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The School of Industrial and Labor Relations

Work touches nearly all of us—but the relationships between workers, employers, and our economy are more complex than ever. At the ILR School, we're at the heart of these critical intersections driving innovations that will define the future of work.

Explore our programs

Our Mission

We are the preeminent educational institution in the world focused on labor, management and the economy. As a New York land-grant college, we positively impact individuals and society through teaching, research and outreach.

Students on Libe Slope
"This is no labor school where dogma will be taught, nor is this a management school where students will learn only to think of workingmen as items on a balance sheet. This is a state school whose destiny and policy shall be shaped by a board of trustees of men and women from all walks of life — from education, from business, from labor, from agriculture and from the professions."
THOMAS E. DEWEY, the fifty-first governor of New York
Thomas Dewey, 51st Governor of NY speaking at a Madison Square Garden

ILR was founded in 1945 with a mandate to train labor and management to work for the common good of the employer and the employee.

Read about our History

Students

Through a flexible, interdisciplinary curriculum, our students examine workplace issues affecting individuals, organizations and communities, then go on to become leaders across industry, government, law, nonprofit and academia.

ILR Students at Homecoming
Our students

Research

Our faculty are among the world's leading scholars in the fields of work, labor, and employment. Our interdisciplinary research draws from economics, sociology, psychology, history, statistics, and law to understand and advance the world of work.

Adam Seth Litwin speaks with two undergraduates in his office in Ives Hall.
Faculty and Research

Public Impact

As a New York State land-grant college, we conduct research that can be applied by workers, unions, organizations, legislators and communities. We build community partnerships, offer training and inform policy that extends our influence to communities across the state, the nation, and the globe.

Esta Bigler speaks to inmates seated on bleachers at Cayuga Correctional facility
Public Impact
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by the numbers

From our faculty conducting groundbreaking research to our alumni leading organizations globally, the ILR School's influence extends far beyond our Ithaca campus.

66

Faculty

51

RTE or Outreach Faculty

15+

Centers, Institutes & Programs

1,100+

Students

13,000+

Alumni

ILR Leadership Team

Alexander Colvin

  • Kenneth F. Kahn '69 Dean
  • Martin F. Scheinman ’75, MS ’76, Professor of Conflict Resolution

M. Diane Burton

  • Senior Associate Dean for Research, Outreach, and External Relations
  • Joseph R. Rich '80 Professor Human Resource Studies

Kate Griffith

  • Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Diversity, and Faculty Development
  • Jean McKelvey-Alice Grant Professor

Kara M. Lombardi

  • Assistant Dean for Student Experience and Wellbeing

Jennifer Sellen Dean

  • Assistant Dean of Alumni Affairs and Development

Craig Wren Wiggers

  • Interim Associate Dean for Finance and Administration

David A. Yantorno

  • Assistant Dean of Communications, Marketing, and Web

ILR in the Media

The most recent news articles featuring ILR experts, who are the go-to media sources for journalists worldwide.

Information for Journalists

Computer science can help abuse and trafficking survivors regain safety

Science News
This article profiles Nicki Dell, director of Technological Innovation for the Initiative on Home Care Work at ILR’s CAROW. Also a Cornell Tech associate professor, Dell founded the Clinic to End Tech Abuse and is a leader in research on technology-facilitated abuse of trafficking and domestic violence survivors.
Computer science can help abuse and trafficking survivors regain safety

Climate Insiders Want to Stop Talking About ‘Climate Change’

Heatmap
J. Mijin Cha, fellow at ILR’s Climate Jobs Institute, participated as an expert respondent in the Heatmap Insiders Survey.
Climate Insiders Want to Stop Talking About ‘Climate Change’

Justice for Jeyasre: how a brutal murder led to a better deal for garment workers in India

The Guardian
Sarosh Kuruvilla, academic director of the Global Labor Institute, provides an analysis of the Dindigul labor agreement and comments on why Natchi Apparels may be having difficulty finding new clients.
Justice for Jeyasre: how a brutal murder led to a better deal for garment workers in India
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Contact us

Find other departments

ILR Dean's Office
Cornell University, ILR School
309 Ives Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
Tel: (607) 255-2762 or (607) 255-2185

Undergraduate Admissions
Cornell University, ILR School
216 Ives Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
Tel: (607) 255-2222
ilr_admissions@cornell.edu

Graduate Programs
Cornell University, ILR School
218 Ives Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
Tel: (607) 255-1522
ilrgradapplicant@cornell.edu