Cornell moments: ten hallmark stories of 2020

This was a year of firsts As we look forward to the New Year, we wanted to take a few moments to reflect on 2020. This was a year of firsts, as many of us transitioned to working, learning, and connecting online. We learned hard lessons: from how to keep the Cornell campus open in … Read more

“Zoomed-out”: extracurricular life in the time of COVID-19

When Cornell closed its campus in March 2020, the state of New York was the global hotspot for COVID-19. In the months that followed, Cornell faculty and staff worked together to create a plan to reopen campus, based on best scientific practices. The plan required every community member to make sacrifices, including a massive transition … Read more

Caring for our international students

About 1,200 of Cornell’s 7,000+ international students are studying outside of the United States this semester. These are undergraduates, graduate, and professional students who are joining their classes remotely from their homes and from Study Away campuses around the world. The majority of these students were unable to return to campus in fall 2020, due … Read more

Navigating the 2020 election

One thing a majority of Americans agree on is that 2020 has been a challenging year. According to the American Psychological Association’s “Stress in America” survey, 72% of Americans think that 2020 has hit a new low point in our nation’s history. More than two-thirds of Americans agree that the 2020 election has been a … Read more

Cornell honors RBG

On October 10-11, the university honored U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’54 as part of the StayHomecoming 2020 celebration. RBG was one of Cornell’s most illustrious alumni, and her work as an advocate for human rights and later as a Justice helped create a more inclusive landscape for women, for LBGTQ+ individuals, and … Read more

A conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci MD ’66: cautiously optimistic

StayHomecoming 2020 kicked off on October 6 with Cornell Promise: a commitment to learning from the COVID-19 Pandemic, an interview with one of Cornell’s most respected and well-known alumni, Dr. Anthony Fauci MD ’66, moderated by NBC News’ Kate Snow ’91. Cornell President Martha E. Pollack introduced the event with a message of hope. “In … Read more

Green is the new normal: faculty talk about teaching in fall 2020

Over the past ten months, Cornell faculty have been working to adjust and adapt to the new normal. Faculty have had to quickly master new technologies and new modes of instruction as they’ve transitioned from whiteboards to online polls. They’ve had to think through questions of equity and inclusion, as they attempt to balance the … Read more

Big Red podcasters: finding their voice

In August 2020, Amanda Massa, associate director of young alumni programs for Cornell Alumni Affairs and Development, released the 50th episode of Fresh from the Hill: Inside Stories of Noteworthy Cornellians. This podcast, winner of the 2020 Communicator Award of Excellence, offers an inside look into the lives of recent graduates. Massa tracks down noteworthy … Read more

Together, we are fulfilling the Cornell Promise

Due to the pandemic, the University Budget Office projects that up to 3,000 Cornell undergraduates will experience unanticipated changes in their financial situations. Each one percent increase in unemployment is projected to add an additional 275-300 students to Cornell’s financial aid rolls. These students and their families face challenges due to lost income or jobs—meaning they … Read more

Weill Cornell Medicine is at the frontline of vaccine development

Images courtesy of Weill Cornell Medicine, Stronger Together Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM), at dozens of sites across the U.S., and in labs around the world are collaborating in the race to test treatments and develop effective vaccines for COVID-19. On Thursday, August 20, infectious disease specialists on the frontlines hosted “COVID Clinical Trials: … Read more