Dear Colleagues,
We hope you had time to recharge this summer and that you are excited for the first week of the semester. We are delighted to welcome more than 100 new tenured and tenure track faculty, along with almost 30 research, teaching and extension faculty, who are joining Cornell this academic year. We look forward to the energy and excitement they will bring to our campus!
Below is a snapshot of some of the programs planned for this Fall:
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Academic Book Publishing. Partnering with Cornell University Press, we are hosting programs on using a literary agent, finding and working with a publisher, and getting your book published. Literary agents, authors and editors are scheduled to participate. Register here.
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Notice and Respond: Assisting Students in Distress. Led by mental health experts with the Skorton Center for Health Initiatives and Cornell Health, this session is designed to help faculty recognize signs of stress in their students and respond appropriately. The session will be held on Thursday, Sept 1, from 1:15-2:30 in 401 Physical Sciences. Register.
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It Depends on the Lens. This 2-hour-long workshop, led by Yael Levitte, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity, offers tools and recommendations to diversify and broaden candidate pools, avoid cognitive biases and engage in effective search practices. Register for sessions on either Aug 30 from 10 AM-12 PM or Sept. 14 from 9:30-11:30 AM.
We also are planning sessions on writing and publishing op-eds, imposter syndrome, working with Cornell's media relations office, digital self defense, and more. We will be sending invitations to register throughout the semester.
In other news, we share below some recent developments including Cornell's $16 million award from the National Institutes of Health, the winners of the 2022 Faculty Diversity Awards, the hiring of OFDD's first assistant director, and more.
Enjoy the last days of summer,
Avery August
Deputy Provost
Yael Levitte
Associate Vice Provost for Faculty
Development and Diversity
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Weatherspoon, Lewis Receive Diversity Award |
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Hakim Weatherspoon
Professor,
Department of Computer Science
Cornell Bowers College of Computing and Information Science
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Neil S. Lewis, Jr.
Assistant Professor
Department of Communication
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
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Hakim Weatherspoon, professor in the Department of Computer Science, and Neil Lewis, Jr., assistant professor in the Department of Communication, received the 2022 Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching and Service through Diversity.
Launched in 2019, the award recognizes tenured and tenure track faculty for their sustained and transformational work promoting diversity and comes with a $15,000 award. For more information, see story in Cornell Chronicle highlighting their contributions.
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Cornell receives $16 million NIH FIRST Award |
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Provost Michael Kotlikoff and Deputy Provost Avery August Named Co-Principal Investigators
Cornell is in the second year of implementing the $16 million NIH FIRST (Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation) award supporting the hiring and retention of 10 new assistant professors over the next five years in three research areas: quantitative biomedical sciences; infection biology; and health equity.
"The idea is to conduct a robust faculty search and bring 10 faculty in as a cohort over the next five years, " said Deputy Provost, Avery August, co-principal investigator, with Provost Michael Kotlikoff. "They will be supported through programs aimed at their success."
Cornell plans to hire faculty within the College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Sciences, the College of Human Ecology and the College of Engineering. Last year, the program supported two hires.
The 13-member Cornell FIRST team includes a faculty development core co-directed by Cynthia Leifer, professor of immunology, and Yael Levitte, associate vice provost for faculty development and diversity; and an evaluation core under the leadership of Josephine Martell, director in the Office of Research Development. The grant administrator is Lea Marie Reagan; she previously worked at the Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics.
Only seven university nationwide, including Cornell, received this award from the National Institutes of Health.
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OFDD Appoints Assistant Director |
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The Office of Faculty and Development and Diversity (OFDD) has hired its first assistant director. Gabriela E. Vargas joined the OFDD on Feb. 14.
As assistant director, Gabriela is co-facilitating faculty programs, developing assessment tools about department climate, and assisting chairs and faculty in developing programs addressing areas of concern.
Before Cornell, Gabriela was the Research Programs Coordinator at the Graduate College at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In that role, Gabriela led initiatives to retain graduate students, provide pathways leading to graduate education for underrepresented undergraduate students, and offered feedback to faculty on their grant proposals for student-centered educational partnerships.
