The university is organized into eightundergraduate colleges and sevengraduate divisions on its main Ithaca campus.[12] Each college and academic division has near autonomy in defining its respective admission standards and academic curriculum. In addition to its primary campus in Ithaca, Cornell University administers three satellite campuses, including two in New York City, themedical school andCornell Tech, and abranch of the medical school inAl Rayyan inEducation City,Qatar.[12]
Cornell University was founded on April 27, 1865, by Ezra Cornell, an entrepreneur andNew York State senator, and Andrew Dickson White, an educator and fellow state senator. The university was established as New York's land-grant institution following authorization by the New York State Legislature.[19] Ezra Cornell provided his farm in Ithaca, New York, as the initial campus site and contributed $500,000 as an initial endowment (equivalent to $12,769,000 in 2024). White agreed to serve as the university's first president.
White oversaw the university's early development, including construction of its first two buildings, and traveled to recruit students and faculty.[20] The university was formally inaugurated on October 7, 1868, with 412 male students enrolling the following day.[21]
Cornell developed as a technologically innovative institution, incorporating academic research into campus infrastructure and outreach. In 1883, it became one of the first electrified universities, employing a water-powereddynamo to light parts of the campus.[22] Since 1894, the university has incorporated state-funded colleges that fulfill statutory requirements, and it administers research and extension programs jointly funded by New York State and the U.S. federal government.[23][24] In 1872, Cornell became one of the first U.S. universities to allow alumni-elected trustees on its board.[25]
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Cornell was home to literary societies that promoted writing, reading, and oratory. The U.S. Bureau of Education classified several of these societies as following the traditions of literary organizations at Eastern universities.[26]
In 1967, Cornell experienced a fire in the Residential Club dormitory that killed eight students and one professor. In the late 1960s, Cornell was among theIvy League universities that experienced heightened student activism related to cultural issues, civil rights, and opposition to U.S. involvement in theVietnam War. In 1969, armed anti–Vietnam War protesters occupiedWillard Straight Hall, an incident that led to a restructuring of university governance and forced the resignation of then-presidentJames Alfred Perkins.[27]
In August 2002, a graduate student group, At What Cost?, formed at Cornell to oppose agraduate student unionization drive run by CASE/UAW, an affiliate of theUnited Auto Workers. The vote to unionize, held in October 2002, was rejected; At What Cost? was considered instrumental in the unusually large 90% turnout and the two-to-one defeat of the proposal, the first time a U.S. graduate school vote on unionization was defeated.[34][35][36]
In March 2004, Cornell andStanford University laid the cornerstone for the building and operation of the "Bridging the Rift Center," located on the border between Israel andJordan, to be used for education.[37] In 2005,Jeffrey S. Lehman, a former president of Cornell, described the university and its high international profile as a "transnational university".[38]
In November 2025, Cornell agreed to pay $30 million to the federal government and invest $30 million in agricultural research in order to restore $250 million in funding andsettle investigations into campusantisemitism andDEI practices.[39][40][41]
TheArts Quad on Cornell's main campus withMcGraw Tower andOlin andUris libraries in the backgroundHo Plaza seen from McGraw Tower withSage Hall andBarnes Hall in the backgroundSage Chapel on the Cornell campus, which hosts religious services and concerts and is the final resting place ofEzra Cornell, the university's founder
Cornell University's main campus is located inIthaca, New York, on East Hill, offering views of the city andCayuga Lake. The campus has expanded to approximately 745 acres (301 ha) since its founding, now including multiple academic buildings, laboratories, administrative facilities, athletic centers, auditoriums, museums, and residential areas.[42][43] In 2011,Travel + Leisure recognized Cornell's campus in Ithaca as one of the most beautiful in the United States, praising its unique blend of architectural styles, historic landmarks, and picturesque surroundings.[44]
The Ithaca campus is characterized by an irregular layout and a mix of architectural styles that developed over time through successive master plans. More ornate buildings generally predateWorld War II, while later construction reflectsmodernist and contemporary styles.[45]
