1 n/a

Philosophy 283 251 -11% 23 21 -9% 5 7 40%

Physics 558 539 -3% 77 103 34% 20 28 40%

Plant Biology 47 40 -15% 9 9 0% 5 2 -60%

Plant Breeding 41 62 51% 4 12 200% 3 6 100%

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology 52 46 -12% 11 8 -27% 9 6 -33%

Policy Analysis and Management 85 82 -4% 12 11 -8% 7 5 -29%

Psychology 199 178 -11% 9 12 33% 6 5 -17%

Regional Science 22 14 -36% 6 10 67% 4 7 75%

Romance Studies 62 72 16% 15 18 20% 8 6 -25%

Science and Technology Studies 40 39 -3% 4 4 0% 3 3 0%

Sociology 169 143 -15% 21 19 -10% 6 7 17%

Soil and Crop Sciences 32 33 3% 6 5 -17% 5 4 -20%

Statistics 192 203 6% 18 33 83% 8 9 13%

Theatre Arts 14 19 36% 3 2 -33% 3 2 -33%

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics 21 26 24% 3 6 100% 2 2 0%

Zoology and Wildlife Conservation 21 26 24% 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a

Total 11,579 11,761 2% 1,642 1,836 12% 730 786 8%

Professional Degree Admissions by Graduate Field, Fall 2016

Graduate Field

APPLICATIONS

2015 2016 % change

ADMITTANCES

2015 2016 % change

MATRICULATIONS

2015 2016 % change

Aerospace Engineering 61 58 -5% 18 27 50% 7 15 114%

Animal Science 2 3 50% 2 4 100% 1 3 200%

Applied Economics and Management 58 108 86% 35 49 40% 26 25 -4%

Applied Physics 8 7 -13% 5 4 -20% 1 2 100%

Architecture 739 822 11% 147 151 3% 49 51 4%

Art 93 99 6% 13 10 -23% 8 6 -25%

Biological and Environmental Engineering 17 15 -12% 17 10 -41% 13 6 -54%

Biomedical Engineering 105 119 13% 211 182 -14% 86 73 -15%

Chemical Engineering 136 117 -14% 153 67 -56% 77 26 -66%

City and Regional Planning 209 174 -17% 118 116 -2% 42 42 0%

Computer Science 953 1,108 16% 210 238 13% 130 133 2%

Electrical and Computer Engineering 852 810 -5% 350 325 -7% 144 65 -55%

English Language and Literature 810 792 -2% 13 13 0% 8 8 0%

Fiber Science and Apparel Design 1 1 0% 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a

Food Science and Technology 25 19 -24% 28 27 -4% 21 18 -14%

Geological Sciences 3 3 0% 2 4 100% 2 4 100%

Global Development 61 57 -7% 36 38 6% 20 15 -25%

Horticulture 4 6 50% 3 3 0% 2 3 50%

Hotel Administration 117 90 -23% 66 49 -26% 51 41 -20%

Industrial and Labor Relations 254 246 -3% 108 116 7% 90 96 7%

Information Science 223 410 84% 129 159 23% 56 89 59%

Landscape Architecture 116 140 21% 51 57 12% 25 29 16%

Materials Science and Engineering 44 64 45% 28 50 79% 10 15 50%

Mechanical Engineering 301 226 -25% 107 94 -12% 62 46 -26%

Natural Resources 3 0 -100% 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a

Nutrition 12 4 -67% 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a

Operations Research and Information Engineering 890 1,120 26% 266 279 5% 87 116 33%

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology 1 0 -100% 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a

Policy Analysis and Management 101 93 -8% 57 63 11% 33 36 9%

Public Affairs 562 499 -11% 213 264 24% 86 114 33%

Real Estate 70 107 53% 32 47 47% 23 29 26%

Statistics 846 1,007 19% 162 133 -18% 64 44 -31%

Soil and Crop Sciences 0 1 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a

Systems Engineering 155 158 2% 104 123 18% 69 86 25%

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics 1 4 300% 1 2 100% 0 1 n/a

Total 7,833 8,487 8% 2,685 2,704 1% 1,293 1,237 -4%

24

25

212 247392

1,130

1,498

1,768

3,240 3,197 3,164

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

enrollmentReflecting similar trends as seen in the admission statistics, overall enrollment over the past 10 years reflects a 16% increase, with significant growth in professional master’s degree programs (47% over the 10 year period).

Since last year, overall enrollment in research and professional master’s degree programs experienced modest increase, whereas overall doctoral enrollment declined slightly (-3%). Fall 2016 first-time doctoral enrollment increased by 8% over 2015.

