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.
These lists are intended to help Public Policy undergraduates who are interested in incorporating content broadly related to race, racism, and public policy into their course enrollments. We identify two groups of courses that can count toward the Public Policy major: 1) those with a substantial focus on topics related to racial diversity and equity; 2) those that have a substantial independent project, which a student could use to explore topics related to racial diversity and equity.
This list is intended to serve as a guide. Check the course description to ensure that you meet the prerequisites, and always consult with your official curriculum sheet and academic advisor to verify that courses meet your degree requirements.
Fall 2023 Guide for Public Policy Majors
Courses with a substantial focus on topics of racial diversity and equity:
Courses that meet the Public Policy Core Courses:
- PUBPOL 2370 Race, Racism and Public Policy
Courses that can count toward the PUBPOL electives:
- PUBPOL 2220 Controversies about Inequality
- PUBPOL 2250 Social Problems in the U.S.
- PUBPOL 2810 – Migration: Histories, Controversies and Perspectives
- PUBPOL 3020 Native Politics and the Nation to Nation Relationship (Cornell In Washington Course)
- PUBPOL 3041 U.S. Immigration Law and Policy
- PUBPOL 3200 International Human Rights
- PUBPOL 3250 Neighborhoods, Housing and Urban Policy
- PUBPOL 3280 Fundamentals of Population Health
Courses that can count towards the FWS requirement:
Check back later, after the FWS roster is finalized.
Courses that meet general electives to reach 120 credits to graduate:
- AEM 3015 Developing Racial Equity in Organizations
- AMST 4104/ASRC 4304 Critical Race Theory
- ASRC 3947/GOVT 3947 Race and World Politics
- ECON 3480/HIST 3480/ILRLE 3450 – Race and the American Labor Market in Historical Perspective
- EDUC/ILRID 2610 Intergroup Dialogue
- EDUC/ILRID 4826 Leading Dialogue Across Difference: Practicum in Intergroup Relations
- HADM 4315 – Nonprofit Social Enterprise and Food Justice
Courses with a substantial independent project component, which a student could use if they wished to explore topics related to racial diversity and equity:
Courses that can count toward the Public Policy electives:
- PUBPOL 3032 Politics of Public Policy in the U.S.
- PUBPOL 3120 – Research Design, Practice and Policy
- PUBPOL 3360 Evolving Families: Challenges to Public Policy
- PUBPOL 3720 Addiction Medicine Practice and Policy
- PUBPOL 4060 Experiential Learning in Public Policy (Cornell in Washington Course)
These lists are intended to help HCP undergraduates who are interested in incorporating content broadly related to race, racism, and public policy into their course enrollments. We identify two groups of courses that can count toward the HCP major: 1) those with a substantial focus on topics related to racial diversity and equity; 2) those that have a substantial independent project, which a student could use to explore topics related to racial diversity and equity.
This list is intended to serve as a guide. Check the course description to ensure that you meet the prerequisites, and always consult with your official curriculum sheet and academic advisor to verify that courses meet your degree requirements.
Fall 2023 Guide for HCP Majors
Courses with a substantial focus on topics of racial diversity and equity:
Courses that can count toward the Social Policy Concentration:
- PUBPOL 3041 U.S. Immigration Law and Policy
- PUBPOL 3200 International Human Rights
- PUBPOL3250 Neighborhoods, Housing and Urban Policy
Courses that can count toward the PUBPOL Required Courses B/ Demography Coursework
PUBPOL 3280 Fundamentals of Population Health Courses that meet Additional PAM/Public Policy Electives:
- PUBPOL 2220 Controversies about Inequality
- PUBPOL 2250 Social Problems in the U.S.
- PUBPOL 2810 – Migration: Histories, Controversies and Perspectives
- *PUBPOL 2370 Race, Racism and Public Policy*Note: For students following the 23-24 HCP curriculum sheet, this course does not meet the additional PAM/Public Policy electives as the course must be completed by all HCP students for the public policy required courses. A single course cannot count towards multiple requirements.
Courses that can count towards the FWS requirement:
Check back later, after the FWS roster is finalized.
Courses that meet Additional Requirements/Additional Distribution Coursework:
*Students should double check the distribution categories to confirm it still meets the requirement
- ASRC 3947/GOVT 3947 Race and World Politics
- ECON 3480/HIST 3480/ILRLE 3450 – Race and the American Labor Market in Historical Perspective
Courses that count as general electives to reach 120 credits to graduate:
- AEM 3015 Developing Racial Equity in Organizations
- AMST 4104/ASRC 4304 Critical Race Theory
- EDUC/ILRID 2610 Intergroup Dialogue
- EDUC/ILRID 4826 Leading Dialogue Across Difference: Practicum in Intergroup Relations
- HADM 4315 – Nonprofit Social Enterprise and Food Justice
Courses with a substantial independent project component, which a student could use if they wished to explore topics related to racial diversity and equity:
Courses that can count toward the Health Policy Concentration requirement (curriculum sheet requirement #3a):
- PUBPOL 3720 Addiction Medicine Practice and Policy
Courses that can count toward the Additional PAM/PUBPOL Electives requirement:
- PUBPOL 3032 Politics of Public Policy in the U.S.