North Campus is primarily residential, with ten residence halls for first- and second-year students and housing for transfer students in the Townhouse Community.[50] The West Campus House System showcases a blend of architectural styles, includingGothic-style buildings and residence halls collectively known as "the Gothics".[51]
In Collegetown, located near the campus in Ithaca, the architectural styles are diverse, reflecting the area's mixed-use nature. The Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts and two upper-level residence halls[52][53] are surrounded by a variety of apartment buildings, eateries, and businesses.[54]
Cornell University's main campus in Ithaca is located in theFinger Lakes region inupstate New York and features views of thecity,Cayuga Lake, and surrounding valleys. The campus is bordered by twogorges, Fall Creek Gorge and Cascadilla Gorge. The gorges are popular swimming spots during warmer months, but their use is discouraged by the university and city code due to potential safety hazards.[55] Adjacent to the main campus, Cornell owns the 2,800 acres (1,100 ha)Cornell Botanic Gardens, which feature cultivated gardens, arboretum collections, and natural areas.[56]
Cornell University has implemented severalgreen initiatives designed to promote sustainability and reduce environmental impact, including a gas-fired combined heat and power facility,[57] an on-campus hydroelectric plant,[58] and alake source cooling system.[59] In 2007, Cornell established a Center for a Sustainable Future.[60] The same year, following a multiyear, cross-campus discussion about energy and sustainability, Cornell'sAtkinson Center for Sustainability was established, funded by an $80 million gift from alumnus David R. Atkinson ('60) and his wife Patricia, the largest gift ever received by Cornell from an individual at the time. A subsequent $30 million commitment in 2021 will name a new building on campus.[61]
As of 2020, the university, which committed to achieving net carbon neutrality by 2035,[62] operates six solar farms that provide 28 megawatts of power.[63] Cornell is developing an enhanced geothermal system, known as Earth Source Heating, designed to meet campus heating needs.[64]
In 2023, Cornell was the first university in the nation to commit toKyoto Protocol emission reductions.[65] The same year, a concert held at Barton Hall byDead & Company raised $3.1 million forMusiCares and the Cornell 2030 Project, which contributed to establishing the Climate Solutions Fund to catalyze large-scale climate research across the university, administered by the Atkinson Center.[66][67]
On December 19, 2011, Cornell andTechnion – Israel Institute of Technology inHaifa won a competition for rights to claim free city land and $100 million in subsidies to build an engineering campus in New York City. The competition, established by formerNew York City MayorMichael Bloomberg, was designed to increase entrepreneurship and job growth in New York City's technology sector. The winning bid consisted of a 2.1 million square foot state-of-the-art tech campus to be built onRoosevelt Island, on the site of the formerColer Specialty Hospital. The following year, in fall 2012, instruction began at a temporary location in space donated by Google, at111 Eighth Avenue inManhattan.[73] In 2014, construction began on the Cornell Tech campus, and the first phase was completed in September 2017.Thom Mayne ofMorphosis Architects was selected to design Cornell Tech's first building.[74]
In addition to the tech campus and medical center, Cornell maintains local offices in New York City for some of its service programs. The Cornell Urban Scholars Program encourages students to pursue public service careers, arranging assignments with organizations working with New York City's poorest children, families, and communities.[76] TheCollege of Human Ecology andCollege of Agriculture and Life Sciences enable students to reach out to local communities by gardening and building with the Cornell Cooperative Extension.[77] Students in theSchool of Industrial and Labor Relations' Extension and Outreach Program make workplace expertise available to organizations, union members, policymakers, and working adults.[78] TheCollege of Engineering's Operations Research Manhattan, located in the city'sFinancial District, brings together business optimization research and decision support services used in financial applications and public health logistics planning.[79] In 2015, theCollege of Architecture, Art, and Planning opened an 11,000 square foot,Gensler-designed facility at26 Broadway in Manhattan's Financial District.[80] TheGeneral Electric Building at 570Lexington Avenue serves as the New York City location for over a dozen additional Cornell University programs, including the New York City headquarters of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the New York City branch of the Cornell Cooperative Extension.[75]
