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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 Leadership Team

Alexander Colvin

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

Kate Griffith

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

Ariel Avgar, PhD

  • David M. Cohen ’73 Professor of Labor Relations, ILR School
  • Senior Associate Dean for Outreach and Sponsored Research
  • Director, Center for Applied Research on Work (CAROW)

L. Rebecca Hann

  • Associate Dean for Finance and Administration

Kara M. Lombardi

  • Assistant Dean for Student Experience and Wellbeing

Jennifer Sellen Dean

  • Assistant Dean, ILR AAD

David A. Yantorno

  • Assistant Dean of Communications and Marketing – School of Industrial and Labor Relations

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.

Jonathan Lam ’27 Honored by Amnesty International USA

ILR junior Jonathan Lam was recently named the inaugural recipient of the Trailblazer in Organizing and Activism Award given by Amnesty International USA.
 Jonathan Lam ’27 speaking at the People Power Awards ceremony during Amnesty International USA's Annual General Meeting, held in February at the Westin Book Cadillac in Detroit.
Jonathan Lam ’27 Honored by Amnesty International USA

Group Offers Skills, and Friendship, to Local Students with Disabilities

Cornell Chronicle
ILRie Kathryn Erich ’26 is an active member of the TST-BOCES Career Skills Club and serves as the group's public relations chair.
TST-BOCES student Isa Santos (left) works with her teacher Helen Staller (center) and Kathryn Erich '26 (right), public relations chair for the TST-BOCES Career Skills Club. Photo courtesy of Sreang Hok/Cornell University.
Group Offers Skills, and Friendship, to Local Students with Disabilities

Kheel Center Honors Student Archival Research

Cornell Chronicle
Celine Chauviere’s paper “Rosie the Riveter’s Untold Story: African American Women’s Intersectional Struggle” earned her the 2024 Kheel Center Award for Undergraduate Research, which celebrates outstanding scholarship using the center’s archives.
Celine Chauviere ’25 (second from right) receives the Kheel Undergraduate Research Award from librarians and curators (left to right) Haven Hawley, Jim DelRosso, and Steven Calco at an April 9 awarding event.
Kheel Center Honors Student Archival Research

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.

Bohns Named to Braunstein Professorship

Vanessa Bohns has been named ILR’s Braunstein Family Professor. The Cornell Board of Trustees approved the professorship, which began Nov. 1.
Associate Professor Vanessa Bohns in the hallway of the Ives Faculty Building.
Bohns Named to Braunstein Professorship

Forrest Briscoe Q&A

Forrest Briscoe, who joined the ILR faculty in the fall of 2024, is the Maurice and Hinda Neufeld Founders Professor in Industrial and Labor Relations. He teaches and researches organization theory and strategic management.
Forrest Briscoe
Forrest Briscoe Q&A

Kricky Ksiazek, MPA ’13 Honored for Community-Engaged Innovation

Cornell Chronicle
Kricky Ksiazek, Civic Researcher and High Road Fellowship Coordinator at the ILR Buffalo Co-Lab, is one of 13 faculty members from across Cornell being honored by the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement with this year’s Community-Engaged Practice and Innovation Awards.
Kricky Ksiazek
Kricky Ksiazek, MPA ’13 Honored for Community-Engaged Innovation

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.

New York’s Clean Energy Expansion Needs a Jolt

A forthcoming report and April 30th webinar by the Climate Jobs Institute lays out what’s working, what’s stalling, and how labor-forward climate policy can close the gap
Two workers installing solar panels
New York’s Clean Energy Expansion Needs a Jolt

Jonathan Lam ’27 Honored by Amnesty International USA

ILR junior Jonathan Lam was recently named the inaugural recipient of the Trailblazer in Organizing and Activism Award given by Amnesty International USA.
 Jonathan Lam ’27 speaking at the People Power Awards ceremony during Amnesty International USA's Annual General Meeting, held in February at the Westin Book Cadillac in Detroit.
Jonathan Lam ’27 Honored by Amnesty International USA

Q&A: Tariff Impacts on Apparel Workers and Fashion Industry

Jason Judd, executive director of ILR’s Global Labor Institute, addressed questions about the potential impacts of U.S. tariffs on workers in apparel-producing countries and on the fashion industry.
Photograph of garment workers in Bangladesh at sewing machines.
Q&A: Tariff Impacts on Apparel Workers and Fashion Industry

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.

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Resources

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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.