- PUBPOL 3120 – Research Design, Practice and Policy
- PUBPOL 3360 Evolving Families: Challenges to Public Policy
- PUBPOL 3720 Addiction Medicine Practice and Policy
- PUBPOL 4060 Experiential Learning in Public Policy (Cornell in Washington Course)
These lists are intended to help PAM undergraduates who are interested in incorporating content broadly related to race, racism, and public policy into their course enrollments. We identify two groups of courses that can count toward the PAM major: 1) those with a substantial focus on topics related to racial diversity and equity; 2) those that have a substantial independent project, which a student could use to explore topics related to racial diversity and equity.
This list is intended to serve as a guide. Check the course description to ensure that you meet the prerequisites, and always consult with your official curriculum sheet and academic advisor to verify that courses meet your degree requirements.
Fall 2023 Guide for PAM Majors
Courses with a substantial focus on topics of racial diversity and equity:
Courses that can count toward the PAM upper level electives:
- PUBPOL 3020 Native Politics and the Nation to Nation Relationship (Cornell In Washington Course)
- PUBPOL 3041 U.S. Immigration Law and Policy
- PUBPOL 3200 International Human Rights
- PUBPOL 3250 Neighborhoods, Housing and Urban Policy
- PUBPOL 3280 Fundamentals of Population Health
Courses that meet additional PAM Electives:
- PUBPOL 2220 Controversies about Inequality
- PUBPOL 2250 Social Problems in the U.S.
- PUBPOL 2370 Race, Racism and Public Policy
- PUBPOL 2810 – Migration: Histories, Controversies and Perspectives
Courses that can count towards the FWS requirement:
Check back later, after the FWS roster is finalized.
Courses that meet additional requirements/additional distribution coursework:
*Students should double check the distribution categories to confirm it still meets the requirement
- ASRC 3947/GOVT 3947 Race and World Politics
- ECON 3480/HIST 3480/ILRLE 3450 – Race and the American Labor Market in Historical Perspective
Courses that meet general electives to reach 120 credits to graduate:
- AEM 3015 Developing Racial Equity in Organizations
- AMST 4104/ASRC 4304 Critical Race Theory
- EDUC/ILRID 2610 Intergroup Dialogue
- EDUC/ILRID 4826 Leading Dialogue Across Difference: Practicum in Intergroup Relations
- HADM 4315 – Nonprofit Social Enterprise and Food Justice
Courses with a substantial independent project component, which a student could use if they wished to explore topics related to racial diversity and equity:
Courses that can count toward the PAM upper-level electives:
- PUBPOL 3032 Politics of Public Policy in the U.S.
- PUBPOL 3120 – Research Design, Practice and Policy
- PUBPOL 3360 Evolving Families: Challenges to Public Policy
- PUBPOL 3720 Addiction Medicine Practice and Policy
- PUBPOL 4060 Experiential Learning in Public Policy (Cornell in Washington Course)
Looking for courses that include diversity topics? Use the course distribution tool within the Cornell class roster to view classes with a human diversity distribution. Enter either “D-HE” or “D-AG” in the Breadth and Distribution search box to see a list of diversity coursework in CALS and CHE colleges. Directions on how to use the distribution tool are available on the registrar’s webpage. Cornell courses related to diversity offered outside CALS and CHE will not appear in the search. For ideas about diversity course options in other colleges, consult your faculty advisor.
Courses with the D-HE distribution are courses within Human Ecology under the human diversity distribution. Per the Courses of Study in these courses “students will enhance their abilities to communicate with people of different cultural perspectives; to listen carefully and respectfully to the views of others, especially views with which they disagree; and to employ ethical reasoning in judging ideas, actions, and their implications. These courses explore the challenges of building a diverse society, and/or examine the various processes that marginalize people and produce unequal power relations in terms of race, nationality, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, gender, age, or economic status.” Courses with the D-AG distribution are courses in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences that “explore the challenges of building a diverse society, and/or examine the various processes that marginalize people and produce unequal power relations.”
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 is being 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.
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.) | 30.2 | 21.4 | 6.0 | 9.5 | 17.8 |
| Black, Hispanic, and/or Indigenous (U.S.) | 18.6 | 24.3 | 9.7 | 14.3 | 16.1 |
| White/Unknown (U.S.) | 44.6 | 40.7 | 24.7 | 45.2 | 36.2 |
| International (any race/ethnicity) | 6.6 | 13.6 | 59.6 | 31.0 | 30.0 |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
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/White | 6.7 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 2.9 | 23.5 | 7.8 |
| Black, Hispanic, and/or Indigenous | 18.9 | 17.4 | 20.5 | 11.8 | 17.6 | 17.0 |
| White/Unknown | 74.4 | 76.1 | 72.7 | 85.3 | 58.8 | 75.2 |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
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.
NextGenPop 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).