In September 2004, Cornell opened theWeill Cornell Medical College in Qatar inEducation City, nearDoha, which is the first U.S. medical school established outside of the United States. The college, which is a joint initiative with theQatar government, is part of Cornell's efforts to increase its international influence.[30] The college, a full four-yearMD program, mirrors the medical school curriculum taught atWeill Cornell Medicine in New York City. The college also offers a two-year undergraduatepre-medical program, which has a separate admissions process and was established as an undergraduate program in September 2002 as the first coeducational institute of higher education in Qatar.[81]
The college is partially funded by the Qatar government through theQatar Foundation, aQatar state-led non-profit organization, which contributed $750 million for its construction.[82] The medical center is housed in a large two-story structure designed byArata Isozaki, a Japanese architect.[83] In 2004, the Qatar Foundation announced the construction of a 350-bed specialty teaching hospital near the medical college in Education City, which was to be completed in a few years.[30]
Cornell offers various study abroad and scholarship programs that allow students to gain experience and earn credit toward their degrees. The "Capital Semester" program offers students the opportunity to intern in theNew York State Legislature inAlbany, the state capital. The Cornell in Washington program enables students to spend a semester in Washington, D.C., participating in research or internships.[96] The Cornell in Rome program allows students to study architecture, urban studies, and the arts inRome, Italy.[97] The university is also a member of theLaidlaw Scholars program, which provides funding to undergraduates to conduct internationally focused research and foster leadership skills.[98]
As New York state'sland-grant university, Cornell operates acooperative extension service, which includes 56 offices across the state. These offices provide programs in agriculture and food systems, children, youth and families, community and economic vitality, environment and natural resources, and nutrition and health.[99] The university operates New York's Animal Health Diagnostic Center, which conducts animal disease control and husbandry.[100]
Cornell University is a nonprofit organization with a decentralized structure in which its 16 colleges, including 12 privately endowed colleges and four publicly supported statutory colleges, exercise significant autonomy to define and manage their respective academic programs, admissions, advising, and confer degrees. Cornell also operateseCornell, which provides online professional development and certificate programs[101] and participates in New York's land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant programs.[102][103]
Cornell University was chartered by an act of theNew York State Legislature (Chapter 585 of the Laws of 1865) which was later codified into Article 115 (sections 5701 through 5716) of the Education Law of theConsolidated Laws of New York.[104]
Cornell University is governed by a 64-member board of trustees, which includes both privately and publicly appointed trustees appointed by theGovernor of New York, alumni-elected trustees, faculty-elected trustees, student-elected trustees,[105] and non-academic staff-elected trustees. The Governor,Temporary President of the Senate,Speaker of the Assembly, and president of the university serve inex officio voting capacities. The board is responsible for electing a President to serve as the university's chief executive and educational officer.[106][107] From 2014 to 2022,Robert Harrison served as chairman of the board. He was succeeded by Kraig Kayser.[108] The Board of Trustees holds four regular meetings annually, which are subject to the New York State Open Meetings Law.[109]
The university charter (specifically, paragraph 1.b of section 5703 of the Education Law) provides that one member of the board, the life trustee, is the eldest living lineal descendant of Ezra Cornell.[104] As of 2024, the current and longest-serving life trustee is Ezra Cornell, class of 1971, the great-great-great-grandson of the original Ezra Cornell.[110] He celebrated 50 years of service as a board member in 2019.[110] His eldest daughter Katy Cornell, class of 2001, is expected to become the next life trustee.[110]
Cornell's colleges and schools offer a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, including sevenundergraduate colleges and seven schools offering graduate and professional programs. All academic departments at Cornell are affiliated with at least one college. Several inter-school academic departments offer courses in more than one college. Students pursuing graduate degrees in these schools are enrolled inCornell University Graduate School. TheSchool of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions provides additional programs for college and high school students, professionals, and other adults.[113]
