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80 years of pioneering research, education, and real-world impact.

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Undergraduate Admissions

Our flexible, interdisciplinary major lets students pursue a wide range of academic interests and careers.

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Graduate Programs

Study the workplace comprehensively with the world’s highest concentration of workplace faculty.

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Professional Education

Invest in your career by learning from instructors who blend world-leading research with business-tested practicality.

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ILR School Events

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Legalized Inequalities: Immigration and Race in the Low-Wage Workplace

Some of the most pressing issues facing low-wage immigrant workers of color in the United States include persistent forms of disrespect and abuses of power — situations that are the direct result of U.S. policies that produce and sustain poor working conditions and job instability. This topic is addressed in "Legalized Inequalities: Immigration and Race in the Low-Wage Workplace," a new book coauthored by ILR School researchers Kati L. Griffith, Shannon Gleeson, and Patricia Campos-Medina, and Darlène Dubuisson of the University of California, Berkeley. Drawing on interviews with over 300 Haitian and Central American low-wage workers in the U.S. and with more than 50 worker advocates, the researchers reveal how contemporary U.S. labor and employment law, immigration policy, and enduring racism work in tandem to keep workers’ wages low, lock them into substandard working conditions, and minimize opportunities for change. Join us as we discuss not only the crushing consequences of U.S. policy on low-wage immigrant workers of color but also the ways in which many of these workers reclaim their dignity in the face of these obstacles. Register Now! What You'll Learn How U.S. labor and employment laws and immigration regulations intersect in the work lives of immigrantsThe ways in which the legacies of legalized racism shape immigrant worker experiencesHow low-wage immigrant workers manage to improve their workplaces through individual and sometimes collective acts of resistanceWhat policy changes and organizing strategies can reshape the low-wage workplace Speakers: Kate L. Griffith Jean McKelvey-Alice Grant Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Diversity, and Faculty Development Cornell ILR School Shannon Gleeson Edmund Ezra Day Professor, Labor Relations, Law and History Cornell ILR School Patricia Campos-Medina Senior Extension Associate Faculty and the Executive Director of the Worker Institute Cornell ILR School Darlène Dubuisson Assistant Professor of Caribbean Studies University of California, Berkeley

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Legalized Inequalities: Immigration and Race in the Low-Wage Workplace

Year in Review: The ADA in 2025

Free webinar recaps notable news related to the Americans with Disabilities Act in 2025
U.S. Capitol Building at night
Year in Review: The ADA in 2025

Exploring ILR Career Pathways: Law

The ILR School’s interdisciplinary curriculum gives students the freedom to explore many interests, and law is one of the most popular. Approximately 23%-25% of ILR undergraduates pursue law school within five years of graduating, with many applying to law school in two to three years after graduation.

ILR alumni work in many areas of the law, including tech, health care, immigration, transportation, natural resources and criminal defense, while others who earn a law degree, forgo practicing law and instead thrive in business, finance, the entertainment industry or as leaders of professional sports organizations.

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The statue Contemplation of Justice by sculptor James Earle Fraser stands on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.
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“My time at the ILR School helped me understand both labor and management perspectives, which has proven to be a solid foundation for my career.”
Rob Manfred, Commissioner of Major League Baseball

Pohler Named Inaugural Lipsky Professor

Faculty Spotlight

Dionne Pohler has been elected the inaugural David and Alexandra Lipsky Professor in Dispute Resolution and Labor Relations.

Dionne Pohler
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Catherwood Library

The Martin P. Catherwood Library is the most comprehensive resource on labor and employment in North America, offering expert research support through reference services, instruction, online guides and access to premier collections.

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Latest News and Research

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How ‘Free Money’ Helped Low-Income Workers Stay Employed

Cornell Chronicle
New research by Dionne Pohler, the David and Alexandra Lipsky Professor in Dispute Resolution and Labor Relations, found that a small, unexpected tax benefit helped low-income Canadians continue working, contrary to what classic economic theory would predict.
Money falling into outstretched hands.
How ‘Free Money’ Helped Low-Income Workers Stay Employed

Nick Salvatore, ‘One of Our Foremost Historians,’ Dies at 82

Cornell Chronicle
Nick Salvatore, a professor emeritus in the ILR School, an award-winning historian and teacher and lifelong champion for working people, died on Nov. 29 in Ithaca. He was 82.
Nick Salvatore headshot; Cornell University File Photo
Nick Salvatore, ‘One of Our Foremost Historians,’ Dies at 82

Aima Raza ’27 Explores Ecuador as Laidlaw Scholar

Cornell Chronicle
Aima Raza ’27 was one of 23 fellow Laidlaw scholars to travel to Mushullakta in the Amazon of Ecuador to learn about community-led organizing and practices in sustainability and education.
Aima Raza ’27 traveled to Ecuador as part of the  Laidlaw Leadership and Research Program.
Aima Raza ’27 Explores Ecuador as Laidlaw Scholar

Konvitz Lecturer Calls for ‘Curious, Teeming and Occasionally Noisy Pluralism’

Cornell Chronicle
Constitutional scholar Cass R. Sunstein, delivered the annual Milton Konvitz Memorial Lecture on Oct. 30. The lecture, “Free Speech on Campus,” took place at Myron Taylor Hall.
Cass Sunstein delivers the annual Milton Konvitz Memorial Lecture on Oct. 30.  Photo: Rachel Philipson for Cornell University
Konvitz Lecturer Calls for ‘Curious, Teeming and Occasionally Noisy Pluralism’

Campus Life

A view of student life at Cornell University's ILR School in Ithaca, NY.

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Good luck on exams, papers and projects, ILRies! 😁📚✨

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On Friday, December 5, the students of the High Road Ithaca program presented to community partners, ILR staff and faculty about the impact that partners and fellows are making in the community! 🤝 Launched in 2024, High Road Ithaca offers ILR students paid community engaged internships with…

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With the MILR deadline approaching (Dec. 15!), we asked six current MILR students what initially drew them to @ilrgradprograms’ HR masters program, and what has been their favorite part of the program so far. 🫶 Is Cornell also the place for you? Apply to the MILR program today! https://www.ilr…

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Happy last day of classes from two new ILRies ☃️📚

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Ho Plaza really does feel like a winter wonderland!💡❄️

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Welcome back ILRies, and Happy December! ⛄️

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