Contacts & Location

Administration

The Department of Literatures in English administrative office located at 250 Goldwin Smith Hall is open Monday-Thursday 9am-4pm. The mailroom and copy room are open Monday-Thursday 8:30am-4:30pm.

Currently on Cornell's campus, masking is encouraged but not required.
Please check Cornell's up to date COVID-19 policy for visitors to campus here.

If, after perusing the below lists of faculty and staff administrators, you are unable to determine who to contact, you can email english_dept@cornell.edu, our general inquiry email address. You can reach our administrative office by phone at 607-255-6800.

Administration Contact Information
Faculty Administrator Role Name Contact Information
Picket Family Chair of the Literatures in English Department Professor Shirley Samuels

250 Goldwin Smith
shirley.samuels@cornell.edu

Associate Chair Associate Professor Elisha Cohn 171 Goldwin Smith Hall
ejc244@cornell.edu
Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) Associate Professor Kevin Attell

265 Goldwin Smith
attell@cornell.edu

Co-Directors of Creative Writing (DCW)

Professor Helena María Viramontes


Professor Roger Gilbert

367 Goldwin Smith
hmv2@cornell.edu

279 Goldwin Smith
rsg2@cornell.edu

Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS)

Associate Professor Masha Raskolnikov

165 Goldwin Smith
raskolnikov@cornell.edu

Director of Honors Associate Professor Philip Lorenz

106 Klarman
philip.lorenz@cornell.edu

Placement Director Assistant Professor Lenora Warren

346 Goldwin Smith
ldw65@cornell.edu

Advisor to Minors

Senior Lecturer  Gregory Londe

341 Goldwin Smith
gml82@cornell.edu

Editor, EPOCH Professor J. Robert Lennon

251 Goldwin Smith
epoch@cornell.edu

Staff Administration Details
Staff Administrator Role Name Contact Information Ask me about...

Department Manager

Emily Parsons

250 GSH

(607) 255-6799
elp25@cornell.edu

  • Navigating Cornell (working with professors, with other administrators or offices, sensitive issues)
  • New projects and initiatives, budget
  • HR, hiring, policy
  • Anything not mentioned below
Assistant to the Chair Victoria Brevetti

250 GSH

(607) 255-6801
vlb3@cornell.edu

  • Paycheck and appointment questions
  • Scheduling an appointment with the Chair
  • Course evaluations
  • Submitting items for creative writing & other writing contests
PhD Graduate Program Coordinator Katrina Overton

250 GSH


607-254-3471
kmo12@cornell.edu

  • PhD academic program/funding related questions
  • PhD exam scheduling and other required processes/paperwork
  • Taking a leave of absence or being in absentia (if you are a graduate student)
  • PhD program admission and process
MFA Graduate Program Coordinator Amanda Brockner

250 GSH

(607) 255-7989
alb448@cornell.edu

  • MFA academic program/funding related questions
  • MFA exam scheduling and other required processes/paperwork
  • MFA program admission and process
  • Website biography and news updates
  • Communications & publicity
Teaching Programs Coordinator Belle McDonald

250 GSH

(607) 255-8848
imm34@cornell.edu

  • Classes, curriculum, and enrollment questions from students or instructors
  • Classroom information
Undergraduate Program Coordinator Aurora Ricardo

250 GSH

(607) 255-6800
ar2368@cornell.edu

  • Scheduling an appointment with the DUS
  • Events and resources for undergraduates
  • English major, minors, and honors programs
Accounts Coordinator Alice Murdock 250 GSH

(607) 255-3878
aem27@cornell.edu
  • Spending Faculty Research and Travel (FRT) funds
  • Facilities (keys, rooms, custodial/repair services)
Events Coordinator Ilyana Castillo

250 GSH

(607) 253-2394
irc24@cornell.edu

  • Department events 
  • Reserving the Literatures in English department lounge
IT Support for Goldwin Smith

Gabriel Plaine & Bryson Grygier

  
gsit@cornell.edu
  • Support for Cornell-managed computers and printers located in Goldwin Smith Hall
  • Selection, set-up, and support of faculty and staff computers

Location

The Department of English is located in Goldwin Smith Hall, the Arts Quad’s flagship building and most prominent structure.

Built in 1906, Goldwin Smith Hall is positioned with a wide-angle view of the the quad's first three structures, White, McGraw and Morrill Halls. In addition to the Department of English, Goldwin Smith is also home to the College of Arts & Sciences dean’s office, academic advising, classics, comparative literature, German studies, history of art, medieval studies, philosophy and the famous Temple of Zeus Cafe.

Note: Cornell has acknowledged that this building's namesake, Goldwin Smith (1823-1910), authored many bigoted essays that put forth anti-Semitic, anti-feminist, anti-suffrage and anti-coeducation views that are antithetical to Cornell's and the Department of Literatures in English's values. Read Cornell's statement here, and learn more about student research into Goldwin Smith's legacy here.

The quad features both classic and modern architecture and includes the landmark statues of both Ezra Cornell, the university’s founder, and Andrew Dickson White, the university’s first president. A.D. White’s towering presence at the entrance to Goldwin Smith Hall oversees impromptu academic discussions and lunch breaks, which often take place on the stone steps and nearby year-round tables. The quad serves as home to both to the College of Arts and Sciences, the university’s largest undergraduate college, and the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning. In late spring, graduating seniors from all Cornell colleges and their families gather on the lawn, and in the fall, students play Frisbee and lounge on the grass between classes. Small seminars can often be seen dotting the quad during the warmer months. The quad is also the primary gathering place for Dragon Day and many of the university’s celebratory events.

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