The Council of Graduate Schools reported that in Fall 2016, 33% of all US citizens enrolled as first-time graduate students were students of color; at Cornell this figure is 35%.

The Council of Graduate Schools reported that in Fall 2016, international students comprised 30% of full-time enrollment at “doctoral universities with highest research activity”; at Cornell this cohort represents 48% of the population.

The Council of Graduate Schools reported that in Fall 2016, female first-time enrollees comprised 53% of full-time enrollment at the doctoral level; at Cornell this cohort represents 45% of the population.

Graduate Student Enrollment by Degree Type, Fall 2007–2016

Research Master’s

Research Master’s Trend

Professional Master’s

Professional Master’s Trend

Doctoral

Doctoral Trend

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

3,222

1,322

188

3,134

1,675

260

3,113

1,943

426

(Includes in absentia students)

26

Graduate Student Enrollment by Discipline, Fall 2007–2016

RESEARCH DEGREE ENROLLMENT BY DISCIPLINE, 2007–2016

0

500

1,000

1,500

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

1,324

888

753

446

1,381

819744

426

1,525

821777

416

2,000

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 20160

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 20160

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 20160

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 20160

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

1,324

888

753

446

1,381

819744

426

1,525

821777

416

PROFESSIONAL DEGREE ENROLLMENT BY DISCIPLINE, 2007–2016

0

200

400

600

1,000

800

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

112

14

744

140

35

906860

146

31

532

664

783

Social Sciences

Social Sciences Trend

Humanities

Humanities Trend

Life Sciences

Life Sciences Trend

Physical Sciences and Engineering

Physical Sciences Trend

Over the past 10 years, research degree enrollment in the physical sciences and engineering has grown 15%, averaging 1.6% growth each year. Research degree enrollment in the social sciences, while fewer in headcount, has also increased over the same period, growing an average of .4% each year since 2007. Research degree enrollment in the humanities and life sciences has decreased 7% and 8% respectively over the past 10 years.

Over the past 10 years, professional degree enrollment in all discplines has shown growth, with an overall annual average growth rate of 4.5%. Enrollment in the physical and social sciences represent 91% of the graduate professional degrees pursued at Cornell University.

27

Graduate Student Enrollment by Ethnicity, Fall 2007–2016

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

183

6661

511

7211,096

388

529446

135195 173

54 82 7971

17

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

3,000

3,500

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

2,500

4,000

308 168 124

1,374 1,3741,515

1,349 1,356 1,372

180 201 206120 129 184

44

72

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

3,000

3,500

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

2,500

4,000

308 168 124

1,374 1,3741,515

1,349 1,356 1,372

180 201 206120 129 184

44

72

RESEARCH DEGREE ENROLLMENT BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

183

6661

511

7211,096

388

529446

135195 173

54 82 7971

17

PROFESSIONAL DEGREE ENROLLMENT BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016

International

Unknown (US)

White (US)

Multi-Ethnic Non-URM (US)

Asian (US)

Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander (US)

Multi-Ethnic URM (US)

Hispanic (any race) (US)

American Indian/ Alaskan Native (US)

Black or African American (US)

To be on the cutting edge in our fields and practices, we are committed to enhancing our culture to provide for the full participation of all members of our community.—Toward New Destinations

Over the past decade, Cornell University Graduate School has embraced this vision, increasing research degree enrollment 39% and professional degree enrollment 43% for students in the US underrepresented minority cohort.

In 2016, students of color represented 15% of the research degree population and 17% of graduate students seeking a professional degree.

Note that ethnicity is not officially reported on international students; detailed ethnicity information is reported on US citizens and permanent residents only.