As of 2023, among Cornell's 15,182 undergraduate students, 4,602 (30.3%) are affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences, which is the largest college by enrollment, followed by 3,203 (21.1%) in Engineering, and 3,101 (20.4%) in Agriculture and Life Sciences. The smallest of the seven undergraduate colleges is Architecture, Art, and Planning, with 503 (3.3%) students.[7]
Philanthropy has played a central role in Cornell University's growth, funding major academic programs, research initiatives, and campus development. As of 2024, the university's endowment stands at $10.7 billion,[5] making it the14th-largest among U.S. universities. In 2018, Cornell raised $743 million in private donations, ranking third behindHarvard University andStanford University.[118]
Cornell Tech, the university's technology-focused graduate campus onRoosevelt Island, has received major philanthropic support. In 2011,Chuck Feeney, a 1956 alumnus and founder ofDFS Group, became Cornell's largest private donor, contributing $1 billion to fund the campus and other initiatives.[121] In 2015,Irwin M. Jacobs, a 1956 alumnus andQualcomm founder, and his wife, Joan, donated $133 million to establish the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech.[122]
Other major gifts have supported research and sustainability efforts. In 2010, David and Patricia Atkinson donated $80 million to establish theAtkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, funding research on environmental and sustainability challenges.[123]
Cornell is a large and primarily residential research university, and a majority of its students are enrolled in undergraduate programs.[124] Since 1921, the university has beenaccredited by theMiddle States Commission on Higher Education and its predecessor.[125] Cornell operates on a 4–1–4 academic calendar, with the fall term beginning in late August and ending in early December, a three-week winter session in January, and the spring term beginning in late January and ending in early May.[126]
Admission to Cornell University is highly competitive. In fall 2022, Cornell's undergraduate programs for the Class of 2026 received 71,164 applications, of which 5,168 (6.9%) were accepted.[129] For enrolling first-year students, the middle-50% range forSAT evidence-based reading and writing was 700–760 and for mathematics was 750–800; the middle-50% range for theACT composite was 33–35.[128]
The university attracts a diverse student body. In 2022, the proportion of admitted students who self-identify as underrepresented minorities increased to 34.2%, up from 33.7% in 2021, and 59.3% self-identify as students of color, up from 52.5% in 2017 and 57.2% in 2020. Among the 5,168 admitted in 2022, 1,163 were first-generation college students, up from 844 in 2020.[130] The university practicesneed-blind admission for U.S. applicants.[131]
Cornell University, under Section 9 of its original charter, ensures equal access to education by admitting students without distinction based on rank, class, occupation, or locality.[132] The charter also mandates free instruction for one student from each Assembly district in New York State.[132]
From the 1950s to the 1980s, Cornell collaborated with otherIvy League institutions to establish a uniformfinancial aid system.[133] Although a 1989 consent decree ended this collaboration due to an antitrust investigation, all Ivy League schools still offer need-based financial aid without athletic scholarships.[134] In December 2010, Cornell pledged to match the grant component of financial aid offers from the seven other Ivy League schools andMIT andStanford for accepted applicants considering these institutions.[135]
In 2008, Cornell introduced a financial aid initiative that incrementally replaced need-based loans with scholarships for undergraduate students from lower-income families.[136] Despite a 27% drop in the university's endowment in 2008, attributable partly to the2008 financial crisis, Cornell presidentDavid J. Skorton allocated additional funds to continue the initiative and sought to raise $125 million in donations for its support.[137] In 2010, Cornell met the full financial aid needs of 40% of full-time first-year students with financial need. The average undergraduate student debt upon graduation, as of 2010, was $21,549.[138]
Cornell offers a wide range of undergraduate majors with an international focus, including African Studies, Asian-Pacific American Studies, French Studies, German Studies, Jewish Studies, Latino Studies, Near Eastern Studies, Romance Studies, and Russian Literature.[16] Students have the opportunity to study abroad on six continents through various programs.[139]
