Reaffirming and extending Cornell Engineering’s longstanding commitment to providing a supportive learning environment for students of all backgrounds, Lynden Archer, the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering, announced a significant reorganization of the college’s Office of Inclusive Excellence, including new leadership, more robust and strategic staffing, and a broader vision.

“Cornell’s founding as a place where ‘any person can find instruction in any study’ defines an ideal that our college adheres to as proudly today as did our predecessors during the contentious early years of the university,” Archer said. “A strong, ever-evolving commitment to inclusion has distinguished and strengthened us for more than a century and a half and contributed to our reputation as a place where anyone can receive a rigorous, world-class engineering education. This investment in — and reimagining of — our Office of Inclusive Excellence will enable us to be more ambitious and creative in ensuring that we are upholding our founding values in everything that we do.” 

Archer signaled his intention that the Office of Inclusive Excellence will have the resources and expertise necessary to support, enhance, and innovate the college-wide implementation of inclusive practices in student recruitment, community building efforts, experiential learning opportunities and other strategic priorities.

Calling her a “passionate, principled and effective advocate" for inclusion and academic excellence, Archer announced that the office will be led by Lisa Schneider-Bentley, Ph.D. ’92, who has directed the college’s Engineering Learning Initiatives program for two decades. 

Additionally, Archer announced that the staff and operations of Engineering Learning Initiatives — which creates collaborative learning spaces facilitated by student educators and provides undergraduate research coordination, teaching-assistant development and individualized tutoring — will become part of the expanded Office of Inclusive Excellence. 

Previously known as Diversity Programs in Engineering, the Office of Inclusive Excellence has a long and successful track record of providing student organization support, high school outreach programs, graduate student support and community, and other services, with a focus on historically marginalized students. The office updated its name in 2024 — the same year the college opened a new central hub for the office in Carpenter Hall, one floor down from the dean’s office — to better reflect their impact, mission and initiatives. 

“I am honored and excited to have this rare opportunity to leverage and synergize the strengths of two stellar teams, and two sets of highly-impactful programs, to create a truly transformative force at the center of Cornell Engineering that can extend its reach and positive influence throughout the entire college,” Schneider-Bentley said.  

The two groups previously had significant programmatic overlap, as well as complementary missions. Now with about double the staff, Schneider-Bentley said the new Office of Inclusive Excellence will continue to provide all services and supports previously offered by one or both of the merged offices.

Credit: Bridget Fetsko

“Our intention is to be additive, without losing momentum on any of the progress we have made over the years,” she said. “We will also be very strategic about exploring how our better-resourced, more collaborative organization can expand our existing programs and develop innovative new approaches to further advancing inclusive excellence.” 

Schneider-Bentley received her Ph.D. in sociology from Cornell, taught sociology as an assistant professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and previously served as senior director of research and evaluation at PowerUP, a national nonprofit expanding technology access and youth development resources in underserved communities across the U.S. 

Schneider-Bentley’s own research interests include race, class and gender inequality in educational access; climate, inclusion and quality of student learning in engineering education; and the effects of active, collaborative and applied pedagogical approaches on student learning outcomes, attitudes and persistence. She and her team regularly publish research based on their work with faculty, staff and students to develop, administer, evaluate, and continually improve programs for active and collaborative learning, undergraduate research, teaching assistant preparation, and peer tutoring. 

“We aim to support and ensure the success of our ambitious educational goals here in Cornell Engineering, as well as contributing to efforts to elevate and extend inclusive practice in higher education nationally and globally,” she said, noting that, in addition to building on existing student support and ensuring that Cornell Engineering is proactive in creating an inclusive community, the office will continue to prioritize the rigorous study, dedicated application, and ongoing assessment of evidence-supported practices, and to actively disseminate their findings and models. 

“Lisa is a proven leader who has had tremendous success in growing programs in our college, and she has the experience and passion to ensure that Cornell Engineering remains a recognized trailblazer in inclusive practices and academic excellence for years to come,” said Hadas Kress-Gazit, who will oversee the office in her role as associate dean for diversity and academic affairs. “I could not be more thrilled about the future of our Office of Inclusive Excellence.”

Jo Shoemaker, coordinator for the Office of Inclusive Excellence, contributed to this article. This article has been revised from its original version.