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President's Statement on Acts of Intolerance
Skorton: We must reach beyond our comfort zones and connect with one another
Students
Priority: Recruit and retain a more diverse student body.
- Cornell is awarded 'LGBT-Friendly' status by national organization (October 2007)
- Black Enterprise names Cornell one of nation's best colleges for African-Americans (August 2006)
- Cornell selected among 100 best campuses for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students (July 2006)
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Results from "Summary Update: Progress Toward Diversity & Inclusion" (PDF) indicate that between 1985 and 2005, there was a substantial decrease in the percentage of the entering class that identified as white, and a substantial increase in the percentage of entering students who identified as Asian. There were also substantial increases in international students. The percentage of Hispanic freshmen grew more slowly. Blacks were just under 5 percent of the entering class in all three periods. The Native American population grew somewhat, but remained extremely small.
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Results from "Summary Update: Progress Toward Diversity & Inclusion" (PDF) indicate that between 1985 and 2005, there was growth in the percentage of undergraduate and graduate students who are women. By 2005, there were roughly equally numbers of men and women among the Cornell undergraduate population. Men still outnumbered women among graduate students.
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Results from a Cornell University report (PDF) indicate that Cornell has a somewhat higher percentage of students receiving Pell Grants than do many other elite schools. The overwhelming majority of students who receive Pell Grants come from families that have annual incomes under $40,000.
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Results from the 2004 Freshman Survey (PDF) indicate that for Cornell and its peer schools, approximately 75 percent of entering students describe their political views as "liberal" or "middle-of-the-road". Less than 10 percent of students describe their views as "far left" or "far right". Note: Peer schools include a small group of schools with whom Cornell competes fairly evenly in terms of freshman admissions.
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Results from the 2004 Freshman Survey (PDF) indicate that for Cornell and its peer schools, the most common religious preference among entering students is "None". Both "Catholic" and "Named Christian Denomination" appear with greater frequency than "Jewish". Compared to peer schools, Cornell freshmen are somewhat more likely to self-identify as "Jewish" or "None", and less likely to self-identify with a Christian denomination. Note: Peer schools include a small group of schools with whom Cornell competes fairly evenly in terms of freshman admissions.
These data provide some indication of progress towards our diversity goals. The Cornell Division of Planning and Budget is an excellent source for additional information about students, faculty, and staff.