Cornell University ILR School

⏪ Looking back at the spring semester 🌸📚

Earlier this month, Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan officially declared May 7 as ILR Day in Buffalo! 🤝 Since the Buffalo Co-Lab’s founding in 1946, the ILR School has played a vital role in western New York, working in partnership with business, union, government, education and community organizations. On May 7, this partnership was honored at an event attended by @suny.chancellor John B. King, Jr., students and faculty from ILR and @buffalostate , and other state officials. “The partnership between @SUNY and the Cornell ILR School represents the very best of what higher education can do when institutions work together toward a shared purpose,” said Cathy Creighton, director of the Buffalo Co-Lab. “The recent inclusion of Buffalo State University students into the High Road Fellowship program is an exciting and important step forward – broadening opportunity, deepening impact and strengthening the pipeline of students engaged in meaningful, community-based work right here in western New York.” Check out the link in our bio for the full feature!

Get to know Claire Daviss, assistant professor in the Department of Organizational Behavior at the ILR School! Daviss joined the ILR faculty in fall 2025, and her work focuses on labor markets, organizations and gender inequality. Her recently published research has covered topics such as the influence of remote work on motherhood penalties in hiring decisions, and the effect of employers’ interactions with workers on their gender preferences in hiring. "We know that gender and racial inequality persist, and we know that a lot of that inequality gets produced inside organizations. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions about exactly how that happens," says Daviss. "My research can help us to tease apart those mechanisms, revealing the ways that organizational policies and practices contribute to social and economic inequality." When asked about what she's most excited for, Daviss said: "I am excited to work with ILR students, our future leaders! I hope that through my teaching and mentorship, I can help to inspire their interest in the social science research that uncovers the causes and consequences of labor market inequality." Read the full Q&A via the link in our bio!

Undergraduate Global Scholars from the Einaudi Center for International Studies, including Jonathan Lam, ILR Class of 2027, spent the year brainstorming how to build effective, community-engaged international aid. 🌏 Last month, students presented their projects at @global_cornell 's annual showcase, highlighting country-specific perspectives on aid and exploring new options for the future! Read more via the link in our bio.

ILRies making a difference: After graduating from ILR, Scott Alter '01 spent several years working in investment banking and real estate investment. Then the financial crisis of 2008 happened. Instead of pivoting away from real estate, Alter and his friend Jeff Jaeger decided to lean in: they founded Standard Communities with a focus on providing affordable housing. 🏠 “I kept running into an uncomfortable gap between what was available in the market and what people actually could afford,” Alter says. “Studying labor economics and industrial relations at Cornell, I first really grasped that the combination of work and housing really shapes everything else in a person's life. A safe, stable home and job are the foundations everything else is built on. That idea has never left me.” Standard Communities is now among the largest affordable housing owners in the country, with more than 30,000 units across 22 states and more than 160 employees. Read the full alumni feature via the link in our bio!

Good luck with finals, ILRies! 📚

For decades, Cornell's Speech and Debate program—which draws more than 100 students from across the university each academic year—has garnered top global rankings, fielding teams that compete in tournaments across the nation and around the world. Housed in the ILR School, @cornellsds supports intercollegiate teams in four styles: policy debate; worlds debate, traditionally called British Parliamentary style; Spanish-language worlds; and individual speech. “It’s civil discourse: this idea that you have an argument, and you’re not going to resort to ad hominem attacks, name-calling, or demagoguery,” says ILR senior lecturer Sam Nelson, the program’s longtime director. “You’re going to use logic to make your point, and reasoned decision-making is going to result." “If someone persuades you that you’re wrong, you can then adopt their ideas and be stronger—and that’s called growth,” Nelson observes. “But if you disprove them, it’s possible they will have that same open-mindedness and change their ideas, or at least modify them. So everybody gets stronger.” Each summer, Nelson and his assistants run an international debate camp (@cornell_isdc ) for hundreds of middle and high school students from around the world. Nelson also teaches ILR classes on speech and debate, which both fuel interest in the program and emphasize the importance of civilized discourse in today’s charged political climate. Check out the full feature via the link in our bio!

Happy last day of classes, ILRies! 🎓✨

The most future-proof skill in HR might not be what you expect. Chris Collins, Professor at Cornell’s Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies, points to something simple but powerful. In a world shaped by constant disruption, from AI to global shifts, the most valuable traits HR business partners can build are agility and curiosity. The leaders who stay relevant are the ones who keep learning, ask better questions, and connect new ideas back to their people and business. Build the capabilities to navigate change, think strategically, and lead with confidence through Cornell University’s Human Resources programs. #eCornell #HRLeadership #FutureOfWork #StrategicHR #LeadershipDevelopment

🚨Attention: Cornell undergrads!🚨 Apply to the Kheel Center Undergraduate Research Award! Submit your research project - completed between fall and spring of the current academic year - using the archival collections held at the Kheel Center or other archival repositories at Cornell. Applications are due May 31st. APPLY & FIND MORE INFO HERE: /kheelprize. Link is also in our bio. #kheelcenter #ILR #cornelluniversity #rarecornell #cornelllibrary

ILR School students, faculty and community partners recently gathered for the 2026 High Road Ithaca Student Showcase! 🎉 Throughout the spring semester, students worked closely with their community partners on projects connected to civic engagement, community development, law and policy, and human resources. At the showcase, students presented on the work they completed during the semester and highlighted the important work their partners are doing in the community. This semester’s partners included: @dorothycotton_institute , @flic_inclusivity , @lawnyinc , @midstatecoshtagram , @greaterithacaactivitiescenter , @cornell.law.school First Amendment Clinic, @centerfortransformativeaction , @ithacacityofasylum and Tompkins County Food Service Directors. Thank you to our students, faculty and community partners for the time, care and collaboration they brought to this semester. 🤝 It was exciting to see the connections students built and the work they accomplished together!

ILR loves our transfer students 😄 Hear from Adrian and Kristin on their experiences as transfer students in the ILR School!