About Us
NYC Workspace
NOTE: Cornell faculty and staff who want to use the space should contact Sarah Hazlitt, OEI’s program associate, at seh286@cornell.edu or (607) 255-5358 about the latest COVID-19 policies and safety measures. The space is currently closed to non-Cornell partners and guests.
The Office of Engagement Initiatives (OEI) is leasing a workspace at 570 Lexington Avenue (at 51st Street) in Manhattan for work related to Cornell’s public engagement mission. This NYC workspace is available to faculty, staff and community partners leading or participating in community-engaged learning, extension, outreach and public-service projects.
The space includes an individual cubicle/desk, a collaborative worktable, conference rooms, quiet work rooms, cell phone booths and classrooms.
If you have questions, contact Sarah Hazlitt, OEI’s program associate, at seh286@cornell.edu or (607) 255-5358.
Background
The building is one of Cornell’s hubs in New York City. The ILR School administers the 11th and 12th floors, which house ILR’s New York City–based programs and NYC Conference Center along with ten Cornell units with co-locator access.
Who Can Use the Space?
Cornell faculty and staff and their community partners can request to use the space to work on projects that advance’s Cornell’s public engagement mission.
- Have you received grant or award funding from OEI? You can request to use the space.
- Are you an Engaged Faculty Fellow? Yes, you’re eligible.
- Is your work related to extension, outreach, public service or community-engaged learning, but you haven’t received funding from OEI? You’re eligible, too.
- Are you a community partner collaborating on any of the above? You’re welcome as well. (Note that community partners can request access to the space directly, but their Cornell partners will need to book meeting rooms on their behalf.)
Intended Activities
Cornell affiliates and their partners can use the space to host meetings, work individually, work collaboratively, prepare/print materials, participate in video/phone conferences and other activities.
Available Workspaces
The OEI-managed cubicle and collaborative workspace are only available to people working on the above activities. The other rooms and spaces are shared among the co-locating units.
Workspaces are generally available weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To book space outside these hours, contact Sarah Hazlitt at seh286@cornell.edu or (607) 255-5358
- Cubicle – A single cubicle designed for individual work.
- Collaborative workspace – Adjacent to the cubicle, this table seats eight. The table can also be arranged into four separate workspaces.
- Conference rooms – Located on the 11th and 12th floors, these rooms seat between three and eight people. Cornell faculty and staff can reserve these rooms via Outlook and can book them on behalf of their community partners.
- Focus rooms – Located on the 11th and 12th floors, these small rooms accommodate up to three people and can be reserved via Outlook.
- Cell phone booth – A one-person room for making business calls and private calls that require a quiet and confidential space. No reservation required.
- Classrooms – Six classrooms are available for educational purposes, mostly on a fee-for-use basis, and are often booked one to two years in advance. If you are interested in using a classroom, contact Sarah Hazlitt at seh286@cornell.edu or (607) 255-5358 to see if one is available.
Use-Case Examples
Below are a few examples of who can use the space. Do you have something else in mind? Get in touch with Sarah Hazlitt at seh286@cornell.edu or (607) 255-5358.
OEI Faculty Grantee and Partners
A professor in the College of Engineering has received a grant from OEI to study whether meeting the populations affected by research inspires better research practices in undergraduate STEM students. The research team is traveling to New York City to meet with a representative from Engineering for Change, a nonprofit that is partnering with the research team to spearhead a set of focus groups with members of underserved populations in the city. Using the request form, the professor reserves the cubicle and part of the collaborative workspace. Additionally, through Cornell’s Outlook reservation system, the professor reserves a meeting room on the 11th floor to host the nonprofit representative for a morning meeting. In the afternoon the faculty member works in the OEI–leased space with an undergraduate student intern finalizing the scheduling details for the focus groups happening later that month.
Community-engaged Learning Work with No OEI Affiliation
A staff member from the Cornell Public Service Center is advising an Alternative Spring Breaks program in NYC. Participating students will be working with members of a nonprofit to explore the impact of health policies on the city’s most marginalized populations. The program receives funding through the Public Service Center, not through OEI directly. They are still able to make use of the space to hold an alumni networking meeting with students participating in the Alternative Spring Breaks program because it is focused on community-engaged learning. The staff member fills out the request form, is granted access and uses the Outlook reservation system to book meeting room 1105 to host the Cornell alumni.
NYC-based Community Partner
A Cornell Law School course has received funding through an Engaged Curriculum Grant to promote learning through advocacy. The project takes students off campus to work with unemployed community members, assisting them through legal proceedings. A nonprofit legal assistance group is a partner on the grant and is working to identify new cases for the students. They need to set up a meeting with legal aid attorneys based in NYC, so they fill out the request form and are granted access to the space. However, in order to reserve the meeting rooms, they must have their Cornell faculty/staff grant partner use the Outlook reservation system to ensure the spaces are booked. By gaining access to the meeting space, the community partner is able to host the attorneys and secure new cases for the students participating in the course.
For questions or last-minute requests, please contact Sarah Hazlitt at seh286@cornell.edu or (607) 255-5358