The Cornell Volunteer Summit will take place from Wednesday, October 14 to Friday, October 16, 2026. Please note that some volunteer communities—such as Cornell University Council, President’s Council of Cornell Women, College Advisory Boards, Class Officers, and others—may choose to host additional events before or after the Summit. These optional gatherings may occur between Tuesday, October 13, and Sunday, October 18, 2026.

All Cornell volunteers will be invited to attend the Summit, including members of volunteer leadership organizations and college advisory boards.

We are excited to offer programming that features university leadership, focusing on university priorities, as well as opportunities for volunteers to engage with students and other volunteers. Additionally, there will be time for volunteer communities to host social gatherings and mission-specific programming for their members.

Programming for the Cornell Volunteer Summit will begin late afternoon on Wednesday, October 14, and conclude midday on Friday, October 16, 2026. In addition, there will be time for volunteer communities to hold social gatherings and mission-specific programming for their members during these dates.

Some communities may choose to host an additional day of events before or after the official summit begins or ends. Events planned by volunteer communities will be advertised with adequate time to appropriately book hotel and travel plans, and by summer 2026.

Yes! Events for specific volunteer communities will be held alongside the Volunteer Summit. Community specific events are noted in the schedule and can be found in the area “other events happening around Summit.”

Some College Advisory Councils will hold their in-person meetings at the Volunteer Summit, while others may determine that their business needs to occur at other times in the calendar year. Nonetheless, all volunteers of membership organizations and college advisory boards will be invited to the Summit.

For those involved in multiple volunteer communities, there may be times when you must choose among programs. We are encouraging some volunteer communities to schedule their programming around the Volunteer Summit (the days before or after October 14–16) to allow for increased participation across member organizations. In addition, we are asking volunteer communities to consider what business they can do online throughout the year, and which programming is best conducted during the Summit.

Most additional events will NOT be livestreamed, except for President Michael I. Kotlikoff’s State of the University address. Some community business meetings may be hybrid. Meeting capabilities will be shared directly with volunteer communities.

While no specific Summit programming will occur on Saturday, there will be plenty of Homecoming programming! In addition, some volunteer communities may choose to hold social gatherings and mission-specific programming for their members on Saturday.

Programming for Homecoming 2026 typically features a Friday night Drone and Laser Light Show at Schoellkopf Stadium, which is free and open to all students, alumni, and members of the Cornell community. On Saturday, there will be Homecoming tailgating, networking sessions with students, and a Homecoming football game against Lehigh University.

Cornell Homecoming is open to all Cornell students, alumni, parents, and friends.

The annual Frank H. T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award will be presented Saturday night, October 17. Dinner is by invitation only.

Lunch tickets will be provided to each registered guest to use for Thursday’s lunch slot and will be available as an option during Friday’s lunch slot as well. You are encouraged to enjoy a meal as if you were a student again. More information about where and how to redeem your lunch tickets will be available soon.

Cornell strongly discourages guests from bringing bags to the Homecoming Friday drone show, but if a bag is necessary, it must be clear, and all bags are subject to inspection. Permissible bags include clear totes (not exceeding 12”x6”x12”), one-gallon clear storage bags, strapless/handheld clutches (not exceeding 6.5" x 4.5") and diaper bags (must be accompanied by a child). For more information about the clear bag policy, please visit the Student and Campus Life Bag Policy webpage linked here.

The following items are not permitted in the stadium:

Firearms or weapons of any kind, fireworks or other explosive materials, hard coolers or coolers/bags on wheels, pets (service dogs will be permitted), smoking, mace/pepper spray or similar substances, glass containers (unless necessary for baby formula or medication)

For registration fees and additional details, please visit the registration fees page.

YES! Our staff has secured room blocks for the Volunteer Summit. Review the list of options.

There are many ways to travel to and from the Ithaca campus!

For hotel-specific reservation questions, please contact the hotel directly. For general room block questions or questions about the Summit, please contact OVP@cornell.edu.

Requesting accommodations:
Guests who have accommodation requests, including dietary restrictions, should indicate details in the guest registration form. The team strives to provide every accommodation possible when requests are made as far in advance as possible. This may include, but is not limited to: dietary, ASL interpretation, mobility parking, or reserved seating.

For additional information or questions, please contact OVP@cornell.edu.

Campus accessibility:
Accessible paths and locations —Each venue will include wheelchair accessible entrances to buildings and session rooms, and elevators. Seating accommodations can be made. In order to ensure the best visit possible, the team recommends reaching out to OVP@cornell.edu to discuss the guest’s itinerary. Visit this link for more information about campus access.

Gender-inclusive restrooms are available in most buildings.

Lactation rooms are also available in most buildings.