Marc Lacey at an even with students
Making an impact

Public engagement: local and global

The College of Arts & Sciences is committed to education and research that engages with the world -- no ivory towers on this campus. As a land grant university with a longstanding imperative to contribute to the greater good, an ethos of public service and engagement runs deep at Cornell. In Arts & Sciences we are forging community partnerships, solving local and global challenges and creating knowledge to benefit humanity.

Programs and initiatives

Programs and initiatives

a group of people, with two holding Emmy awards
Chris Kitchen Cornell Cinema student staff and Director Molly Ryan, far left standing, pose with Kantor and Ferguson and two of their Emmys at a reception after the Arts Unplugged event.

Open your mind

Arts Unplugged series

The College of Arts & Sciences’ Arts Unplugged series brings research and creative works into the public sphere for discussion and inspiration. These outreach events invite a broad audience to explore the work of scholars and faculty from all disciplines, all backgrounds and all time periods and to celebrate the impact that work continues to have on our daily lives.

Explore recent and upcoming Arts Unplugged events.

Dean Ray Jayawardhana (left) moderates “Transcending Echo Chambers: Political Polarization and the Media” with panelists Andrew Morse ’96, S. E. Cupp ’00, Matthew Hiltzik ’94; and Alexandra Cirone, assistant professor of government.
Dean Ray Jayawardhana (left) moderates “Transcending Echo Chambers: Political Polarization and the Media” with panelists Andrew Morse ’96, S. E. Cupp ’00, Matthew Hiltzik ’94; and Alexandra Cirone, assistant professor of government.

Engagement for an informed society

Distinguished Visiting Journalist Program

The College of Arts & Sciences' new Distinguished Visiting Journalist Program brings accomplished journalists to Cornell for extended visits. The program aims to recognize excellence in journalism and to provide opportunities for select journalists and the university community to engage with each other. 

Learn more about the program.

Illustrated poster for "Racism in America: Economy" event

Exploring our greatest challenges

Racism in America series

Organized in partnership with the American Studies Program and open to the general public, this webinar series explores research-based discoveries and potential solutions for combating systemic racism and improving equity.

Faculty experts examine how racism is embedded in education, criminal justice, health care and economic systems, as well as within U.S. government policy.

Explore recent Racism in America events.

More ways to make an impact

Engagement programs across Cornell

Cornell's commitment to public engagement extends across the university with many exciting programs for both students and faculty. Here are a few more ways to make an impact.

Public engagement news

Steven Strogatz standing next to a table of students who are working on a math problem
Jason Koski/Cornell University Steve Strogatz brings math alive through engaged learning techniques in his class, Mathematical Explorations.

$5M gift establishes first-of-its-kind professorship in math and science outreach

Public Engagement
Cornell Chronicle
Dean Ray Jayawardhana (left) moderates “Transcending Echo Chambers: Political Polarization and the Media” with panelists Andrew Morse ’96, S. E. Cupp ’00, Matthew Hiltzik ’94; and Alexandra Cirone, assistant professor of government.
Dean Ray Jayawardhana (left) moderates “Transcending Echo Chambers: Political Polarization and the Media” with panelists Andrew Morse ’96, S. E. Cupp ’00, Matthew Hiltzik ’94; and Alexandra Cirone, assistant professor of government.

Panelists: Good journalism can help combat divisions

Distinguished Visiting Journalists
Cornell Chronicle
Andrew Morse
Andrew Morse

Morse named A&S Zubrow Distinguished Visiting Journalist

Distinguished Visiting Journalists
Cornell Chronicle
Person speaking at the front of a room
Noël Heaney/Cornell University Natalie Wolchover speaks March 15 in Lewis Auditorium.

Visiting journalist: Science writing is ‘good for the world’

Distinguished Visiting Journalist
Cornell Chronicle

Faculty Engaged with the World

Faculty engaged with the world

Kim Haines-Eitzen, the Paul and Berthe Hendrix Memorial Professor in Near Eastern Studies, helps Morgan Freeman decode the "number of the beast" on National Geographic's "The Story of God."

Faculty Commentary on Current Events

Old stone building with a tower; grass growing on roof
Provided St. Hovhannes Church of Chahuk (built in the 12th or 13th century and renovated in the 17th and 19th centuries) was destroyed between 1997 and 2009, as documented in a new report from Caucasus Heritage Watch.

Hundreds of Armenian heritage sites at risk in Nagorno-Karabakh

Cultural heritage
A&S Communications
Wind turbines in calm water against a blue dusk sky
Nicholas Doherty/Unsplash

World Bank reforms central to Biden’s G20 trip

Government
A&S Communications
smart phone on a table, showing an image of the U.S. map

Google requires disclosure for AI in election ads

Government
A&S Communications
A large hill dotted with green foliage under a blue sky
Mikesclark/Creative Commons license 3.0 A view of Solano County, CA

California Forever plans prove ‘colonizing spirit’ still exists

History
A&S Communications
Little hands stack four colorful toy blocks
Markus Spiske/Unsplash The childcare industry has been unstable for decades, says historian Justine Modica.

As Covid funding expires, ‘fundamental flaw’ in childcare industry remains

History
A&S Communications
Military vehicle firing a missile while parked in a field
Vony Razom/Unsplash A military vehicle with a missile in the air

Kim Jong-un ‘taking advantage’ of Russian need for artillery shells

History
A&S Communications
A stag with a crown rearing next to a shield with a star on it and feather plumes at the top; on the other side is a condor, also with a crown, and the text across the bottom "Por la razon o la fuerza"
B1mbo; based on Logo Gobierno de Chile 2010.png by Official coat of arms Coat of arms of the Republic of Chile.

Shadow of former dictatorship hangs heavy in Chile

International politics
A&S Communications
A globe map with Africa visible and the countries outlines, with Gabon on the west central coast in red
TUBS Location of Gabon on the globe.

Does Gabon coup hurt or aid democracy? Too soon to tell

International politics
A&S Communications
Person leans on a table to write in an office set up outdoors
Per Meistrup/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license Voters in the Thailand general election 2019

Thai elections defy long-standing rule banning criticism of monarchy

Global politics
A&S Communications
Large aircraft without a cockpit parked on a runway at sunset
Defense Visual Information Distribution Service An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle parked on a taxiway at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada

If verified, drone strike against Putin could be a significant turning point

International politics
A&S Communications

Faculty in the News

Locals push back against plans to build a tech utopia in Solano County, Calif. (audio, begins 3:50)

NPR

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Raymond B. Craib

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History

09/18/2023

Unexpected Elements (audio, starts 30:09)

BBC

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Sturt Manning

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Classics, Archaeology Program

09/16/2023

Impeachment Inquiry Looms Over House Republicans in Tight Races

Wall Street Journal

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David Alexander Bateman

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Government

09/16/2023

How Ukraine Could Take Crimea Back From Russia

Newsweek

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David Silbey

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History

09/14/2023

Can Joe Biden and a Fistful of Cash Win Rural America for Democrats?

U.S. News & World Report

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Suzanne Mettler

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09/15/2023

What might Kim Jong Un have that Putin's military needs in Ukraine?

NBC News

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David Silbey

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History

09/14/2023

What happens in 2024 if Joe Biden and Donald Trump are both impeached?

USA Today

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David Alexander Bateman

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09/13/2023

Can Elizabeth Warren do it again?

Vox

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Sarah Kreps

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09/14/2023