The Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy was established in September 2021 to unify Cornell’s wide-ranging expertise in policy research, education, and engagement into a single, world-class entity positioned to tackle the complex global policy problems of our time.

In publishing our Founding Strategic Priorities, the Brooks School has adopted a plan that can guide our work in these crucial, initial years following our founding.

View the Strategic Plan here

Over the past two years, Brooks School community members have worked together with senior leadership to craft this plan and over the past few months we have worked to finalize the language. The process has included a frank discussion about the tradeoff between setting aspirational goals with the awareness that we might not achieve everything we set out to do over a 5-year period versus setting realistic goals that we knew we could achieve. There was universal agreement with the notion that we should embrace aspirational “stretch” goals.

Faculty and staff also discussed the inherent challenges in building on the long histories of specific programs, centers, and initiatives in existence prior to the start of the School while building a broader commitment to an integrated, mission-driven School. As a newly formed community, we have worked collaboratively to develop long-term goals that drive shorter-term actions designed to achieve these strategic priorities.

Together, we are committed to conducting rigorous, groundbreaking research to solve the most pressing policy problems facing our global society, educating future leaders who can improve societal well-being, and serving as a dynamic hub for policy engagement on the Cornell campus.

We intend to advance these strategic priorities over the next five years in a manner that fosters a thriving academic community, builds an ethos of collaboration, advances equity, and prioritizes impact. We anticipate rapid movement forward on our strategic priorities given the energy and dynamism inherent in this “start-up” phase following the creation of the Brooks School.