The ILR Journey Begins
The 271 ILR students who are among the nearly 4,000 first-year and transfer Cornell students descending on Ithaca starting Friday include social changemakers, athletes, and school and community leaders from around the world.
They have earned black belts and gold medals, created new student groups, art and businesses. They have organized marches, car shows and political campaigns. They have worked in landscaping, fast-food service and garment repair, as well as at law firms, gas stations and ski shops.
Unlike the majority of Cornell students arriving this weekend for the Class of 2023 & Transfer Student Orientation, the ILRies’ journeys began two months ago with an invitation to join Canvas and Chatter.
Canvas, which is used by professors campus-wide during the school year to post syllabi, assignments, reading materials and due dates, was implemented by ILR staff to provide modules to incoming students about the foundations of scheduling, ILR policy and Orientation basics. Each module includes written and video content, assignments and quizzes. There is also a resources module that houses useful links.
Chatter is ILR’s online communications platform. When incoming students had questions, ranging from what to bring to campus to how to get involved upon arrival, they posted their inquiries and current ILR students responded.
“When I started in this role, I began exploring the idea of using technology to onboard new students over the summer,” said Rebecca Schimenti, assistant director of advising at the ILR Office of Student Services. “There were two main reasons for why our office implemented an online pre-orientation course. The first was to provide new students with information about the ILR curriculum prior to the summer pre-enrollment window and the second was to reduce the amount of information thrown at them during Orientation. By giving more transactional information to students over the summer, we can switch gears once students are on campus for orientation and focus on building community and easing the overall transition to ILR.
“We still need to collect data to evaluate the program from a student perspective, but the amount of engagement we’ve seen throughout the summer suggests that it’s the start of a successful program.”
With the online portion of Orientation completed, first-year students will arrive on campus for move-in at 8 a.m. Friday, and a pair of newcomers – Brian Park and Anika Fischer – will make the trip from opposite ends of the country.
Park hails from Los Altos, California, and will fly cross-country with both parents. Upon their arrival the family will join numerous other new students in what could be considered an unofficial orientation event – heading to Target to purchase residence hall essentials.
A first-generation American, Park’s parents attended college in their native South Korea and his extended family was his inspiration for a paper he co-authored on nuclear proliferation that was presented at the Critical Issues Forum at the 2018 Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
“As someone with family who resides next to a rogue state with access to nuclear weaponry, the concept of total nuclear disarmament was appealing to me,” he said in an interview.
Unlike Park’s trek, Fischer will make the short two-hour trip from her hometown of Rochester with two carloads packed with everything she needs.
“My mom keeps telling me that if I forget something, she will be more than happy to come visit me and drop it off,” Fischer said.
A Junior PGA competitor who was captain of the golf team at Our Lady of Mercy School, Fischer organized a golf tournament during her senior year to benefit the Angels of Mercy’s Stop the Trafficking program, a nonprofit that operates in the Rochester area.
“In high school, I was involved in various leadership positions, which gave me confidence that I could, in turn, not only advocate for individuals in my school community, but in the wider world,” she said. “ILR is so perfect for me. There are so many different pathways I can take, especially with the flexibility of the classes, I can really venture out and take full advantage of the possibilities of this program to find where I can make the most impact.”
In addition to moving into the residence halls, new students will have myriad events available to ease the transition to the next phase of their lives. Orientation events include:
ILR Open House (Ives Hall, Second Floor Lobby)
Friday – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Students and their families are invited to meet staff from student services, career services, international programs and off-campus and credit internship programs.
Dean Welcome (Uris Hall, G01 Auditorium)
Saturday – 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Students and their families are invited to attend an informal gathering to receive an overview of what to expect as students transition to ILR and Cornell.
ILR Family Reception (Ives Hall, Harry C. Katz Courtyard)
Saturday – 5 to 6 p.m.
Students and their families are invited for an informal reception with ILR Dean Alex Colvin, faculty and staff from Student Services, Career Services, International Programs, and Alumni Affairs and Development. Light refreshments will be provided.
ILR New Student Orientation Meeting (305 Ives Hall)
Monday – 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Staff members from the ILR's Student Experience Team will present information on the school's curriculum, academic support services and course scheduling. All first-year and transfer students must attend.
ILR Catherwood Library Orientation Sessions (Catherwood Library)
Monday – 1 to 4 p.m.
New students will learn from Catherwood staff members about library resources.
Transfer Student Panel (105 Ives Hall)
Tuesday – 11 a.m. to noon.
Transfer students will have the opportunity to speak with staff and current students who transferred into ILR about their transition to Cornell and ILR. Staff members will also be available to provide guidance on the transition and answer questions about opportunities available to ILR students.
First-Year Student Panel (305 Ives Hall)
Tuesday – 1 to 2 p.m.
First-year students will have the opportunity to speak with current ILR students about their transitions to Cornell and ILR. Staff members will also be available to provide guidance on the transition and answer questions about opportunities available to ILR students.
ILR Peer Mentor Gathering (Ives Hall Classrooms)
Wednesday – 11:30 a.m. to noon
New students will be introduced to their peer mentor and will have an opportunity to meet them in small groups for discussion. These peer mentors will serve as an ongoing support system throughout their first semester in the ILR School.
Student Experience Team Welcome BBQ (Ives Hall, Harry C. Katz Courtyard)
Wednesday – noon to 2 p.m.
First-year and transfer students are invited to meet the ILR Student Experience Team, including members from Admissions, Career Services, Credit Internship, International Programs and Student Services. This is also an opportunity to connect with other ILR students before the first day of classes.
For more Orientation information, visit: https://newstudents.cornell.edu/.