Graduate Student Enrollment by Field, Fall 2016

Graduate Field Doctoral Research Master’s Professional Master’s Non-Degree Total

Aerospace Engineering 21 0 12 1 34

African and African-American Studies 9 0 0 0 9

Animal Science 29 8 3 0 40

Anthropology 52 0 0 1 53

Applied Economics and Management 44 29 29 0 102

Applied Mathematics 37 0 0 0 37

Applied Physics 69 9 2 3 83

Archaeology 0 16 0 0 16

Architecture 11 6 116 0 133

Art 0 0 12 0 12

Asian Literature, Religion and Culture 23 1 0 1 25

Asian Studies 0 14 0 0 14

Astronomy and Space Sciences 25 0 0 0 25

Atmospheric Science 5 4 0 0 9

Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology 96 0 0 0 96

Biological and Environmental Engineering 26 11 8 1 46

Biomedical Engineering 97 2 82 0 181

Biophysics 18 0 0 0 18

Chemical Engineering 91 31 51 0 173

Chemistry and Chemical Biology 156 0 0 0 156

City and Regional Planning 19 13 78 0 110

Civil and Environmental Engineering 43 23 82 1 149

Classics 19 0 0 0 19

Communication 35 0 0 0 35

Comparative Biomedical Sciences 38 2 0 0 40

Comparative Literature 18 0 0 0 18

Computational Biology 21 0 0 10 31

Computer Science 125 65 139 2 331

Design and Environmental Analysis 9 21 0 0 30

Development Sociology 19 12 0 0 31

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 56 2 0 0 58

Economics 95 0 0 4 99

Education 2 0 0 0 2

Electrical and Computer Engineering 139 0 144 0 283

English Language and Literature 64 0 18 1 83

Entomology 21 3 0 0 24

Environmental Toxicology 1 0 0 0 1

Fiber Science and Apparel Design 20 6 0 0 26

Food Science and Technology 48 16 22 1 87

Genetics, Genomics and Development 48 0 0 0 48

Geological Sciences 28 2 4 0 34

Germanic Studies 17 0 0 1 18

Global Development 0 0 15 0 15

Government 71 0 0 1 72

History 58 0 0 0 58

28

29

Graduate Field Doctoral Research Master’s Professional Master’s Non-Degree Total

History of Art, Archaeology and Visual Studies 24 0 0 0 24

Horticulture 26 8 5 0 39

Hotel Administration 5 5 41 0 51

Human Development 30 8 0 0 38

Immunology and Infectious Disease 15 0 0 0 15

Industrial and Labor Relations 16 14 156 1 187

Information Science 45 0 125 1 171

Landscape Architecture 0 0 58 0 58

Law 9 0 0 0 9

Linguistics 31 1 0 1 33

Management 40 0 0 6 46

Materials Science and Engineering 62 25 16 0 103

Mathematics 65 0 0 0 65

Mechanical Engineering 104 16 54 1 175

Medieval Studies 14 0 0 0 14

Microbiology 30 0 0 0 30

Molecular and Integrative Physiology 6 0 0 0 6

Music 35 0 0 0 35

Natural Resources 36 20 1 0 57

Near Eastern Studies 10 0 0 0 10

Neurobiology and Behavior 34 0 0 0 34

Nutrition 56 3 0 10 69

Operations Research and Information Engineering 47 0 169 1 217

Pharmacology 9 0 0 0 9

Philosophy 37 0 0 3 40

Physics 159 0 0 0 159

Plant Biology 28 0 0 0 28

Plant Breeding 42 5 0 0 47

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology 25 10 0 0 35

Policy Analysis and Management 16 0 55 1 72

Psychology 37 0 0 0 37

Public Affairs 0 0 197 0 197

Real Estate 0 0 48 0 48

Regional Science 11 6 0 0 17

Romance Studies 46 0 0 1 47

Science and Technology Studies 20 0 0 0 20

Sociology 45 0 0 0 45

Soil and Crop Sciences 14 8 0 0 22

Statistics 34 1 58 0 93

Systems Engineering 0 0 142 0 142

Theatre Arts 13 0 0 1 14

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics 12 0 1 2 15

Zoology and Wildlife Conservation 2 0 0 0 2

Grand Total 3,113 426 1,943 57 5,539

30

degrees awarded

Social Sciences

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

Life Sciences

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

Physical Sciences & Engineering

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

Social Sciences

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

Humanities

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

Physical Sciences & Engineering

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

0

50

100

150

200

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

156

27

69

186

60

67

175

47

65

126

305

88

443

702

136

512

799

173

519

123 114

847

191

472

1,011

222

606

1,246

318

719

184 183 209

0

50

100

150

200

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

50

146

9

136

203

40

131

213

55

205

27 27

126

305

88

443

702

136

512

799

173

519

123 114

847

191

472

1,011

222

606

1,246

318

719

184 183 209

Graduate Student Degrees Awarded within Discipline, by Degree Type, Award Years 2008–2017

