WCGS recognizes that diversity within our program fosters excellence and innovation. Thus, the Graduate School makes every effort to enhance diversity and is particularly committed to training students from underrepresented groups, with disabilities or from disadvantaged backgrounds. We are proud of the fact that underrepresented students make 25% of our US citizen/permanent resident cohort at WCGS in the entering classes of 2015-2021.
The Graduate School has been working hard to increase recruitment and retention of students from historically underrepresented (HU) groups, as described in the following sections. In 2020, WCGS received the highest number of PhD program applications in the school’s history from HU applicants for the fifth consecutive year, leading to significant increases in the number of HU interviews and matriculants. HU enrollment has risen from 13% in 2014 to 29% in 2020. While applications dipped slightly in 2021, the caliber and diversity of students has remained very high. We have a very diverse PhD class this year with 66% of students identifying as women, 29% international, 18% underrepresented students as defined by NIH, and an additional 4 students who are either DACA or international students from African/Latin American countries. Additionally, 14 identify as disadvantaged, also an NIH underrepresented group. We attribute these increases and recent successes in areas of diversity to several strategic efforts: (1) dedicated, full time staff helping to lead recruitment efforts: an Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion and a Diversity Program Manager; (2) the establishment of an NIGMS-funded IMSD program to attract talented students, (3) robust engagement through the Office of Student Diversity, which coordinates pipeline and outreach programs, diversity programming and diversity recruitment for the Graduate School and Medical College, and (4) the establishment of a Social Justice and Anti-Racism Task Force comprised of faculty, students and staff to assess and address areas of diversity and inclusion across Weill Cornell Graduate School.
Efforts to Recruit Students from HU Groups
WGCS has long been committed to training underrepresented students in the PhD programs and has established the following efforts in order to attract and develop the best students:
- WCGS-Specific Recruitment and Marketing Plan. The Graduate School, in collaboration with the marketing team in the Office of External Affairs, developed a recruitment plan that identified how WCGS compares to competitor schools, assessed our program strengthens, and have identified target schools and conferences by which to recruit. The WCGS recruitment tools include hard-copy flyers with pictures of students from our program, a database of admissions details, email campaigns, active social media platforms, and search engine optimization. Our measures of success included program awareness, the number of applicants, the caliber of applicants, and the diversity of applicants. We have a designated recruitment budget within the Graduate School and invite graduate school faculty to virtual recruitment events throughout the year. Since 2015, WCGS has seen significant increases in applicant numbers, the diversity of applicants, and the number of interviews offered to students using these established methods.
- Virtual Webinars at Conferences and Colleges with Significant or Predominant HU Enrollment. Multiple WCGS faculty members, program coordinators, deans, and graduate students typically travel to recruitment events across the country. However, recently we have taken advantage of Zoom to offer virtual recruitment opportunities. The Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) and the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) national conferences are the top recruiting events for the ACCESS Program and the Graduate School. WCGS attends the NIH Graduate & Professional School Fair, which attracts a large number of NIH summer interns (especially those in college) and NIH postbacs, as well as other college students in the DC area including from minority-serving institutions such as Howard University. WCGS also regularly meets with Cornell University, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Spelman College, and Morehouse College. Due to strong RISE and MARC programs and the large minority student population at many local colleges, WCGS visits several CUNY schools including City College, Hunter College, Brooklyn College, Macaulay Honors College, Medgar Evers College, and John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which recently hosted the PRISM Undergraduate Research Symposium. WCGS has a strong and long-standing relationship with Hunter College, only 4 blocks from the WCM campus. In addition to local colleges, the Graduate School visits the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) campuses with other Ivy+ schools. Each year, 1-2 WCGS representatives participate on panels that discuss graduate school education and the application process at UPR.
