Knowledge shouldn’t just stay in the classroom

We engage with people, communities, organizations, activists and policymakers to build and sustain more resilient communities.

With a focus on advocacy, education and community building, experts and students in Global Development collaborate with partners to serve the public, generate positive change and directly improve lives.

Our Outreach & Extension Initiatives

Get to know a few of our programs that make a positive impact on New York communities every day.

A male works with a pen on papers at a table

Improving the living and working conditions of farmworkers and their families with a vision where all farmworkers receive equal protection under law, earn a living wage, and participate fully in their communities

A male and female speak to a room full of people, Things I've learned this fall on a poster in the background

Offering a mutual learning opportunity for Cornell employees and students to work together in learning partnerships, promoting lifelong and adult learning right here on campus

Three males put potting soil into seedling containers

Generating innovative community development strategies and solutions for addressing the opportunities and challenges unique to Upstate NY’s Rust Belt cities

A class poses during a field trip to the Adirondacks

Inspiring and developing leaders for the food, agriculture and natural resources industry of the Northeast through a program to develop leadership skills, self-awareness, issues analysis, critical thinking and civic engagement.

A male walks a group of children toward a school bus

Representing and supporting the interests of small and rural school districts in New York State through research, networking, conferences and policy recommendations

Making a difference while they learn

Recent Program Highlights

Our outreach & extension efforts target deep rooted social inequalities and respond to urgent needs in our local communities

Food Security

Professor helps organize county food task force

Rachel Bezner Kerr co-leads a nerve center working to ensure that those in need have access to food and that food producers stay in operation during the crisis

Farmworkers

Cornell Farmworker Program mobilizes protections for NY farmworkers

Mobilizing support and protections for farmworkers during COVID-19 across 17 counties New York state 

Adult Education

Forging new opportunities for growth during the pandemic 

The Community Learning and Service Partnership encouraged Cornell students and mentors to be creative and flexible as they transitioned to a new learning environment

Leadership

Award winning innovation and creativity in leadership development program

LEAD New York's forward thinking program design offers a unique experience for professionals in the food, agriculture and natural resources sectors

Woman with cart of packaged food
Volunteer with mask
Annalisa Raymer teaches in classroom
A male and a female speak at a desk with blocks on the table