HUMANITIES DEGREES AWARDED BY DEGREE TYPE, 2008–2017

Humanities

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

0

50

100

150

200

156

27

69

186

60

67

175

47

65

2008–2017 2012–2017 2016–2017Humanities change change change

Doctoral -22% -30% -18%

Research Master’s -9% 7% 17%

Professional Master’s 141% 8% 7%

LIFE SCIENCES DEGREES AWARDED BY DEGREE TYPE, 2008–2017

Life Sciences

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

0

50

100

150

200

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

50

146

9

136

203

40

131

213

55

205

27 27

2008–2017 2012–2017 2016–2017Life Sciences change change change

Doctoral -10% -4% 12%

Research Master’s 10% 38% 31%

Professional Master’s 200% 0% 17%

31

Humanities

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

Life Sciences

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

Physical Sciences & Engineering

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

0

50

100

150

200

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

0

50

100

150

200

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

156

27

69

186

60

67

175

47

65

50

146

9

136

203

40

131

213

55

205

27 27

847

191

472

1,011

222

606

1,246

318

719

184 183 209

Social Sciences

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

Humanities

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

Life Sciences

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

0

50

100

150

200

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

0

50

100

150

200

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

156

27

69

186

60

67

175

47

65

50

146

9

136

203

40

131

213

55

205

27 27

126

305

88

443

702

136

512

799

173

519

123 114

Graduate Student Degrees Awarded within Discipline, by Degree Type, Award Years 2008–2017

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING DEGREES AWARDED BY DEGREE TYPE, 2008–2017

Physical Sciences & Engineering

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

847

191

472

1,011

222

606

1,246

318

719

184 183 209

2008–2017 2012–2017 2016–2017Physical Sciences & Engineering change change change

Doctoral 14% 14% -9%

Research Master’s 66% 43% -3%

Professional Master’s 52% 19% 0%

SOCIAL SCIENCES DEGREES AWARDED BY DEGREE TYPE, 2008–2017

Social Sciences

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 20142012 2015 2016 2017

126

305

88

443

702

136

512

799

173

519

123 114

2008–2017 2012–2017 2016–2017Social Sciences change change change

Doctoral 30% -7% 23%

Research Master’s 37% 27% 18%

Professional Master’s 68% 16% 8%

32

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

8413

259

102

129

178

7211

876

104

210

298

8212

311

217

338

5 375

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

117

145

132 14

318

432

2

132

187

118

159

225

403

138

158

144

180

230

333

Graduate Student Degrees Awarded by Gender, Citizenship and Degree Type, 2008–2017

110

137 144 142 159 151

154 121 156

128

157 177

162 181

250

324 308 310

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

69 86

79

131 137 137

54 63 97

114

89

155

82

115

257

151

222

298

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

117

145

132 14

318

432

2

132

187

118

159

225

403

138

158

144

180

230

333

GRADUATE STUDENTS WITH US CITIZEN AND PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS

1,043 degrees

1,224 degrees

1,183 degrees

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

8413

259

102

129

178

7211

876

104

210

298

8212

311

217

338

5 375

GRADUATE STUDENTS WITH INTERNATIONAL STATUS

Doctoral Female Doctoral Male Research Master's Female Research Master's Male Professional Master's Female Professional Master's Male

684 degrees

878 degrees

1,250 degrees

33

Graduate Student Degrees Awarded by Ethnicity, Award Years 2008–2017

American Indian/ Alaskan Native 1Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander 0Multi-Ethnic URM 0Multi-Ethnic Non-URM 4

2008 Asian 156

White 721

International 684

Unknown 86

Black/AfricanAmerican 27

Hispanic52

2012

American Indian/ Alaskan Native 7Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander 0Multi-Ethnic URM 14

International878

White754

Unknown 94

Black/AfricanAmerican 54

Multi-EthnicNon-URM 20

Hispanic 86Asian195

2017

American Indian/ Alaskan Native 2Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander 1Multi-Ethnic URM 26Multi-Ethnic Non-URM 25

International1,250 White

708

Unknown 96

Black/AfricanAmerican 49

Hispanic 72Asian 204

International878

White754

Unknown 94

Black/AfricanAmerican 54

Multi-EthnicNon-URM 20

Hispanic 86Asian195

International1,250 White

708

Unknown 96

Black/AfricanAmerican 49

Hispanic 72Asian 204

Asian 156

White 721

International 684

Unknown 86

Black/AfricanAmerican 27

Hispanic52

International1,250 White

708

Unknown 96

Black/AfricanAmerican 49

Hispanic 72Asian 204

Asian 156

White 721

International 684

Unknown 86

Black/AfricanAmerican 27

Hispanic52

International878

White754

Unknown 94

Black/AfricanAmerican 54

Multi-EthnicNon-URM 20

Hispanic 86Asian195

In 2008, Cornell granted 684 degrees to international students. By 2017, that number increased 83% to 1,250, and represented 81 countries from Argentina to Zimbabwe.

Of the 2,433 total degrees awarded in 2016–2017, 54% were professional master’s degrees, 25% were research master’s degrees, and 21% were doctoral degrees. Doctoral degrees awarded increased 5% over the past 10 years, and the number of professional degrees presented to graduate students grew 63% over that same time period.

