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High Road Fellowships

Summer 2026 Application will open November 22!

Engaged learning and applied research fellowships for Cornell students in Buffalo, NY.

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Research and Policy

High Road Policy

An ILR Buffalo Co-Lab Initiative

High Road Policy contributes actionable insights to contemporary policy and political discourses in and beyond the regions and communities of Upstate New York.

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Read the Blog
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Buffalo Commons

The Partnership for the Public Good and Cornell University have created a public commons for collective knowledge sharing, impactful applied research, and public policy development. Buffalo Commons is both an in-person platform, fostering these relationships and an online tool, sharing the knowledge of the local area via reports, policy briefs, fact sheets, radio shows, and artistic expressions. Collaborative and democratic in design and purpose, Buffalo Commons hosts a diverse network of faculty, students, practitioners, and community partners.

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Good DEEDs

Data for Equitable Economic Development and Sustainability, or Good DEEDS, is an initiative of the Cornell University School of Industrial Labor Relations (ILR) Buffalo Co-Lab. When fully operational, Good DEEDS will function as a public data repository coupled with High Road Policy, a quarterly issue memorandum and continuous blog.

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NYS Impact 2022

Buffalo Co-Lab NYS Impact

We are pleased announce several reports that draws upon our ILR expertise, research-based data and policy analysis on a broad range of issues affecting NYS workers, unions, communities and employers.  These reports intend to serve as an informative, accessible and relevant resource for New York's policy makers and others.  We hope that you find them useful and look forward to engaging with you to advance the important work that you do related to work, employment and labor.

COVID-19 Response

Buffalo Commons virtual convening support, upcoming virtual workshops, blog posts, and opportunities to submit research requests and to help us document stories of community groups taking the lead in a time of crisis.

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Cornell University's Cathy Creighton talks about women's experience in the workplace

Women working in Erie County simultaneously experience lower pay and more significant barriers to success relative to men, according to a new report released by the ILR Buffalo Co-Lab.
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Cornell University's Cathy Creighton talks about women's experience in the workplace

Cornell ILR Buffalo Co-Lab and Erie County Commission on the Status of Women to Release Study On All Women's Equal Pay Day

The ILR Buffalo Co-Lab research project was undertaken in collaboration with the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women which is seeking to determine the extent of a gender wage gap in order make recommendation on how such wage inequities can be addressed and eradicated.
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Cornell ILR Buffalo Co-Lab and Erie County Commission on the Status of Women to Release Study On All Women's Equal Pay Day

The Worker Institute and the Buffalo Co-Lab Present Research at the New York State Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislators, Inc. 54th Legislative Conference

Researchers from the Worker Institute and the Buffalo Co-Lab presented research findings on the racially disproportionate impact of austerity measures on the state mental health workforce.
Anne Marie Brady and Russell Weaver presenting in Albany Feb 2025
The Worker Institute and the Buffalo Co-Lab Present Research at the New York State Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislators, Inc. 54th Legislative Conference
2019 High Roaders at Northland Workforce Training Center

Student Opportunities

We offer two paid fellowship programs in Buffalo as well as courses on our Ithaca Campus.

  • High Road Fellowships
  • Democracy Summer Fellowships
  • On-Campus courses

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Education and Training

We offer programs designed to train union leaders and those aspiring to lead in organized labor relations.

We also offer specialized training in Health and Safety for inspection and risk assessment, as well as information for practitioners to create safe work places.

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Learn more about our programs

Programs for Unions and Labor Professionals

These courses and certificates are designed to train union leaders and those aspiring to lead in organized labor relations.

Learn more about training for unions and labor professionals

Workplace Health and Safety

Scientific and Technical Expertise Applied to the Work Environment

Workplace Health and Safety
Learn more about programs in workplace health and safety

In The News

Media Mentions

Government shutdown could take wide ranging toll on workers, services on Long Island

Newsday
Russell Weaver, director of research at ILR’s Buffalo Co-Lab, contributes research identifying New York state’s second largest concentration of federal workers in the Brookhaven and Upton areas of Suffolk County.
Government shutdown could take wide ranging toll on workers, services on Long Island

Ford CEO Farley reflects on 5 years in the job and what he needs to do next

Detroit Free Press
Art Wheaton, ILR director of labor studies, analyzes Jim Farley’s job performance as Ford CEO.
Ford CEO Farley reflects on 5 years in the job and what he needs to do next

UAW ethics, compliance departures raise questions amid monitor's probe

Detroit News
Cathy Creighton, director of the ILR Buffalo Co-Lab, is quoted in this article about her recent resignation as the UAW’s external ethics officer.
UAW ethics, compliance departures raise questions amid monitor's probe

Federal government shutdown: How it would impact Long Island

Newsday
Russell Weaver, director of research at ILR’s Buffalo Co-Lab, shares research about where civilian federal workers are located on Long Island in this article about the potential impact of a federal shutdown.
Federal government shutdown: How it would impact Long Island

Clock ticks toward federal shutdown, with impacts on Long Island and New York State uncertain

Newsday
Russell Weaver, director of research at ILR’s Buffalo Co-Lab, provides analysis on how a federal shutdown would impact federal workers and local economies in New York, including Long Island.
Clock ticks toward federal shutdown, with impacts on Long Island and New York State uncertain

An ICE raid at an EV factory raises fears about US instability

The Verge
Art Wheaton, ILR director of labor studies, analyzes the impact of the recent ICE raid on an EV battery factory in Ellabell, Georgia, saying it will have a “cooling effect” on the U.S. auto sector and on future foreign investments in the U.S.
An ICE raid at an EV factory raises fears about US instability