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The College of Arts & Sciences
Laura Donaldson, professor emerita of the Department of Literatures in English in the College of Arts and Sciences at COrnell University, died Oct. 18. Donaldson joined the Cornell faculty in 2000 as an associate professor of English after six years at the University of Iowa, where she taught classes in women’s studies, English and Native…
College of Arts & Sciences poet James Byrne examines how power normalizes violence and injustice in his new collection, "The Banality of Power." The poetry links history, politics and institutional harm while emphasizing moral attention, accountability and resistance.
Carlin Reyen ‘25, an English major in the College of Arts & Sciences at Cornell University, reflects on her experience as a Nexus Scholar.
Cornell College of Arts and Sciences alumnus Matthew Berk says his specialty coffee subscription service Bean Box is fundamentally about connecting people and telling stories. The Seattle-based company emphasizes freshness and curated selections.
The College of Arts & Sciences' Society for the Humanities Fall Fellows’ Conference on Survival takes place Oct. 30 at Cornell University’s A.D. White House. Fellows will present interdisciplinary research on resilience, climate change, literature, history and culture.
Cornell University Winter Session 2027 registration is now open for online courses running Jan. 4–22. Students can earn credits, fulfill requirements, and explore subjects ranging from business and biology to history, psychology, and design.
Public policy and sociology professor Matthew Hall will examine examining aging populations in the Phi Beta Kappa Distinguished Lecture at Cornell University Oct. 28. He will address impacts on work, housing, schools, politics and migration issues.
A. Reeve Parker, professor emeritus of Literatures in English in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), died Sept. 16 in Ithaca, New York, at age 89. Read more about his life and achievements here. His long-time colleague and friend, Neil Hertz, memorializes him further.
A. Reeve Parker, professor emeritus of literatures in English in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences, died Sept. 16 in Ithaca, New York, at age 89. A scholar of British Romanticism, he taught at Cornell from 1967-2009.
Cornell’s Society for the Humanities marked its 60th anniversary Sept. 18-19 with events celebrating six decades of humanities research and collaboration. Based in the College of Arts & Sciences, the Society has hosted more than 800 fellows.
Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences will host a Black Critical Thought Symposium Oct. 2. The free event will feature interdisciplinary faculty and student presentations on Black studies, culminating in a keynote conversation with cultural theorist and poet Fred Moten.
A new biography reveals how Harlem Renaissance writer Jean Toomer’s vision of a new American race shaped both the creation of his modernist novel "Cane" and his struggle with racial identity. The study, by Cornell College of Arts and Sciences literature scholar George Hutchinson, reexamines Toomer’s legacy and complex views on race.
In her memoir, "I’m a Lot: Surviving Myself and All the People I’ve Been.," TV writer and stand-up performer Alison Leiby ’06, a Cornell College of Arts & Sciences alum, tackles comedy, tragedy, and more. The book is featured on the Cornellians website.
Cornell students are gaining new opportunities to extend classroom learning beyond campus through the fall 2026 round of Engaged Opportunity Grants from the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement. Four of the five funded projects originate with College of Arts and Sciences faculty members.
Cornellians’ July 2026 Reads highlights new books by Cornell University alumni, featuring nonfiction, historical fiction and mental health topics. The roundup showcases authors Betsy Rubiner, Karen Lootens Odden and Bonnie Zucker, promoting recent alumni publications.
Cornell University’s Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures funded seven 2026 Graduate Student Research projects across multiple disciplines. The awards provide research support for emerging scholars advancing racial justice, inequality, labor, identity and social change studies.
The School of Criticism and Theory at Cornell University, a six-week summer program that serves as a hub for interdisciplinary inquiry in the humanities and social sciences, celebrated its 50th anniversary with events June 16-17.
Lauren Weisberger’s novel The Devil Wears Prada is resurging with a 2026 film sequel, reflecting lasting cultural impact. The Cornell College of Arts and Sciences alum’s debut novel became a bestseller, film, and musical inspired by her Vogue experience.
Poet and Cornell College of Arts and Sciences professor Sandeep Parmar co-hosts, with poet Sarah Howe, a London Review of Books podcast exploring poetry’s connections to life issues: work, sex, money and more. The podcast launches June 7.
Each spring, undergraduate honors theses granted Distinction in English are considered for the M.H. Abrams Honors Thesis Prize and for The Guilford Honors Thesis Prize.
The Collected Writings Portfolio Award recognizes students’ writing accomplishments in diverse types of composition, including critical, creative, and public writing.
Books featured by the alumni website Cornellians for May 2026 include, y Cornell College of Arts and Sciences alumni and faculty, a ‘poetic memoir,’ a study of the Gospel of John, and the final mystery from a genre luminary.
America Casanova is majoring in English, American Studies, Government and History