In award year 2017, degrees granted in the physical sciences represented 51% of the total Graduate School degrees awarded; the social sciences accounted for 33%; and the humanities and life sciences awarded the remainder with 7% and 9% respectively.

Women earned 45% of total degrees granted in award year 2017; 53% of these women were international. Of the 579 women representing non-US countries, 66% earned a professional master’s degree. Of the total 1,091 women awarded Cornell Graduate School degrees in award year 2017, 43% earned the degree in the social sciences, and 37% in the physical sciences and engineering.

The percentage of underrepresented minority students earning degrees over the past 10 years has increased 83%; for all students of color, that percentage increase was 49%. Students of color comprised 15% of those earning graduate degrees in award year 2017.

Graduate Student Degrees Awarded by Graduate Field, Award Year 2017Graduate Field Doctoral Research Master’s Professional Master’s Total

Aerospace Engineering 2 3 12 17

Africana Studies 0 1 0 1

Animal Science 6 5 2 13

Anthropology 4 6 0 10

Applied Economics and Management 8 24 31 63

Applied Mathematics 6 7 0 13

Applied Physics 3 22 3 28

Archaeology 0 9 0 9

Architecture 0 2 46 48

Art 0 0 6 6

Asian Literature, Religion and Culture 3 1 0 4

Asian Studies 0 5 0 5

Astronomy and Space Sciences 4 7 0 11

Atmospheric Science 4 3 0 7

Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology 16 6 0 22

Biological and Environmental Engineering 6 11 10 27

Biomedical Engineering 16 19 66 101

Biophysics 1 0 0 1

Chemical Engineering 18 50 47 115

Chemistry and Chemical Biology 19 27 0 46

City and Regional Planning 6 8 27 41

Civil and Environmental Engineering 9 25 74 108

Classics 0 2 0 2

Communication 5 5 0 10

Comparative Biomedical Sciences 7 0 0 7

Comparative Literature 2 2 0 4

Computational Biology 7 0 0 7

Computer Science 24 26 149 199

Design and Environmental Analysis 1 9 0 10

Development Sociology 4 3 0 7

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 9 1 0 10

Economics 21 16 0 37

Electrical and Computer Engineering 24 25 119 168

English Language and Literature 6 10 8 24

Entomology 2 2 0 4

Fiber Science and Apparel Design 5 4 0 9

Food Science and Technology 8 8 19 35

Genetics, Genomics and Development 9 2 0 11

Geological Sciences 6 2 4 12

Germanic Studies 3 2 0 5

Global Development 0 0 17 17

Government 15 5 0 20

History 10 11 0 21

34

35

Graduate Student Degrees Awarded by Graduate Field, Award Year 2017, continuedGraduate Field Doctoral Research Master’s Professional Master’s Total