- The ACCESS Summer Program. This 10-week summer internship program was established by the Graduate School in 1994 for underrepresented minority, disabled and disadvantaged college students (gradschool.weill.cornell.edu/student-research). The aim of the program is to inspire underrepresented students to choose biomedical research as a career by providing them with an internship in a biomedical research laboratory. In addition to a laboratory internship, ACCESS offers students (approximately 10-12 per summer): (1) lectures and discussions aimed at enhancing an understanding of the current status of biomedical research and the range of career opportunities available; (2) weekly journal clubs; and (3) community-building activities in and around New York City. Each ACCESS student receives a stipend of $6,000 and compensation for travel expenses. On-campus housing is provided free of charge. At the end of the laboratory experience, a celebratory award ceremony is held in which the students give poster and oral presentations on their research. In addition, the students present their research at the annual National Leadership Alliance Symposium (http://www.theleadershipalliance.org/) in July. The ACCESS program is highly competitive, receiving over 330 applications last year. While ACCESS program participants engaged virtually in 2021 and 2021, faculty mentors, staff, and participants worked closely to ensure the students had productive and valuable experiences. We look forward to hosting students on campus again next year.
- The Leadership Alliance. WCGS actively participates and financially supports The Leadership Alliance in its quest to create leaders and role models for underrepresented students. Every summer Leadership Alliance students participate in the ACCESS Program, performing research in laboratories at Weill Cornell under the mentorship of Graduate School faculty members. The students present their research at the Leadership Alliance National Symposium and at the ACCESS Summer Research Program Final Presentation ceremony.
- Partnerships and Recruitment from McNair, IMSD, MARC and RISE Programs. WCGS has established numerous formal and informal partnerships with Program Directors from McNair, IMSD, MARC, RISE and PREP programs to recruit talented students. Last year the Graduate School visited 7 different programs to speak about the WCGS, and IMSD programs at our institution. Our Weill Cornell IMSD program (see below) includes partnerships with 9 different institutions that we visit annually for recruitment. Last year WCGS also attended at the Ronald McNair Annual Symposium in Florida where we connected with McNair program directors. For the past three years, we have visited the undergraduate IMSD program at UMass Boston, which holds an annual graduate school fair. Our relationships with the programs has been integral to the diversity within the WCGS.
- Activities Involving WCGS Students. WCGS sends students from underrepresented groups to recruit at the ABRCMS and SACNAS conferences and local universities. Our graduate students are very deft at promoting the WCGS programs, and they are our best recruiters. The graduate students also train and advise the ACCESS students during the 10-week program. The Office of Student Diversity and the student-run Tri-Institutional Minority Society (TIMS) organize a special event for minority applicants who attend the interview days in January and February. The recruits have the opportunity to interact one on one with our current students, thus affording them the opportunity to ask specific questions pertaining to student life. With the Office of Alumni Relations, headed by Sharon Meiri Fox, the Graduate School is planning to engage alumni in our recruitment efforts as we travel to cities around the country.
Efforts to Recruit Students with Disabilities
Cornell’s long-standing record of accomplishment in the recruitment and retention of students who are members of underrepresented groups reflects a philosophy that values every student’s ability. We are redoubling our efforts to ensure that our record of success extends to students with disabilities. To that end, the WCGS participates in institutional-level efforts at recruiting students with disabilities. These efforts include:
- WCGS is a member of AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability). AHEAD is the premiere professional association committed to full participation of persons with disabilities in postsecondary education. We include our graduate school promotional materials in the welcome packets of the AHEAD meetings as well as programmatic-specific material.
- WCGS advertises on Cornell and CUNY, campuses with large numbers of students with disabilities. The WCGS has established a strong connection with Cornell’s Student Disability Services (SDS; https://sds.cornell.edu/) to recruit students with disabilities. We are continuing outreach efforts with the SDS Office to increase visibility and attract persons with disabilities to the program.
- If an applicant volunteers that they have physical or learning disabilities (e.g., ADD, ADHD and dyslexia) on their application, disability services through the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs handles it as is appropriate for the situation (e.g., assures that all necessary accommodations are made for the student’s campus interview/visit). Often, however, applicants don’t self-identify in this way; in such cases, disabilities are handled appropriately if/when they are noticed by faculty/staff (which leads to appropriate confidential consultation with the student before any action is taken). Importantly, knowing the student’s situation enables disability services and the Graduate School to be effective advocates for the student.
