Diversity and Inclusion

Every student deserves the opportunity to thrive in an inclusive environment. We position our students for success in many ways, often by helping them navigate campus and external resources (academic, financial, advisory, health/wellness, career, peer, or alumni). Students tap into these resources as they grow personally and professionally, which results in an enriched student experience and greater sense of community.

We support students—each bringing a unique and valued perspective—from all walks of life and backgrounds with individualized coaching, peer and alumni mentoring, and membership in affinity groups.

• Diversity Scholars Program
• Alumni and Peer Mentoring Program
• Prefreshman Summer Program

At the Dyson School, students work in teams, build interpersonal relationships with diverse peers, engage in meaningful ways and across difference in the Dyson community, contribute to a culture of inclusion and collective leadership within Dyson, and develop critical thinking and communication skills necessary to be successful in a diverse workforce and global community. A few of the ways students engage with their community include:

• DysID, Dyson’s Inclusion and Diversity student organization
• Dyson Students of Color Coalition
• Guest Speaker Series
• Experiential Workshop Series
• Lunch & Learns
• Diversity Week
• Recognition: Dyson Monthly Spotlight Awards
• Professional Development Opportunities
• D&I Certificate Program
• Dyson Dialogues
• Dyson Pride
• D&I Interns

September 24-28, 2018

Diversity Week both celebrates diversity at Dyson and presents the business case for diversity and inclusion through a variety of industry guest speakers and experiential workshops open to the Cornell community.

Highlights from the inaugural 2018 Diversity Week include:

• Over 300 Cornellians, including President Martha Pollack, participated in My Story, Our Story, a short video highlighting diversity at Dyson and Cornell
• Featured keynote speaker, Stephano Kim ’98, executive vice president of Corporate Strategy at Turner
• First Business Clubs Summit brought together 36 business club presidents who discussed diversity, inclusion, and belonging in their clubs
• A variety of workshops including: unconscious bias, intervene bystander campaign, career services panel, diversity power hour, and community-based global learning

At Dyson, we connect you directly to businesses by bringing in industry leaders as guest speakers. Recent guest speakers include:

• Ebony McQueen Harris, Founder, Levels Creative Empowerment and Consulting Group for minority and women-owned businesses
• David Cynn ’91, Partner, Killearn Capital
• Ed Tam ’91, Managing Director, Highbridge Mezzanine Partners
• Maurice Campbell ’91, Managing Director, BNY Mellon
• Cornell Woodson, Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Looker
• Stephano Kim ’98, Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Turner
• Carol Rattray ’78, co-founder, Zoomdojo, and private investor and advisor to startups in the US and China
• Irene Li ’15, co-founder and owner of Mei Mei Restaurant, Forbes 30 Under 30 & Zagat 30 Under 30

The ability to work in diverse settings and to understand the interrelations and dynamics of a workplace are critical qualities for success. These skills coupled with the ability to apply the latest industry insights and best practices are what sets our students apart and prepares them to lead. At Dyson, students have the opportunity to strengthen their skills through a number of co-curricular workshops including:

• Intergroup Dialogue Project
• The Business Case for Diversity & Inclusion
• Business Clubs Summit
• Diversity Power Hour
• Public Speaking
• Cultural Intelligence

Our lunch and learn series focuses on topics that are relevant regardless of what industry you are interested in. From discussing the latest hot topics, like Fake News, to taking a deeper look at common phenomenons, like unconscious bias, these lunches expand knowledge and raise awareness across a number of pertinent topics such as:

• Give & Take: Why helping others drives our success. Key learnings from Adam Grant, Wharton’s top rated professor
• Perspective Taking: A critical skill needed to manage unconscious bias and lead with cultural intelligence.
• Unconscious Bias: unlock blind spots, the hidden biases of good people, to create more inclusive organizations.
• Intervene Bystander Campaign: How student bystanders can successfully intervene in problematic situations. Featuring Laura Santacrose ’11, Assistant Director, Skorton Center for Health Initiatives, Cornell University
• Fake News, Alternative Facts, and Misinformation: Learning to critically evaluate media sources. Insights from Michael Engle, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Cornell University

Dyson’s motto is Our Business is a Better World, and while learning to use business for the greater good is a part of Dyson’s curriculum and co-curricular activities, we go one step further by providing safe forums for open dialogue around topics related to diversity and inclusion and how they impact our world.

Topics at the forefront of our discussions have included the following:

• The intersection of issues like identity and social group memberships (both currently and in historical contexts)
• Theories of justice
• Moral reasoning and responsibility
• Critical consciousness
• Common ground
• Cultural intelligence
• Unconscious bias

By openly discussing complex topics, we aim to explore root causes and examine avenues for positive change.

Dyson students are also encouraged to enroll in this new optional elective, AEM 2015 The Business Case for Diversity and Inclusion. This course is designed to cultivate a theoretical and practical understanding and application of the business case for diversity and inclusion, and help develop cultural intelligence for working successfully in today’s diverse, globalized world.