History of Art, Archaeology and Visual Studies 1 4 0 5

Horticulture 4 3 3 10

Hotel Administration 1 0 35 36

Human Development 6 6 0 12

Immunology and Infectious Disease 2 0 0 2

Industrial and Labor Relations 10 10 95 115

Information Science 2 34 97 133

Landscape Architecture 0 0 20 20

Law 7 0 0 7

Linguistics 1 5 0 6

Management 6 5 0 11

Materials Science and Engineering 8 25 11 44

Mathematics 8 7 0 15

Mechanical Engineering 16 22 52 90

Medieval Studies 2 1 0 3

Microbiology 3 2 0 5

Molecular and Integrative Physiology 3 0 0 3

Music 3 6 5 14

Natural Resources 9 6 1 16

Near Eastern Studies 0 2 0 2

Neurobiology and Behavior 3 1 0 4

Nutrition 18 0 0 18

Operations Research and Information Engineering 5 11 98 114

Pharmacology 3 0 0 3

Philosophy 7 6 0 13

Physics 23 22 0 45

Plant Biology 4 0 0 4

Plant Breeding 7 1 1 9

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology 5 2 0 7

Policy Analysis and Management 0 3 27 30

Psychology 2 8 0 10

Public Affairs 0 0 85 85

Real Estate 0 0 26 26

Regional Science 1 3 0 4

Romance Studies 8 7 0 15

Science and Technology Studies 2 5 0 7

Sociology 10 11 0 21

Soil and Crop Sciences 3 8 1 12

Statistics 6 5 52 63

Systems Engineering 0 0 74 74

Theatre Arts 0 2 0 2

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics 3 0 0 3

Total 501 609 1,323 2,433

36

financial support

CU Fellow 7%

External Fellow

4%

CU Fellow 2%

GA/TA 4%

Other Funding

59% Other Funding

94%

GA/TA 17%

GRA/RA 14%

OtherFunding

3% CU Fellow 2%

GA/TA 4%

CU Fellow 22%

Other Funding

94%

GRA/RA 30%

GA/TA 36%

External Fellow

9%

OtherFunding

3%

CU Fellow 7%

External Fellow

4%

CU Fellow 22%

Other Funding

59%

GRA/RA 30%

GA/TA 17%

GRA/RA 14% GA/TA

36%

External Fellow

9%

DOCTORAL DEGREES

Total = 2,889

OtherFunding

3%

CU Fellow 22%

GRA/RA 30%

GA/TA 36%

External Fellow

9%

RESEARCH MASTER’S DEGREES

Total = 417

CU Fellow 7%

External Fellow

4%

Other Funding

59%

GA/TA 17%

GRA/RA 14%

PROFESSIONAL MASTER’S DEGREES

Total = 1,942

CU Fellow 2%

GA/TA 4%

Other Funding

94%

Graduate students are supported through assistantships, fellowships and funding from other sources, including funds paid directly to the student. A fellowship is an arrangement in which financial support is given to a graduate student to puruse his or her degree without any obligation on the part of the student to engage in teaching and/or research in furtherance of the university academic mission. Fellowships are generally merit-based awards intended to support a student in a full-time course of study.

Assistantships are an arrangement in which financial support is given to a graduate student who engages in teaching and/or research in furtherance of the university academic mission, as well as his or her graduate education. At Cornell, assistantships include teaching assistantships (TA), graduate assistantships (GA), graduate research assistantships (GRA), and research assistantships (RA).

The financial support charts do not contain information on the 234 graduate students enrolled in absentia for Fall 2016.

37

Graduate Student Financial Support by Discipline and Degree Type, Fall 2016

Discipline Doctoral Research Master’s Professional Master’s Total

Humanities

CU Fellow 151 42% 0 0% 1 1% 152

External Fellow 1 0% 0 0% 0 0% 1

GA/TA 197 55% 6 86% 22 15% 225

GRA/RA 1 0% 1 14% 0 0% 2

Other Funding 7 2% 0 0% 123 84% 130

Total 357 100% 7 100% 146 100% 510

Life Sciences

CU Fellow 119 17% 13 15% 2 6% 134

External Fellow 109 15% 5 6% 0 0% 114

GA/TA 200 28% 21 25% 1 3% 222

GRA/RA 244 35% 28 33% 0 0% 272

Other Funding 32 5% 18 21% 28 90% 78

Total 704 100% 85 100% 31 100% 820

Physical Sciences and Engineering

CU Fellow 211 17% 5 3% 3 0% 219

External Fellow 123 10% 4 2% 3 0% 130

GA/TA 376 30% 25 13% 0 0% 401

GRA/RA 515 41% 12 6% 0 0% 527

Other Funding 32 3% 147 76% 900 100% 1,079

Total 1,257 100% 193 100% 906 100% 2,356

Social Sciences

CU Fellow 145 25% 6 5% 22 3% 173

External Fellow 9 2% 6 5% 4 0% 19

GA/TA 275 48% 21 16% 60 7% 356

GRA/RA 117 20% 17 13% 5 1% 139

Other Funding 25 4% 82 62% 768 89% 875

Total

571 100% 132 100% 859 100% 1,562

Grand Total 2,889 417 1,942 5,248

(Does not include in absentia students)

