Cornell's Commitment to Diversity

History

"In response to your letter first received, I would say that we have no colored students at the University at present but shall be very glad to receive any who are prepared to enter . . . we should receive him even if all our five hundred white students were to ask for dismissal on that account."

Andrew Dickson White, Cornell's first president, in an 1874 letter

Cornell's commitment to 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."

At a time when the American Equal Rights Association was being formed as a coalition between women's rights and anti-slavery organizations (1866) and prior to the adoption of the 14th Amendment (1868), Ezra Cornell and co-founder Andrew Dickson White were committed to creating a university that was open to all individuals regardless of race or gender. In a letter dated February 17, 1867, Ezra Cornell stated: "I want to have girls educated in the university as well as boys, so that they may have the same opportunity [sic] to become wise and useful to society that the boys have."

photo of Open Doors... ribbon cutting

The university celebrated the five year anniversary of "Open Doors, Open Hearts, and Open Minds" in 2005.

Cornell's commitment has continued over time, as reflected in its many "firsts", which include:

  • In 1872, Cornell was one of the first co-educational institutions in the East;
  • In 1906, Cornell was the founding institution for Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the first undergraduate African American fraternity;
  • In 1916, Rho Psi, the first Asian fraternity in the Ivy League, was established at Cornell;
  • In 1929, Cornell was the first university to have an interfaith department for religious affairs;
  • In 1936, Cornell was the first university to award a Ph.D. to an African American woman (Flemmie Kittrell),

In January of 2000, Cornell University renewed its commitment to diversity and inclusiveness by developing a new vision in its statement, "Open Doors, Open Hearts and Open Minds".

In December 2006, Cornell announced the formation of a University Diversity Council to deepen and reinvigorate the university's commitment to creating and sustaining an inclusive campus community.