Gabriela has a B.A. in Ethnic Studies and Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is completing her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
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LGBTQ+ Resource Guide for Faculty, Staff |
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OFDD and the Cornell LGBT Resource Center released a guide to support faculty and staff in their efforts to create a welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ students. The guide recommends tips and best practices, such as using gender-inclusive greetings and statements in course syllabi.
The 11-page document includes resources both on and off campus. There also are instructions on how faculty and staff can change their pronouns, gender marker and primary name in Workday.
On March 22, OFDD held a Zoom program, Embracing LGBTQ+ Colleagues and Staff. Sara Warner, associate professor in the Department of Performing and Media Arts, in the College of Arts and Sciences; Ezra Young, visiting assistant professor at Cornell Law School, and Cortney Johnson, director, and Crissi Dalfonzo, assistant director, LGBT Resource Center, participated in the program as panelists.
"Compassion, a sense of humor and the creation of a brave and an open and generous attitude are really what our students want for us. And really that's all we want from each other," said Warner.
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Schwartz Grants Support Research in the Life Sciences |
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Yi Athena Ren
Assistant Professor
Animal Sciences
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Ronald Schwartz '60 and Joan Poyner Schwartz '60 established the Schwartz Research Fund for Women and Other Underrepresented Faculty in the Life Sciences |
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Rong Yang
Assistant Professor
Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
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Yi Athena Ren, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science, and Rong Yang, assistant professor in the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, are the recipients of this year's awards provided by the Schwartz Research Fund for Women and Other Underrepresented Faculty in the Life Sciences.
Endowed by Ronald H. Schwartz '65 and Joan Poyner Schwartz '65, the annual grants support female and other underrepresented scientists engaged in innovative and creative research in the life sciences.
Heather Huson, associate professor in the Department of Animal Sciences, and Nilay Yapici, assistant professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, received awards supporting travel.
“We appreciate Ron and Joan Schwartz and their dedication to supporting faculty conducting innovative research” said Yael Levitte, associate vice provost for faculty development and diversity.
Details about Ren's and Yang's research are discussed in the Cornell Chronicle. Applications for the 2022 awards will be available this fall.
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Assisting Faculty with Dependent Care Resources During COVID |
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The Faculty Dependent Care Travel Fund was expanded this past year to accommodate disruptions stemming from COVID. Up to $2,000 is available to eligible faculty to use for dependent care while teaching, as well as when working under deadline to complete a grant application or publication.
The travel fund, capped at $1,500 is available to cover dependent care when eligible faculty are conducting professional travel. The fund is designed to alleviate the financial burden imposed on single care givers or those whose partners are unavailable due to work obligations. Dependent care includes children and older adults who are under the care of the faculty.
For more information, contact worklife@cornell.edu.
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OFDD Hosts Variety of Programs in 2021-2022 |
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The Office of Faculty Development and Diversity held dozens of programs during the 2021-22 academic year. Most were hosted on Zoom including those listed below with links to recordings:
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Navigating Work and Family: Pregnancy and Parenting, April 20, 2022
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Planning for Summer: Information Session for Tenure Track and RTE Faculty Parents, March 31, 2022
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Embracing LGBTQ+ Students and Colleagues, March 22, 2022
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Captivating Readers with Your Academic Writings, March 16, 2022
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Notice and Respond: How to Recognize and Assist Students in Distress, March 4, 2022
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Cornell's Academic Centers: Overview of Resources and Program, Feb. 17, 2022
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Navigating Adult and Elder Caregiving, Nov. 4, 2021
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Engaging with New York State Policy Makers: Working with Cornell's Albany Office, Oct. 7, 2021
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Caring for Your Mental and Physical Health, Oct. 1, 2021
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Planning for Retirement: Discussion of Benefits, Sept. 29, 2021
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Planning for Retirement: The Psychology of the Transition, Sept. 9, 2021
If there's a program or workshop you would like us to hold, please email ofdd@cornell.edu.
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