The Asian Studies major, theSoutheast Asia Program, and the China and Asia-Pacific Studies (CAPS) major provide opportunities for students and researchers focusing on Asia. Cornell has an agreement withPeking University that allows CAPS students to spend a semester in Beijing.[140]
In the Middle East, Cornell's efforts are centered on biology and medicine. TheWeill Cornell Medical College in Qatar trains new doctors to improve health services in the region.[141] The university is also involved in developing the Bridging the Rift Center, a “Library of Life,” a database of all living systems, on the Israel–Jordan border, in collaboration with those two countries andStanford University.[142]
Cornell offers several joint degree programs with international universities. The university is the only U.S. member school of theGlobal Alliance in Management Education, and its master's in international management program offers the Global Alliance's Master's in International Management (CEMS MIM) as a double-degree option, enabling students to study at one of 34 Global Alliance partner universities. Cornell has partnered withQueen's University in Ontario to offer a joint Executive MBA program,[146] which affords its graduatesMBA degrees from both universities. Cornell also offers an international consulting course in association with theIndian Institute of Management Bangalore.[147]
Cornell's commencement ceremony atSchoellkopf Field, the university's on-campus outdoor stadium, in 2008
Cornell University has been routinely ranked among the top academic institutions in the nation and world by independent ranking assessments. In 2024, Cornell was ranked 10th in the U.S. and 12th in the world byQS World University Rankings and 20th in the world byTimes Higher Education World University Rankings.[156][157] The university has garnered praise for its contributions to research, community service, social mobility, and sustainability, evidenced by its placement inThe Washington Monthly andThe Princeton Review rankings.[158]
In its annual edition of “America's Best Architecture & Design Schools,” the journalDesign Intelligence ranked Cornell'sBachelor of Architecture program best in the nation for much of the 21st century, including from 2000 to 2002, 2005 to 2007, 2009 to 2013, and 2015 to 2016. In its 2011 survey, the program ranked first and theMaster of Architecture program ranked sixth nationally.[159] In 2017,Design Intelligence ranked Cornell's Master of Landscape Architecture program fourth in the nation and its Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture program fifth nationally.[160][161]
Cornell'sinternational relations program is ranked among the best in the world byForeign Policy magazine'sInside the Ivory Tower survey, which ranked Cornell's undergraduate program 12th and its doctorate program 11th in 2012.[169][170] In 2015, Cornell was ranked third among New York colleges and universities for professor salaries.[171]
The A.D. White Reading Room inUris Library, which contains much of the 30,000-volume collection donated to the university by its co-founder and first presidentCornell Law Library, one of 12 national depositories for the print records of briefs filed with theU.S. Supreme Court
As of 2020,Cornell University Library, with more than 10 million holdings, is the13th-largestacademic library in the United States.[172] As of 2005, the library is organized into 20 divisions, which hold 7.5 million printed volumes in open stacks, 8.2 millionmicrofilm andmicrofiche items, a total of 440,000 maps, motion pictures, DVDs, sound recordings, and computer files, and extensive digital resources and the University Archives.[173] It was the first among U.S. colleges and universities to allowundergraduates to borrow books from its libraries.[16] In 2006,The Princeton Review ranked it the 11th-best college library,[174] and in 2009, it climbed to sixth.[175] The library plays an active role in furthering online archiving of scientific and historical documents.arXiv, ane-print archive created atLos Alamos National Laboratory byPaul Ginsparg, is operated and primarily funded by Cornell as part of the library's services, and has changed the way manyphysicists and mathematicians communicate, making the e-print a viable and popular means of announcing new research.[176]
Cornell University Press, established in 1869 but inactive from 1884 to 1930, was the first university publishing enterprise in the United States.[177][178] As of 2024, it is one of the country's largestuniversity presses,[16] publishing approximately 150 nonfiction titles annually in disciplines including anthropology, Asian studies, biological sciences, classics, history, industrial relations, literary criticism and theory, natural history, politics and international relations, veterinary science, and women's studies.[178][179]
