Vision and Scope
If you pick up a newspaper, turn on the TV, or go to an internet news site, most of the things you really want to know about are things that social scientists study. In order to be a fully informed member of society, social science literacy is a necessity.
The social sciences lie at the heart of Cornell's mission to educate global citizens, investigate the most serious and complex questions facing people and societies, and apply research and knowledge that advance the public good and lighten the burdens of the world. Almost every avenue of research—from life sciences to law—asks questions that cannot be fully understood without a social science perspective.
Cornell social scientists tackle problems like entrepreneurs, critiquing outmoded methods and pioneering new ways to investigate and address critical issues people everywhere face in their communities and daily lives. At their fingertips is a research community with the academic breadth to allow them to explore and break new ground.
The next generation of high-impact institutions must foster creative collaborations among scholars with diverse specialties if they are to keep pace with the interdisciplinary way research is being done now. Cornell already has many of the pieces in place to make this happen.
Across 10 colleges and units, 28 departments are identified with the social sciences. Another 53 centers, programs, and initiatives have social science components. Collaboration among these areas is vitalized through connections fostered by the Institute for the Social Sciences and fueled by high-powered computing resources that offer the analytical tools to help transform data into impact faster than ever before.
Building on Cornell’s strengths and bolstering the collaborative power of the Institute for the Social Sciences, the Social Sciences Initiative will expand opportunities for researchers and students to work together across the disciplines, thus inspiring new thinking, new knowledge, and new answers.
Key components of the Social Sciences Initiative include establishing endowment for: