Highlights from Announcements 8/30/21

New Graduate School Students by the Numbers: 22,296 applications. 1,981 new students. Professional master's students are the biggest subsection, followed by Ph.D. students, followed by research master's students. 543 students are in physical sciences and engineering, 1,022 students are in social sciences, 321 are in life sciences, and 95 are in arts and humanities. 48% are international, up from 45% in 2011. 59% are female, up from 51% in 2011. The top 10 countries for non-U.S.-citizen enrollment are China, India, Republic of Korea, Taiwan (ROC), Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, United Kingdom, Nepal, and Hong Kong. Official country of citizenship is as displayed on students' passports as required by federal law.
Incoming Graduate School students by the numbers


Campus Updates and Resources

Graduate School Fall 2021 Town Hall

Open to all Graduate School students – new and continuing

Thursday, September 2, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. (ET) — See Announcements for registration link

Join Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education Kathryn J. Boor and the Graduate School deans for a town hall to kick off Fall 2021. We will discuss public health requirements, updates on the fall semester, and new initiatives. Submit your questions for discussion in the Qualtrics registration form.


Fall 2021 Stipend Schedule

Fellowships – Ph.D. students should have received Fall 2021 fellowship stipends by August 27th. If you have not yet received your fellowship stipend, contact the Graduate School Fellowship Office at grad_funding@cornell.edu. As a reminder, fellowship checks are generally paid in one payment at the beginning of each semester as a bursar refund.

Assistantships (TA, GRA, GA, RA) – Students appointed on an assistantship for Fall 2021 receive stipend payments on a semimonthly pay calendar, beginning on August 31. If you have not received your first-time payment by September 1, please reach out to your graduate field assistant (GFA) or grad_funding@cornell.edu to remedy the delay. Assistantship stipend payments are paid semi-monthly throughout the semester in Workday. The first and last payments are partial payments. You can find your specific payment details in your appointment letter. Your GFA can help you if you need a copy of your appointment letter for the semester.


COVID Disruptions: Teaching Tips for Supporting the Incoming Class

Friday, September 3, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. (ET)

Many students in this incoming class experienced COVID-related academic disruptions, but not every student was affected in the same way. This may result in significant gaps in student learning. This discussion, facilitated by CTI, focuses on little things that instructors can do to support student learning and prevent those with learning gaps from last year from falling through the cracks. Graduate student teaching assistants are invited to attend.


Health and Well-being Resources for Graduate Students

  • The university’s new Mental Health at Cornell website offers information and resources to help students get support, practice self-care, help others, and get involved in campus health initiatives. Special tips are provided for graduate and professional students.
  • Cornell Health supports the health and well-being of graduate students with medical and mental health care and workshops to help busy students thrive. They also offer non-clinical support services, including Student Disability Services and Victim Advocacy.
  • Mental health care at Cornell Health includes drop-in consultation, workshops, individual counseling, and group counseling (including several groups specifically for graduate students). 
  • Notice & Respond: Friend 2 Friend for Graduate & Professional Students,” helps graduate and professional students learn connect peers in distress with appropriate sources of support and care.

The Office of the Dean of Students, Diversity & Inclusion

The Office of the Dean of Students, Diversity & Inclusion portfolio is comprised of the following seven offices:

  • Asian and Asian American Center (A3C)
  • LGBT Resource Center (LGBTRC)
  • Women’s Resource Center (WRC)
  • Undocumented/DACA Student Support
  • First-Generation & Low-Income Student Support
  • Multicultural Student Leadership & Empowerment
  • The Office of Spirituality and Meaning Making (OSSM) and Cornell United Religious Works (CURW), which offer resources, programs and opportunities to support and engage undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.  

In addition to employment opportunities, graduate and professional students can benefit from LGBT Monthly Mixers at the Big Red Barn, religious accommodations, identity-conscious programs and workshops, the Swipe Out Hunger program, and the newly formed Cornell Bridge program for Undocumented students. Information about events and resources can be found on our respective Campus Groups and Instagram pages.

We encourage you to visit Office of the Dean of Students website to learn more about the units within the Office of the Dean of Students.


Registrar

Fall 2021 Important Dates

  • Sept. 09 Add deadline
  • Sept. 17 Last day to register without a late registration fee

Checking Registration Status and Holds

To check your registration status, log into Student Essentials and view your “Registration Status” at the top of the page. If you are registered, your Registration Status will state “Registered” with a green checkmark. If the green checkmark is not present there may be a hold on your record preventing registration. There are several types of holds that may be placed on a student’s record. Holds that prevent university registration require immediate attention. Click on “more information” for complete details including steps on how to resolve a hold.


COVID Vaccination at Cornell

All students – undergraduate, graduate, professional – are required to be vaccinated and to submit proof of vaccination (or request medical or religious exemption). Students who did not submit proof of vaccination by August 16 have had a hold placed on their registration. All students should upload their vaccinations to the Daily Check site. Cornell Health is offering on-campus vaccination clinics. You may find detailed information on Cornell Health’s website.

Cornell Tech students who have questions should visit the Cornell Tech COVID-19 website or contact Covid19@tech.cornell.edu.


Course Enrollment Reminder

All research master’s and Ph.D. students have been automatically enrolled for 12 credits in a research course by the Graduate School each academic semester. Students should enroll in field-specific research course offerings with their faculty during the Add period in addition to the GRAD research course (refer to Enrollment Guide for details).

If you did not complete the Fall Checklist by the August 10th deadline (via the Daily Check), an enrollment hold has been placed on your record preventing you from enrolling in classes for the fall term. If you have not completed the checklist, please do so immediately.


News

Meet the Graduate School’s New Graduate Student Life Advisor

Angela YantornoGraduate Student Life Advisor Angela Yantorno supports students and will be offering office hours from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays at the Big Red Barn.

Learn more about her background, goals, interests, and office hours.


Student Spotlight: Lyrianne González

Lyrianne GonzálezLyrianne González is a doctoral student in history from Los Angeles, California. After attending California State University, Northridge as an undergraduate, she chose to pursue further study at Cornell for the opportunity to work alongside her mentors and the flexibility of the field of history.

Read more about Lyrianne González.

Check out our other student spotlights and learn about students’ research, hobbies, and experiences at Cornell.


Kudos!

Soil and Crop Sciences Doctoral Candidate Launches Experiment

Morgan Irons stands in front of a Blue Origin rocketAs the recipient of the 2019 Ken Souza Spaceflight Award, soil and crop sciences doctoral candidate Morgan Irons was down in Texas this month to launch a soil science experiment aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket. The experiment tested rocket launch and return effects on soil structure — complementing her 2020 ISS experiment.