Cornell University is classified among “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity.”[182] TheNational Science Foundation ranked Cornell 14th among U.S. universities for R&D expenditures in 2021, at $1.18 billion.[183][184] TheDepartment of Health and Human Services and theNational Science Foundation are the primary federal sponsors, accounting for 49.6% and 24.4% of federal support, respectively.[185] Cornell is ranked fourth worldwide for producing graduates who pursue PhDs in engineering or natural sciences at American institutions and fifth for graduates pursuing PhDs in any field.[186]
Cornell has contributed to nuclear and high-energy physics,space exploration,automotive safety, andcomputing technology. It regularly ranks among top U.S. universities for patenting and startup formation.[187] In 2004–05, Cornell filed 203 U.S. patent applications, completed 77 license agreements, and distributed more than $4.1 million inroyalties to units and inventors; in 2009 it spent $671 million on science and engineering R&D, 16th nationally.[16][188]
Founded in 1952, theAutomotive Crash Injury Research Center pioneered moderncrash test research, including early cadaver studies that informed seat belts, energy-absorbing steering wheels, padded dashboards, and improved door locks.[193]
As of 2016–2017, Cornell had over 1,000 registered student organizations, spanning club and varsity sports, performing arts (including multiple a cappella groups), political and cultural groups, media, games, and outdoor clubs.[201] The Cornell International Affairs Society fields a traveling Model UN team and hosts a large high school conference; the Cornell University Mock Trial Association regularly qualifies for national competition.[202][203]
Cornell United Religious Work coordinates programming across faith traditions; theCornell Catholic Community is the largest single religious student organization. Music groups include a symphony orchestra,[204] concert bands,[205] and choral ensembles,[206] including theGlee Club and theChordials.[207] TheBig Red Marching Band performs at athletic and campus events.[208]
Cornell’s student governments—the Student Assembly and the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly—collectively allocate about $3.0 million annually to support clubs and organizations.[213][214]
Cornell hosts a largefraternity and sorority system with about 70 chapters; roughly 33% of men and 24% of women participate.[215][216][217]Zeta Psi was chartered during Cornell’s first year.[218]Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate fraternity established for African Americans, was founded at Cornell in 1906.[219][220]Alpha Zeta (1890) was the first Greek-letter organization founded in the U.S. forLatin Americans.[221] La Unidad Latina,Lambda Upsilon Lambda (1982), later became the only Latino-based fraternity with chapters at all Ivy League institutions;Lambda Pi Chi (1988) was the first Latina-based (not Latina-exclusive) sorority founded at an Ivy League university.[222][223][224]
Many Cornell chapters are among the oldest in their national organizations. TheAlpha Delta Phi chapter house (1877) is believed to be the first U.S. building constructed solely for fraternity use; the chapter’s current home was designed byJohn Russell Pope.[225] The Greek system reports substantial annual community service and philanthropy; serious conduct matters are handled by the university’s judicial processes.[216]
Student-run newspapers includeThe Cornell Daily Sun, an independent daily, andThe Cornell Review, a conservative biweekly. Other outlets includeThe Cornell Lunatic (humor), theCornell Chronicle (university paper of record), andKitsch Magazine, co-published withIthaca College.The Cornellian, an independent organization, publishes the yearbook, which has received the Silver Crown Award for Journalism and the Benjamin Franklin Award for Print Design.[226] Students also operateWVBR-FM, an independent commercial FM station, and various internet streams.[227]
Cornell’s residential system comprisesNorth Campus,West Campus, and Collegetown. Coeducational housing began in 1971, and the university maintains a system of residential advisors. A 1997 initiative designated West Campus primarily for upper-level students and North Campus for first-years and some sophomores.[228] In 2022, the North Campus Residential Expansion added beds for about 800 sophomores.[229]
West Campus incorporates a residential college system developed through a $250 million project,[230] influenced in part byRisley Residential College.[231] Other options include Schuyler House (a former part of Sage Infirmary).[232]
Greek chapters house roughly 9% of undergraduates. First-semester freshmen are ineligible for membership. Independent options include the student-runTelluride House, the Center for Jewish Living, and severalcooperative residences.
