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Belonging at Brooks

Group of Brooks School students clapping and cherring

Brooks School Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Working Group

Building the new Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy on a strong foundation of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is one of our critical priorities. We envision equity as a cross-cutting theme that runs throughout our strategic priorities in research, education, and public engagement. We see the advancement of excellence and innovation in research on race, racism, and public policy, broadly defined to include intersections with global policy and comparative perspectives, as central to training the next generation of policy makers, scholars, and leaders with the tools to build an anti-racist future. Further, we see the advancement of public engagement with policy makers and community members as integral to connecting our research and teaching to the pressing social justice issues of our time.

The Brooks School DEIB Working Group is charged with developing concrete steps and metrics to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging throughout the core areas of Brooks. This will include changes to diversify and strengthen our community of belonging, enhance our educational programs, advance research and engagement in inequality and social justice, and create opportunities for deeper learning and discussion in these areas. The DEIB Working Group includes students, staff, and faculty (see our membership listed below).

We have important work ahead and envision many opportunities for meaningful engagement within our community. Please join our efforts! Reach out to Kelly Musick, Chair of the DEIB Working Group, at musick@cornell.edu or brooks_deib@cornell.edu with your ideas, suggestions, and concerns.

We encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses any act of bias or discrimination to report it here. You may also reach out at any time to musick@cornell.edu.

 

DEIB Working Group

2024-25 DEIB Working Group Members

Events & Highlights

Upcoming Events

Check back soon for upcoming events.

Brooks School Initiatives to Advance the Next Generation

NextGenPop: Recruiting the Next Generation of Population Scholars

Students walking on Cornell campus with NextGenPop logo written in top right cornerNextGenPop is an undergraduate program in population research that aims to increase the diversity of the population field and nurture the next generation of population scientists. It includes a 2-week, in-person, on-campus summer experience and subsequent virtual components on research and professional development, as well as opportunities for mentorship and networking at the Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America (PAA).

NextGenPop activities are coordinated by PAA and supported by an expert Advisory Committee and consortium of population research centers from universities across the United States. Funding comes from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (R25 HD105602, PIs Marcy Carlson and Kelly Musick).

The 2023 cohort of NextGenPop Fellows was hosted by the Cornell Population Center June 4-18. Read more in the Cornell Chronicle and see NextGenPop @ Cornell | Population and Public Policy.

Big Data for Big Policy Problems

Maria Fitzpatrick and Matt Hall developed the course “Big Data for Big Policy Problems” (PAM 2070) to teach students data analysis skills that complement a wide range of academic and professional fields and can be used to address pressing policy problems. In summer of 2023, a non-credit version of this class was offered at no cost to underserved students nominated by local high schools and other partners, as well as children of Cornell faculty and staff. This pre-college certificate program aims to bridge the gap in data science education and create a more inclusive field. It is a collaboration between eCornell, Brooks, and the School of Continuing Education. Read more in the Cornell Chronicle.

Past offerings of “Big Data for Big Policy Problems” have included a collaboration with the nonprofit National Education Equity Lab (NEEL) to give high school students in underserved communities the opportunity to develop skills in data science applications. Read more in the New York Times and Cornell Chronicle.

Resources

Supporting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

All Students, Faculty & Staff
All Students
  • ALANA Intercultural Board
    Provides programming and funding for programming related to diversity and intercultural efforts.
  • American Indian & Indigenous Studies Program
    Provides support to students who identify as American Indian or Indigenous, including internship, funding, scholarship, residential life, and other opportunities.
  • Cornell Identity Resources
    Resources on identity and cultural centers and groups, to engage with individuals of similar background or connect with identities other than your own. 
  • LGBT Resource Center
    A wide variety of resources, information about the LGBT community at Cornell, and ways to get involved.
  • Women’s Resource Center
    While this is open to all female students, the group expresses a specific commitment to women of color.
Undergraduate Students
Graduate Students
Faculty, Post Docs, TAs & Staff
  • Office of Faculty Development and Diversity
    Provides a range of resources to support faculty development and diversity, including training and support for deans, department chairs, and individual faculty members. 
  • Colleague Network Groups
    University-sponsored groups to support traditionally underrepresented minorities and their allies.

Student Services, Mentoring, and Professional Development

All Students
Undergraduate Students
Graduate Students

Reporting Racism, Bias, or Harassment

All Students, Faculty & Staff
Graduate Students

Educational Resources on Anti-Discrimination and Allyship

All Students, Faculty & Staff
Faculty, Post Docs, TAs & Staff

Health & Wellbeing

All Students, Faculty & Staff

University Policies

Demographic Profile of the Brooks Community

Demographic Data

The following data offer a benchmark for tracking the Brooks School’s efforts to increase the diversity of our community. We follow university practices for collecting and reporting data, which are determined in large part by federal mandates.

Student % Distribution by Race and Ethnicity, Fall 2022 (N=691)

% UG% MHA/EMHA% MPA/EMPA% PhD% Total
Asian or Asian/White (U.S.)30.221.46.09.517.8
Black, Hispanic, and/or Indigenous (U.S.)18.624.39.714.316.1
White/Unknown (U.S.)44.640.724.745.236.2
International (any race/ethnicity)6.613.659.631.030.0
Total100100100100100

Notes: Few students report “unknown.” “International” includes non-U.S. citizens and those with a non-permanent resident status. UG = undergraduate, MHA = Master of Health Administration, MPA = Master of Public Administration.

Faculty and Staff % Distribution, by Race and Ethnicity, Fall 2022 (N=141)

% All faculty% University faculty% RTE faculty% Staff% Other% Total
Asian or Asian/White6.76.56.82.923.57.8
Black, Hispanic, and/or Indigenous18.917.420.511.817.617.0
White/Unknown74.476.172.785.358.875.2
Total100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0

Notes: Few faculty and staff report “unknown,” and only two fit the definition of international, thus we do not tabulate this separately. “University faculty” includes Assistant, Associate, and Full tenure-track faculty; “RTE” includes research, teaching, and extension faculty; “staff” include administrative and student services roles; and “other” includes all faculty modifiers (acting, adjunct, courtesy, emeritus/a, and visiting), postdocs, and temporary staff.

University-Wide Demographic Data
Cornell University Diversity Dashboard
Graduate School Diversity Dashboard

National Data
Faculty pipeline PhD Production by Program, Race and Gender
An online tool, which provides the total number of PhD students by race, gender, and course of study at the top 50 institutions.