Cornell is launching a new center this summer dedicated to advancing community-engaged learning and public service across the university. Combining the Public Service Center (PSC) and the Office of Engagement Initiatives (OEI), the center will open new pathways for Cornellians to embrace the university’s land-grant mission to improve lives in New York state, across the nation and around the world.
The center, approved by the Cornell University Board of Trustees in May, will be endowed in part through a gift from Einhorn Collaborative, the foundation led by David M. Einhorn ’91, a member of the Board of Trustees. The foundation aims to help people build stronger relationships, embrace differences and rediscover their shared humanity, toward a goal of developing solutions to complex and urgent challenges.
“I am delighted that David Einhorn’s foundation has created an endowment that allows us to launch Cornell’s new center in a powerful, sustaining way,” said President Martha E. Pollack, “and in the coming year, we look forward to recognizing David’s generosity by naming the center in his honor. This is an exciting opportunity to ensure that the university’s commitment to community engagement will live on in perpetuity, bettering the lives of people and communities around the world and enriching our students’ undergraduate experience.”
The center will be jointly overseen by Ryan Lombardi, vice president for student and campus life, and Katherine McComas, Ph.D. ’00, vice provost for engagement and land-grant affairs.