The John W. Nixon ’53 Distinguished Policy Fellows Initiative brings senior decision makers and thought leaders in public policy to Cornell University to engage with our campus community on critical issues from varied political viewpoints with a focus on fostering constructive dialogue and advancing evidence-informed policy.

This initiative invites prominent former members of the U.S. Congress, cabinet-level officials, governors, or senior political and policy journalists or former New York state policy leaders to Cornell to teach, share their expertise and exchange ideas with faculty and students.

Fellows are invited to campus four times a year to guest lecture, participate in symposia, host student office hours to talk about careers in public policy and contemporary policy issues, and meet with faculty on research aligned with their expertise. Fellows may also be invited to give a talk on policy topics of interest among Cornell alums, virtually or in person.

We will appoint at least one new distinguished policy fellow at the start of each semester to serve through a full academic year.