What is Resilient Cornell?

Resilient Cornell is a university-wide effort to strengthen our long-term financial health by rethinking how we work across campuses. This effort involves evaluating how Cornell is organized, uses technology, and allocates its resources. Leaders will pursue strategic decisions enabling Cornell to sustain world-class teaching, research, and public engagement through difficult financial times and for decades to come.

Why is this initiative happening now?

Cornell, like colleges and universities across the nation, is facing sustained, multi-pronged financial pressure. Federal funding and reimbursement for research has been sharply reduced, employment and operational costs are rising, and a changing regulatory and legal landscape presents new and emerging considerations. Cornell must take definitive steps to ensure the university’s long-term financial health and to ensure its mission of research and teaching is secure for generations to come.

Now that Cornell has reached an agreement with the federal government to restore research funding, are layoffs and other cost-cutting measures still necessary?

Cornell’s financial challenges predate the additional pressures that were created in early 2025 with the withholding and cancellation of many federal grants. The resolution with the federal government reached on Nov. 7 does not resolve those challenges, and in fact the planning and projections that have been part of the Resilient Cornell initiative assumed an agreement with the government. We still face many headwinds, including lower overall federal spending on research, likely lower indirect cost recovery, potential declines in foreign student enrollment, cuts to Pell grants and loan programs, and higher inflation.

How will this affect university operations?

Across the university, we’re looking at how the university is structured and how we work. This could lead to combining some roles, using technology to work more efficiently, and shifting resources to where they’re needed most.

Will this affect jobs?

Cornell must make difficult decisions to meet the profound challenges before us. This will include targeted workforce reductions. Every effort will be made to prioritize reductions through attrition and vacancies, and great care will go into any decisions necessitating layoffs. We recognize this uncertainty is unsettling for our staff and across the communities where Cornell operates. We pledge to share decisions and detailed information as early and often as possible.

How will students be affected?

The Cornell student experience should not be impacted in any material ways by this review of administrative operations. We are committed to maintaining academic excellence and world-class service, and will do this by finding efficiencies and harnessing technology to minimize duplication of work.

Is Cornell learning from what other universities have done?

Yes, Cornell leadership is closely studying what other large private and public universities are doing to manage similar financial challenges and communicate difficult decisions to their communities.

What are the main principles guiding this work?

We’re focused on:

• Rooting our approach in our core values and prioritizing academic excellence and research
• Making thoughtful, data-informed decisions that reflect input from across the university
• Rising to the moment with bold strategies for reimagining operations and improving efficiencies
• Creating lasting change that will support a strong Cornell for generations to come

Who is making the decisions, and how?

Two leadership committees — one focused on workforce design and one on cross-campus operations — are guiding the next phase. They are drawing on data, campus expertise, and community input and will provide updates as their work progresses. Each committee will include work groups tasked with analyzing priority topics and functional areas. The university has also engaged Huron Consulting to support and guide these efforts. This work is underway and will continue throughout the current fiscal year.

Which Resilient Cornell work groups have been established?

In mid-November, four work groups were launched with a focus on the following areas:

• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• Marketing and Communications
• Finance and General Administration

These groups are following a similar process and timeline with recommendations due to the Provost Steering Committee in early 2026. In addition, the Alumni Affairs and Development work group began its work earlier this year and is further along.

Other functional areas may form work groups in the future.

How will I hear about the progress of Resilient Cornell?

We’ll share updates through this website, campus-wide messages, town halls, and other in-person sessions. College and unit leaders will also be key sources of information for their communities. We want to hear from you: If you have questions, ideas, and recommendations, please use this form, attend a feedback session, or speak with your supervisor.

Why is Cornell offering a voluntary retirement incentive? What are the details?

Cornell created a voluntary retirement incentive (VRI) program to recognize the university’s longest serving staff, while also reducing personnel costs and helping to address long-term financial challenges. By providing a structured, voluntary pathway to retirement, the university can responsibly reduce staff headcount and align operations with evolving needs.

The program is available, with some exclusions, to staff who are age 62 or older and have ten years of credited service at Cornell as of April 22, 2026. Applying for the VRI does not guarantee acceptance — the university is capping participation at 175 staff members.

Eligible staff can view full program details and read FAQs on the Working at Cornell website.