Median Time to Degree—Doctoral Program by Field

Discipline

1990–1994 Fall Admit Cohort

1995–1999 Fall Admit Cohort

2000–2004 Fall Admit Cohort

2005–2009Fall Admit Cohort

Humanities 6.7 6.8 7.0 6.8

Life Sciences 5.4 5.4 5.7 5.6

Physical Sciences 5.4 5.4 5.4 5.7

Social Sciences 5.4 5.8 6.0 6.0

Humanities

Architecture 7.8 6.9 7.9 7.8

Asian Literature, Religion and Culture 8.0 8.4 7.8 8.0

Classics 5.4 6.4 7.0 6.8

Comparative Literature 7.0 8.1 7.8 7.0

English Language and Literature 6.0 6.4 6.6 6.4

Germanic Studies 8.0 7.7 7.4 7.4

History 7.8 7.4 7.9 7.0

History of Art, Archaeology and Visual Studies 7.4 7.0 6.7 7.2

Medieval Studies 6.0 6.0 6.4 6.0

Music 7.4 7.7 7.0 6.4

Near Eastern Studies 7.2 4.9 7.0 6.2

Philosophy 6.4 6.8 6.8 6.4

Romance Studies 5.8 5.0 5.4 6.8

Science and Technology Studies 6.8 6.9 6.0 7.4

Theatre Arts 6.6 8.3 6.7 5.5

Life Sciences

Animal Science 5.4 5.0 5.0 5.0

Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0

Biophysics 7.1 6.4 5.9 5.4

Comparative Biomedical Sciences 4.7 4.6 5.4 5.0

Computational Biology n/a n/a 6.5 5.0

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 6.4 6.4 6.6 6.2

Entomology 5.6 5.4 5.7 6.0

Environmental Toxicology 5.0 5.0 5.5 5.4

Food Science and Technology 4.6 5.0 5.0 5.0

Genetics, Genomics and Development 6.0 6.4 6.0 6.0

Horticulture 4.0 5.0 4.7 4.0

Immunology and Infectious Disease 5.0 4.6 5.4 5.9

Microbiology 5.4 5.4 5.7 5.4

Molecular and Integrative Physiology 5.0 5.4 6.0 5.4

Natural Resources 7.0 6.0 6.0 7.2

Neurobiology and Behavior 7.0 6.4 6.1 6.0

Nutrition 5.5 5.4 6.0 5.0

Pharmacology 6.3 5.8 6.0 6.0

Plant Biology 6.4 6.0 6.0 5.9

Plant Breeding 4.7 5.0 5.0 5.3

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology 5.4 5.4 6.0 6.0

Psychology 5.4 5.2 5.0 6.0

Soil and Crop Sciences 4.7 5.4 5.7 4.5

Zoology and Wildlife Conservation 7.5 5.4 5.0 6.1

38

39

Discipline

1990–1994 Fall Admit Cohort

1995–1999 Fall Admit Cohort

2000–2004 Fall Admit Cohort

2005–2009Fall Admit Cohort

Physical Sciences and Engineering

Aerospace Engineering 5.4 4.7 5.7 5.7

Applied Mathematics 5.0 5.4 6.0 5.4

Applied Physics 6.0 5.9 6.0 6.4

Astronomy and Space Sciences 5.5 6.2 6.2 6.0

Atmospheric Science n/a 7.8 5.9 5.2

Biological and Environmental Engineering 5.0 5.4 6.1 6.0

Biomedical Engineering n/a 8.9 5.1 5.4

Chemical Engineering 5.4 5.0 5.4 5.4

Chemistry and Chemical Biology 5.3 5.3 5.2 5.2

Civil and Environmental Engineering 4.7 5.4 5.0 5.7

Computer Science 5.7 5.4 6.0 6.0

Electrical and Computer Engineering 5.7 4.7 5.0 5.7

Fiber Science and Apparel Design 5.3 4.1 5.2 5.0

Geological Sciences 5.6 5.8 5.4 5.6

Materials Science and Engineering 5.4 5.4 5.4 5.4

Mathematics 5.7 6.0 6.0 6.0

Mechanical Engineering 4.9 5.0 5.0 5.2

Operations Research and Information Engineering 5.0 5.0 5.2 5.0

Physics 6.0 6.0 6.2 6.2

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics 4.4 4.9 5.2 5.4

Social Sciences

Anthropology 7.8 7.8 7.0 7.4

Applied Economics and Management 5.7 6.0 5.3 5.2

City and Regional Planning 5.0 5.4 5.4 5.7

Communication 5.1 6.0 5.0 5.0

Design and Environmental Analysis n/a n/a n/a n/a

Development Sociology 6.8 7.0 8.4 8.6

Economics 5.0 5.0 5.7 5.8

Education 4.0 4.4 5.0 5.2

Government 6.7 7.0 7.0 6.4

Hotel Administration 4.4 4.4 6.6 5.8

Human Development 5.7 6.0 5.4 6.4

Industrial and Labor Relations 5.0 5.6 6.0 6.0

Information Science n/a n/a 3.9 5.0

Law 4.3 3.8 4.6 4.9

Linguistics 6.0 7.0 7.0 6.4

Management 5.0 5.0 5.3 5.4

Policy Analysis and Management 5.9 7.0 5.4 5.0

Regional Science 5.0 6.3 7.0 5.9

Sociology 5.6 6.0 7.0 8.1

Statistics 5.0 5.7 5.6 6.0

Average Completion Rate—Doctoral Program by Field

