Skip to main content
ILR Building in Ithaca, NY

Message from the Dean

Dean Colvin speaking with students.

The world of work has evolved tremendously in recent years and the pace of change continues to accelerate as we look to the future. At ILR, we study work, labor and employment and make sense of this complex ecosystem that impacts nearly every person on our planet. Our faculty are among the top researchers in their fields and our students are leaders in the classroom, at the university and in their communities. ILRies go on to be leaders in industry, government, law, nonprofit and academia and make significant contributions in their chosen fields. The relevance and impact of ILR education has never been greater.

- Alex Colvin, Ph.D. '99,  Kenneth F. Kahn '69 Dean and the Martin F. Scheinman '75, 'MS '76, Professor of Conflict Resolution

Our Mission

As the preeminent educational institution in the world focused on work, employment and labor, we are dedicated to generating and disseminating knowledge that improves the lives of workers and transforms the future of work.

As a New York land-grant college, we positively impact individuals and society through:

  • Teaching: Creating an engaging and challenging learning environment focused on the development of critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that develop the next generation of leaders.
  • Research: Generating innovative and relevant research in the social sciences that is focused on work, employment and labor that influences public policy, informs organizational strategy and improves professional practice.
  • Outreach: Applying thought leadership and research into practice for workers, unions, organizations and communities.

Our Vision

We exist to drive positive change in work, employment and labor that advances the world of work.

the cornell tower with cherry blossoms

Our History

Founded in 1945 as the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations, the ILR School today is advancing the world of work through teaching, research and outreach. ILR’s mission is to prepare leaders, inform national and international employment and labor policy, and improve working lives, but as the world of work evolves, the school’s focus broadens to keep pace with that change.

Read more about our history
ilr-nickname Icon

by the numbers

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

ILRies study work to make an impact. They represent the most diverse student body at Cornell University, and go on to be leaders in industry, government, law, nonprofit and research.

Katherine DeRose ’26 Finds the Perfect Fit at Cornell

Were it not for a teachers’ strike that happened decades before her birth, Connecticut native Katherine (Katie) DeRose ’26 might not have considered applying to Cornell.
Katie DeRose '26 at Taughannock Falls in fall 2024.
Katherine DeRose ’26 Finds the Perfect Fit at Cornell

Dylan Hatch: One M.S. Degree, Two Passions

What attracted Dylan Hatch M.S. ’25 to the ILR M.S. program was that it would allow him to combine his passions, and he has now graduated with enhanced qualifications for doing research to support justice in the labor movement.
Dylan Hatch
Dylan Hatch: One M.S. Degree, Two Passions

M.S. Program Leads to Job as Union Representative for Ariana Shapiro

The ILR School’s M.S. degree program has propelled Ariana Shapiro, M.S. ’25 to a job as a program representative with the New York State Nurses Association.
Ariana Shapiro, M.S. ’25
M.S. Program Leads to Job as Union Representative for Ariana Shapiro

Our faculty make up the world's leading researchers focused on work, labor and employment. They study every aspect of the world of work from varied and interdisciplinary disciplines.

Peter Bamberger Wraps Up Successful Run as AOM President

Peter Bamberger, ’82, M.S. ’84, Ph.D. ’90, recently concluded his run as president of the Academy of Management, the world’s largest professional association for management and organization scholars.
Peter Bamberger passes the gavel to new AOM President Tammy Madsen at the 85th Annual Academy of Management Conference, held in July 2025, in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Peter Bamberger Wraps Up Successful Run as AOM President

Get to Know: Devin Wiggs

Devin Wiggs, who joined the ILR faculty in the fall of 2024, is an assistant professor in the Department of Global Labor and Work. His research examines organized labor’s relationship to finance capital.
Devin Wiggs
Get to Know: Devin Wiggs

Four New Faculty Joining ILR

The ILR School will welcome four new faculty members who begin July 1. The school's Global Labor and Work Department welcomes Justine Modica and Dionne Pohler, while Claire Daviss and Merrick Osborne join the Department of Organizational Behavior.
Golden Courtyard Banner
Four New Faculty Joining ILR

As a New York State land-grant college, we apply research into practice for workers, unions, organizations, and communities to improve the world of work. We build community partnerships and trainings to improve workers’ lives across the world and contribute to an organization’s success.

Why Federal Contracts are Important for Promoting Quality Work and Wages

How have recent policy changes affected federal contractors and others in their industries? Anne Marie Brady of the Worker Institute outlines the framework of laws regulating federal contracts, which have historically ensured worker protections.
Photo of a piece of paper that says "CONTRACT" coming out of a typewriter
Why Federal Contracts are Important for Promoting Quality Work and Wages

Worker Institute Researcher Elected to NYAAPOR Council

Michael Lenmark, Survey Statistician at the Worker Institute, has been elected as the Associate Secretary Treasurer for the American Association for Public Opinion Research, New York.
Michael Lenmark
Worker Institute Researcher Elected to NYAAPOR Council

High Road NYC Enters Its Third Year

Cornell ILR’s High Road New York City program began its third year at the start of June. 24 ILR undergraduates will spend eight weeks working across 17 partner organizations around the city for a summer full of engaged learning.
High Road NYC students gather for a photo with invited speaker Adam Klein and program director Esta Bigler.
High Road NYC Enters Its Third Year

ILR Resources

Faculty and Staff Resources

Find information and links to many departments and services within the ILR School, including technology services, room bookings, and the Dean's Office.

people walk past round window of Catherwood Library
Resources

It's quick and easy to give online. Fill in our giving form to make a one-off, scheduled, or recurring gift.

red canvas texture
Make your gift

Contact Us

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

Find other contact information and departments here.