Accommodation Efforts
WCGS prides itself on providing an open and accommodating environment for all students. All buildings are ADA compliant, and apartments outfitted to accommodate students with special needs are available. WCM Housing has apartments outfitted to accommodate students with special needs. There are currently three disabled students enrolled in our programs.
In addition to students with physical or learning disabilities, WCGS has a well-developed mechanism for providing assistance to students who have psychiatric problems. For example, in one academic year, WCM’s Student Mental Health Services referred 27 MD-PhD students (out of 107), 82 MD-only students (out of 373) and 101 PhD-only students (out of 465) for psychiatric treatment. Reflecting the importance of providing mental health services to our students, the Department of Psychiatry at WCM has established mechanisms for providing affordable psychiatric care to students.
Maximizing Potential for Students from HU Groups.
Getting students from underrepresented groups to join the program is only the first part of the training endeavor. The WCGS works to ensure that students from underrepresented groups, with disabilities, feel welcome and comfortable here, so that they thrive. Overall PhD completion rates for HU and non-HU students are comparable, with HU rates being slightly better. Since 2012, WCGS has put in place several approaches, such as student tracking records, earlier deadline for ACE, formal written feedback from laboratory rotations and thesis committee meetings, IDP, etc., to ensure that very few students leave without a PhD degree.
- Office of Student Diversity. The WCGS Office of Student Diversity was established in 2017 to maintain student retention and provide support to students from diverse and underrepresented groups. The goals of the office are to: (1) promote the recruitment and retention of a talented and diverse medical and graduate student body, particularly from populations underrepresented in science and medicine; (2) ensure that all students inclusive of gender, sexual, racial, ethnic, cultural, political, and religious identity and background, have a genuine sense of belonging in the WCM community; (3) help students achieve their highest potential for scholarly excellence and career advancement; and (4) engage and support community service and outreach both in medicine and science to underserved communities. WCGS and the Office of Student Diversity, led by Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Dr. Yazmin Carrasco, works to ensure that students from underrepresented groups feel welcome and comfortable on campus. Since May 2017, the Office has hosted mixers, coffee hours, faculty speakers, a seminar series, and outreach events. For example, the Office of Student Diversity's lecture series has included speakers such as Dr. Ahna Skop, Professor of Genetics at The University of Wisconsin-Madison; Dr. Sherilynn Black, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement at Duke University School of Medicine; and Dr. Erich Jarvis, Professor at The Rockefeller University. As part of WCM Dean Augustine Choi's commitment to strengthening the culture of diversity and inclusion at WCM, the Office of Student Diversity helps to host the annual Diversity Week. Sessions from 2021 included: (1) “Accelerating Workforce Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Academic Medicine” by Dr. Julie Silver, Associate Professor and Associate Chair from Harvard Medical School, (2) "Experiences of First-Generation Students at Elite Campuses," and (3) "Graduate School Panel: Science and Social Justice," contribute to awareness and a supportive culture for students. Importantly, all event from the Office of Student Diversity are open to all students, not just those from underrepresented backgrounds.
- Weill Cornell Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD). In 2019, WCGS was award a 5 year 2.4 million award to increase the number of PhD students from underrepresented backgrounds conducting high quality research in the Biomedical Sciences. The goals of the programs are to 1) to increase community and a sense of belonging among the fellows and their fellow students, 2) develop professional skills and leadership, and 3) promoting career exploration. Each year of the grant, four well prepared underrepresented students are recruited. The IMSD funding covers their tuition and health care costs within the first two years, while also providing travel assistance to conferences. In the students’ 3rd and 4th year of funding, they retain half of their funding from the grant while the other half is awarded to another senior graduate student. First year students participate in the Early Start Program during summer before the rest of their classmates arrive for the beginning of the fall semester. Throughout the summer, IMSD leadership and members of the Weill Cornell community mentor and work closely with the students to help them become acclimated to the community and prepare for their PhD journey. Upon completion of the Early Start Program, the students become a part of a larger community of students from underrepresented backgrounds as members of the Esprit de Corps Program.