Discipline

1990–1994 Fall Admit Cohort

1995–1999 Fall Admit Cohort

2000–2004 Fall Admit Cohort

2005–2009Fall Admit Cohort

Humanities 76% 74% 74% 78%

Life Sciences 81% 83% 86% 79%

Physical Sciences 81% 80% 83% 78%

Social Sciences 75% 76% 80% 76%

Humanities

Architecture 71% 60% 75% 30%

Asian Literature, Religion and Culture 73% 63% 68% 81%

Classics 54% 53% 70% 61%

Comparative Literature 76% 88% 93% 94%

English Language and Literature 78% 82% 80% 77%

Germanic Studies 73% 82% 79% 68%

History 66% 70% 64% 70%

History of Art, Archaeology, and Visual Studies 79% 77% 82% 77%

Medieval Studies 80% 61% 67% 84%

Music 91% 82% 86% 81%

Near Eastern Studies 60% 80% 33% 100%

Philosophy 75% 54% 66% 81%

Romance Studies 87% 78% 73% 89%

Science and Technology Studies 76% 81% 81% 69%

Theatre Arts 83% 56% 53% 79%

Life Sciences

Animal Science 86% 84% 90% 68%

Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology 88% 90% 82% 81%

Biometry 38% 57% 87% 80%

Biophysics 83% 67% 70% 100%

Comparative Biomedical Sciences 75% 83% 81% 78%

Computational Biology n/a n/a 100% 36%

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 86% 83% 87% 87%

Entomology 91% 90% 81% 80%

Environmental Toxicology 92% 75% 82% 79%

Food Science and Technology 78% 88% 96% 86%

Genetics, Genomics and Development 81% 70% 93% 78%

Horticulture 64% 93% 90% 89%

Immunology and Infectious Disease 89% 87% 82% 93%

Microbiology 84% 85% 87% 91%

Molecular and Integrative Physiology 75% 90% 89% 100%

Natural Resources 66% 78% 86% 68%

Neurobiology and Behavior 81% 84% 93% 84%

Nutrition 76% 82% 79% 79%

Pharmacology 82% 85% 93% 83%

Plant Biology 80% 78% 78% 79%

Plant Breeding 89% 93% 87% 83%

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology 89% 80% 87% 77%

Psychology 76% 67% 74% 88%

Soil and Crop Sciences 85% 93% 93% 65%

Zoology and Wildlife Conservation 88% 80% 100% 80%

40

41

Discipline

1990–1994 Fall Admit Cohort

1995–1999 Fall Admit Cohort

2000–2004 Fall Admit Cohort

2005–2009Fall Admit Cohort

Physical Sciences and Engineering

Aerospace Engineering 73% 80% 84% 78%

Applied Mathematics 86% 88% 87% 85%

Applied Physics 78% 78% 85% 92%

Astronomy and Space Sciences 80% 93% 96% 86%

Atmospheric Science n/a 71% 50% 78%

Biological and Environmental Engineering 78% 78% 87% 79%

Biomedical Engineering 100% 60% 88% 77%

Chemical Engineering 80% 79% 87% 78%

Chemistry and Chemical Biology 86% 82% 80% 70%

Civil and Environmental Engineering 73% 74% 66% 69%

Computer Science 72% 81% 79% 76%

Electrical and Computer Engineering 84% 82% 84% 75%

Fiber Science and Apparel Design 57% 57% 78% 74%

Geological Sciences 81% 67% 81% 59%

Materials Science and Engineering 79% 75% 83% 73%

Mathematics 72% 77% 89% 88%

Mechanical Engineering 84% 78% 84% 76%

Operations Research and Information Engineering 88% 78% 83% 81%

Physics 85% 82% 83% 86%

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics 81% 88% 94% 88%

Social Sciences

Anthropology 76% 78% 82% 64%

Applied Economics and Management 76% 60% 78% 76%

City and Regional Planning 75% 81% 74% 88%

Communication 63% 68% 73% 82%

Design and Environmental Analysis n/a n/a n/a 0%

Development Sociology 64% 73% 70% 62%

Economics 78% 85% 87% 78%

Education 76% 73% 70% 64%

Government 74% 75% 77% 76%

Hotel Administration 75% 85% 100% 90%

Human Development 77% 67% 75% 85%

Industrial and Labor Relations 73% 68% 85% 75%

Information Science n/a 100% 100% 63%

Law 43% 100% 88% 94%

Linguistics 79% 75% 72% 65%

Management 89% 82% 86% 79%

Policy Analysis and Management 80% 86% 85% 82%

Regional Science 77% 82% 88% 76%

Sociology 67% 67% 77% 89%

Statistics 67% 80% 88% 84%