At Cornell, we are committed to supporting our faculty and allowing them to thrive professionally and personally. The Cornell FIRST approach to Faculty Development follows an ecological approach that aims to Cultivate and Challenge our new colleagues, Advocate and Embolden them, Nurture and support new faculty navigating their new environments, and help them establish social and professional Networks that will increase their sense of belonging at Cornell and in their field.  We have developed and are implementing programs that effectively support our faculty through their career stages, with attention to their identities and background. 

Cornell’s FIRST Cohort faculty will follow an ecological approach to faculty development that aims to Cultivate and Challenge, Advocate and Embolden, Nurture and support faculty navigating their new environments, and help them cultivate social and professional Networks  to increase their sense of belonging at Cornell and in their field.

Cornell CANN is a new model of faculty development built on research-based mentoring, and our track record of successfully developing and implementing programs supporting our faculty, particularly those underrepresented or marginalized in their fields, throughout their career stages.

Cornell CANN will assign mentors and sponsors for new faculty joining Cornell, design and offer programs supporting them throughout their career, and create tools to assess their progress.

The core components of the CANN approach include programming, mentor and sponsor assignment, and the institutional policies and commitments that support this approach.