A new public policy major option now available to College of Arts and Sciences students was announced on Sept. 25. This opens the program to the University’s largest college, as the major had previously been exclusive to its smallest school — the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy.
“Public policy adds to the social sciences represented within the College of Arts and Sciences,” wrote Peter Loewen, the Dean of Arts and Sciences, in a statement issued by the College. “Enabling our A&S students to pursue a depth of study in public policy will further enhance and complement their broad liberal arts education.”
The public policy major incorporates the disciplines of economics, political science, sociology, demography, communication, statistics and law, with the overarching goal of bettering the world, according to the Brooks School website. Students seeking the B.A. in Arts and Sciences will receive advising and academic support from both Arts and Sciences and Brooks advising staff.
“I think the Arts and Sciences major is a great option for people who want to explore public policy but aren’t completely sure,” said Brooks student Jessie Zheng ’29.
The Dean of the Brooks School, Colleen Barry, agrees: “This B.A. in public policy through Arts opens the opportunity for a student who comes to Cornell that doesn’t really know that Public Policy exists as a field … and then enter the major as a freshman or sophomore."
The Brooks School was founded in 2021 after separating from the College of Human Ecology. The public policy major, initially named policy analysis and management, split from Human Ecology to provide students with additional perspectives in understanding policy dilemmas facing the United States today, Prof. Sharon Sassler, sociology, previously told The Sun.
For some students in Brooks, though, the addition of this major to Arts and Sciences kindles feelings of concern.
Hayden Watkins ’28, an ambassador for the Brooks School, expressed concern that the addition of Arts and Sciences students to the major could dampen the Brooks School’s intimate feel. There are only 323 Brooks undergraduates compared to Arts and Sciences’ roughly 4,800.
“We get really close with the students in our cohort as we move through together, and I worry about a large influx of new students making that community feel less personal,” Watkins said.
Additionally, Cornell does not allow students to pursue a second major in a college outside of their own. This rule particularly limits students’ possibilities in the three single-major schools, the School of Hotel Administration, the School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the Brooks School.
While the Dyson School of Applied Economics also only offers one major, its dual affiliation with Cornell S.C. Johnson College of Business and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences means Dyson students can double major with CALS offerings.
“[Brooks] does not allow students to double major,” Zheng added, referring to another popular dissatisfaction among the B.S. students. In contrast, Arts and Sciences students can select a double-major from any of the 42 major options the College offers.
Some Brooks students are also concerned that a slew of additional students will prove burdensome for Brooks staff to deal with.
“I work at the front desk of the Brooks Student Services office, and we receive so many personal and amazing opportunities from our advising and career management teams,” Watkins said. “I worry a large amount of students from the B.A. could overwhelm our support infrastructure.”
Barry wished to assuage Brooks students’ concerns.
“We anticipate no changes in how our wonderful student services team in Brooks supports our public policy majors with the addition of the B.A.,” she said.
For some Arts and Sciences students, public policy addition is an exciting academic option. Jack Gewanter ’29 believes the public policy major could complement his current major track.
“The addition of a public policy major to CAS is a great way for me, as a government major, to further develop my interest through a practical lens,” Gewanter said.
Barry is excited about the future of public policy at Cornell and expressed willingness to adapt to accommodate student concerns.
“As a new school, we are a start up, … and we can quickly pivot to make sure the quality of the student experience remains strong and, in fact, becomes stronger over time,” Barry said.
James Covit is a member of the Class of 2029 in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a contributor for the News department and can be reached at jc3684@cornell.edu.
