On Thursday, Cornell revealed the naming of its new school of public policy, slated to open in the fall, after Jeb E. Brooks MBA ’70 and the Brooks Family Foundation.
President Martha Pollack and Provost Michael Kotlikoff announced the naming in an email to the Cornell community. According to the statement, the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy aims to unite policy-related disciplines and increase Cornell’s prominence in the social sciences.
“We look forward to the formal opening of the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy this fall: another exciting step toward further boosting multidisciplinary public policy research, teaching and engagement at the university,” Pollack wrote.
The statement thanked Brooks, along with wife and fellow donor Cherie Wendelken, for their generosity, which provides the endowment for the Cornell Brooks School. It also recognized Brooks’ father Earl Brooks, a former business professor at Cornell.
The announcement emphasized the endowment’s importance in recruiting faculty, developing academic programs and making the school a prominent institution in social science fields.
The University announced its plans to start a School of Public Policy in February 2020, following recommendations from a university Social Sciences Implementation Committee.
The School of Public Policy committee — co-chaired by Prof. Maria Fitzpatrick, policy analysis and management, and Prof. Tom Pepinsky, government — presented six “pillars” to guide the new school. These include four policy-based subcategories, including data science and technology, environment and sustainability, inequality and health.
In February 2021, the University formed a committee, which includes faculty members from relevant departments, to find a founding dean for the school.
The Thursday statement revealed that the school will begin operations during the fall 2021 semester.
“We look forward to the formal opening of the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy this fall: another exciting step toward further boosting multidisciplinary public policy research, teaching and engagement at the university,” Pollack wrote.