Land Grant Mission

This year, Cornell University celebrates its 150th anniversary as New York state's land grant institution.

In November, ILR produced a new publication to mark that milestone and demonstrate its commitment to the land grant mission through public engagement.

Cornell has defined public engagement as an extension of its land grant mission that involves applying university-based knowledge relevant to the needs of society, contributing to economic prosperity and improving people's lives in New York state.

At ILR, and across the university, this engagement now extends to the world.

Harry Katz, the Kenneth F. Kahn Dean, and Susanne Bruyère, associate dean of outreach, write in the new ILR publication about public engagement that the focus has become "deeper and broader, spanning areas of work critical to success in a global economy."

"The landscape and span of what 'land grant' means in the 21st century has significantly changed. The perimeters of our reach are now global, expanding both our own learning and our efforts to make meaningful, community-relevant contributions to populations in all corners of the world," Bruyère says.

The new ILR publication showcases ILR student and faculty connections with alumni, practitioners, employers, policymakers, thought leaders and others through the activities of its centers, institutes and programs focused on work, labor and employment.

"We address cutting-edge HR practice and policy interests of multinational companies operating throughout the world; send our students to India, South Africa and beyond to experience global service learning among rural indigenous people and to design entrepreneurship activities that increase their economic independence and individual dignity; and provide leadership to advance community and economic development initiatives," Bruyère says.

Stories from "Public Engagement" will be republished on the ILR website during the next three months.

ILR plans to update the publication every two years and to use it as a biennial report of its public engagement impact.