Cornell University mobile logo
Missing alt

ICS joins NY Attorney General nonprofit initiative

New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the launch of a new initiative targeting nonprofit governance. Designed to improve director education, "Directors U" will provide inexpensive and easily accessed training for nonprofit directors through an online library of seminars and written materials. In-person training will also be developed. In describing Directors U, the Attorney General expressed that this resource should help clarify duties and responsibilities for those who serve on nonprofit boards, especially pertaining to executive compensation.

The creation of "Directors U" addresses recommendations in "Revitalizing Nonprofits – Renewing New York", a report released February 16th 2012 by the Leadership Committee for Nonprofit Revitalization. Overall, the report's recommendations call for reducing regulatory burdens on nonprofits, while strengthening governance and accountability.

Dean Harry C. Katz, the Kenneth F. Kahn Dean and Jack Sheinkman Professor of Cornell University’s School of Industrial & Labor Relations, said of the undertaking, "Cornell University and our academic partners are eager to work on this exciting initiative with the Attorney General. This new and innovative program will help nonprofits educate and train their board members about nuances of sometimes complex nonprofit laws and practices. Directors U will help make sure that directors are comfortable in performing critical oversight."

The Institute for Compensation Studies of Cornell's ILR School, is among a consortium of academic institutions supporting Directors U, including:

  • Adelphi University, Long Island Center for Nonprofit Leadership at Adelphi University
  • Baruch College, School of Public Affairs
  • Binghamton University, College of Community and Public Affairs
  • Columbia University, the School of International and Public Affairs
  • The New School, Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy
  • New York University School of Law, National Center on Philanthropy and the Law
  • University at Albany, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy
  • Yale University, Millstein Center for Corporate Governance and Performance

View the "ICS joins NY Attorney General nonprofit initiative" press release.