On May 19, 2021, the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity (ED) spotlighted Cornell University, the featured guest of the Micro Acceleration information Session series. Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York, is a private institution with a public mission to discover, preserve and disseminate knowledge, to educate the next generation of global citizens, and to promote a culture of broad inquiry beyond the Cornell community.

Cornell’s information session created a bridge for minority students to engage with Cornell faculty members and to hear first-hand information about current minority education opportunities and future initiatives. Ms. Anitra Douglas-McCarthy, Senior Director of Recruitment, Office of Inclusion and Student Engagement, led the session by providing an overview of opportunities at Cornell which includes various degree programs, funding opportunities, support for minority students, graduate school application tips, and summer internship opportunities. Cornell offers graduate programs at the Masters and Ph.D. levels. Generally, students seeking a Masters degree are career driven while students seeking a Ph.D. are often academically driven, have a desire to work on advanced research projects to impact their fields of study, and in some cases, are interested in faculty careers. Of particular interest to Ph.D. seeking candidates, the program is “fully funded,” research intensive, takes between 5-6 years to complete, and prepares students for an academic career, industry, or a path to their own research.

Douglas-McCarthy also advised students to consider the following when deciding on graduate programs: academic/faculty fit, size of program, cost, geographic location, admissions criteria, available resources/facilities, future career options, and community and support systems. To reiterate the significance of selecting the “right graduate program,” a Cornell graduate student provided feedback on his student experiences in the program. The intricate details and experiences spoke directly to students considering Cornell as their university of choice.

Cornell University continuously provides resources to students, and this year, made a commitment to allow the Department of Energy’s Minority Educational Institution Student Partnership Program (MEISPP) student interns select from approximately 1,000 lessons which can be accessed at any time and to focus on areas such as Business Acumen, Diversity and Inclusion, Climate Change, and Communication. In addition, MEISPP students will also have access to the learning paths as well as the full library at e-Cornell from June 7 through December 31, 2021. In addition to this free access to personal and professional development, everything a student completes will be consolidated in a transcript that can be included on a résumé. Students may access On-Demand Dashboard by visiting the US Department of Energy - MEISPP | OD-MC On-Demand area.