As of 2025[update],The Princeton Review ranked Cornell’s dining program fifth in the nation.[233] The university operates 29 dining facilities across campus.[234] On North Campus, Morrison Dining and North Star Dining at Appel Commons serve as primary venues for first-year students.Risley Residential College includes a historic dining hall modeled on the great hall atChrist Church,Oxford.[235]
Football claimed at least a share of the national championship four times before 1940[239][240] and has won three Ivy titles, most recently in 1990.[241] In 2010,men’s basketball reached the NCAA “Sweet 16,” the first Ivy team to do so since 1979.[242]
Cornell runs one of the largest collegiate outdoor education programs in the U.S., serving over 20,000 people annually with more than 130 courses (e.g., backpacking, caving, climbing, sailing).[243][244] COE also runs the student-led pre-orientation program Outdoor Odyssey.[245] Most COE classes are taught by paid student instructors and count toward the physical education requirement.[246] The Lindseth Climbing Wall was renovated in 2016 to 8,000 sq ft of climbing surface (from 4,800 sq ft).[247]
Dragon Day (founded 1901) features a student-built dragon paraded through campus by first-year architecture students.The ivy-covered emblem ofEzra Cornell and university motto
Cornelliana refers to Cornell traditions, legends, and lore. Traditions includeSlope Day andDragon Day, one of the oldest campus events (founded 1901 and usually held near St. Patrick’s Day). First-year architecture students build and parade a dragon around central campus, followed by upper-class architecture students in costume; the historic bonfire has been discontinued due to environmental regulations.[248][249][250]
Campus lore includes myths about statues on theArts Quad and a “kissing bridge” on North Campus.[251] Notable pranks include a 60-poundpumpkin and a disco ball mysteriously placed atop the 173-foot McGraw Tower spire; the tower is lit seasonally and plays music.[252][253]
Cornell provides professional and peer counseling services,[254] and on-campus outpatient care through Cornell Health (formerly Gannett Health Services), with emergency and residential services provided byCayuga Medical Center.[255] Historically, Cornell maintained residential infirmary care, including at the former Sage Infirmary.[256] Cornell offers reproductive health and family-planning services[257] and operates a student-runEmergency Medical Service (CUEMS) that responds on campus and provides training.[258]
In 2009–10, six student deaths by gorge jumping drew national attention. Temporary bridge fences were followed by installation of means-restriction nets on five bridges in 2013.[259][260] Prior to that cluster, Cornell’s suicide rate had been similar to or below that of peer U.S. universities, including 2005–2008 when no suicides occurred.[261][262]
Cornell University Police are New York State peace officers with authority equivalent to municipal police in Ithaca. They provide 24/7 patrols, emergency response, crime prevention, investigations, and enforcement of state laws and campus regulations.[263]
As of 2023[update], Cornell had 1,637 full- and part-time professional faculty on the main campus, excluding those affiliated withWeill Cornell Medical College.[16]
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^Parsons, Kermit C. (1968). "Chp. 3: A Quadrangle of Stone".The Cornell Campus: A History of its Planning and Development.Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press.
^Cathles L.M. "Hydrologic challenges to heating Cornell using Earth Source Heat (ESH) and a strategy for meeting them" Cornell University. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
^ab"570 Lexington Avenue".About Cornell University. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University. Archived fromthe original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved9 December 2023.
^Wesley, Charles H. (1981).The History of Alpha Phi Alpha, A Development in College Life (14th ed.). Chicago, IL: Foundation. ASIN: B000ESQ14W.
^Fajardo, Oliver (2015). "A brief history of international Latin American student fraternities – a movement that lasted 86 years (1889–1975)".Journal of Hispanic Higher Education.14:69–81.doi:10.1177/1538192714548928.S2CID146728641.
^"The story of LUL".Launidadlatina.org. La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity. 19 February 1982. Retrieved18 January 2017.
^"Lambda Facts".Launidadlatina.org. La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity. 16 October 2012. Retrieved13 March 2018.
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