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EXEMPLARY VOLUNTARY EFFORTS (EVE) AWARD
honors federal contractors that have demonstrated through programs or activities,
exemplary and innovative efforts to increase the employment opportunities of
employees, including minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and veterans.
CORNELL UNIVERSITY Ithaca, New York
Founded in 1865, Cornell University is a privately endowed university and the
federal land-grant institution of New York State. As a member of the Ivy League
and a partner of the State University of New York, the university is comprised
of seven undergraduate colleges, four graduate and professional colleges in
Ithaca, a professional and medical school in New York City, and a medical school
in Doha, Qatar.
Description of Innovative EEO Programs:
Cornell's commitment to addressing diversity and inclusiveness began at the
university's inception, with the statement of co-founder Ezra Cornell in 1865:
"I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study."
Since its founding, the university has continued to be a "first"
in addressing diversity and inclusiveness. In 1872, Cornell was one of the first
co-educational institutions in the east; in 1906, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity
was founded at Cornell, the first undergraduate African American fraternity;
in 1916 at Cornell, the first Asian fraternity in the Ivy League was established;
and in 1936, Cornell was the first university to award a Ph.D to an African
American woman (Flemmie Kitrell).
Since 2000, Cornell University has innovatively addressed diversity and inclusiveness,
focusing on each aspect of diversity with aggressive programming and incorporating
work/life/family balance. The initiatives include:
- Creation of an AAP that includes diversity and work/life considerations;
- Establishment of a discrimination complaint procedure that includes a bias
program and Title 9 procedure;
- Addressing student diversity through completion of a diversity statement
as part of the admissions process and a "Tapestry of Possibilities"
diversity training as part of the new student orientation program;
- Employee diversity training opportunities including on line training, diversity
recruitment training, and a new supervisor program with a diversity module;
- Work/life/family programming that incorporates diversity;
- Increasing the university's outreach to the women and minority vendors and
contractors;
- Implementation of workplace accommodation programs for employees with disabilities.
The university's three diversity goals, as established by the provost, are:
- To ensure faculty, staff, and students have access to the knowledge and conceptual frameworks required to think
critically about human diversity.
- To ensure that the community embraces and supports individuals from all racial, ethnic, religious, gender, sexual
orientation, class, and nationality groups in their chosen pursuits.
- To enhance the diversity of the administration, faculty, staff, and students.
These goals are carried out by: 1) the established executive-level University Diversity Council, which is co-chaired
by the president and the provost; 2) a working group diversity council that looks at strategies to address specific
diversity issues; and 3) two central administrative offices; The Vice Provost for Diversity and Faculty Development and
Workforce Diversity, Equity and Quality Life each focuses on academic and staff diversity respectively. In addition, all
seven of the university's colleges have diversity offices and three of the university's graduate and professional schools
have diversity office.
Commitment to Community Service:
Cornell's commitment to addressing diversity and inclusiveness and its commitment to working with the local community
to address diversity is best reflected in its skilled trades diversity initiative. In 2000, Cornell recognized the
shortage of women and minorities in the skilled trades within its own workforce and throughout the Upstate New York region,
where the overall representation of women in the university's skilled trades was 5.29% and for minorities, 3.4%. In 2006,
the representation of women increased to 9% and the representation of minorities increased to 6.6%. These results were
achieved by the university's commitment to initiatives that address diversity. The university established a skilled
trades diversity recruiter in 2001 who has worked to identify possible candidates for skilled trades positions at the
university.
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