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School of Industrial and Labor Relations

The 'eye' of Ives Hall, home of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations

The School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) was founded "to improve industrial and labor conditions in the State through the provision of instruction, the conduct of research, and the dissemination of information in all aspects of industrial, labor, and public relations, affecting employers and employees." Today, this core mission extends far beyond New York State. ILR's research, teaching, and extension activities reach out to employers, workers, students, policymakers, and researchers around the world. ILR International Programs role is to support these international activities and to promote new opportunities with the aim of further expanding ILR's international presence.

Activities include:

Promotion of international research and exchange
Expansion of opportunities for students' international education
Development of international conferences and seminars
Publicity for international activities at ILR
Dissemination of faculty and international research
Administration of ILR Visiting Fellow Program

Flowering plum in front of Ives Hall Faculty Building

International Internships
Institutional partnerships with the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) International Institute for Labour Studies (Geneva) and the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin) facilitate placement of undergraduate interns who earn ILR credit during their internships.

Student "International Experience" Grants
A new grant competition aimed at facilitating international research and volunteer opportunities for ILR graduate and undergraduate students began in Spring 2005. Undergraduate and graduate students were awarded grants to assist with their research and travel to China, Germany, Nicaragua, Spain, and Tanzania. Our hope is to fund several international experience grants each semester.

"Each year, ILR welcomes some 15 to 20 international Visiting Fellows from around the world."

Internationalizing the ILR Curriculum
ILR’s International Graduate Students’ Association (IGSA) has proposed an International Concentration for MILR students designed to enhance international/global perspectives in the curriculum. The IP faculty committee is working with MILR students and the International and Comparative Labor Department in addressing the request and a proposal for an International Concentration for MILR's is being reviewed by the Graduate Studies Director and Committee.

Visiting Fellows
ILR welcomes some 15 to 20 international Visiting Fellows from around the world each year. Visitors from Argentina, Israel, Italy, Korea, Turkey, Ukraine, and many other countries offer students and faculty a wide range of experience and perspectives and bring a valued international dimension to the school.

Future Plans and Strategic Goals
Future activities include: 1) strengthening ties with ILR international alumni, 2) expanding international curriculum/education offerings, 3) improving integration of extension-resident international information and collaboration, 4) and promoting exchange opportunities with international institutional partners among students and faculty, among others.

Visit this unit on the web at: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/international/

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Features

ILR International Programs

ILR International Programs promotes ILR's core mission in research, teaching, and extension programming around the world. Guided by an academic committee, this Program supports the integration of international dimensions into teaching and research at ILR.

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On this page:

Admissions
Campus Life Resources
Career Planning
Courses
Faculty
Funding Resources
International Agreements
Languages
Library Resources
Programs, Centers, and Institutes
Projects and Initiatives
Publications
Study Abroad
Miscellaneous

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Admissions

Applying to ILR - Tips for International Students

Information and answers for international students considering applying to the School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

ILR Multicultural Affairs
Audience: Current Cornell Student, Prospective International Student

Cornell has a long history of cultural diversity. We honor this legacy as we welcome all individuals to campus. ILR values diversity and is responsive to the unique social, academic, and cultural needs of minority students. One quarter of ILR students identify as Black/African American, Latino/a, Asian/Asian American, Native American or have a multi-racial background. ILR Multicultural Affairs Assistants — students who assist the Associate Director for Multicultural Affairs in the recruitment and retention of minority students and provide academic and personal support to their peers - can help facilitate your transition to Cornell. Minority students also participate in a variety of student organizations, and are especially active in the Minority Industrial and Labor Relations Student Organization (MILRSO).

International Programs Profiles
Audience: Prospective International Student

This website contains profiles of ILR students, faculty, Global Partners, Visiting Fellows, and Alumni and Friends.

Campus Life Resources

Cornell University International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO)
Audience: International Visitors/Scholars

The mission of our office, which was founded in 1936, is to assist individual international students and foreign academic staff and their families by advising them concerning federal immigration, tax and labor regulations, and by providing counseling on personal, academic and cultural matters. In addition, we try to promote cross-cultural awareness in the Cornell community through educational programming, such as orientation, cultural adjustment, and cross - cultural communication. Finally, our goal is to serve as an information service for the Cornell, Ithaca, and surrounding communities; and in general to promote the benefits of international educational exchange.

ILR Global Affairs Club (IGAC)
Audience: Current Cornell Student, Prospective International Student

Founded in 2008, the ILR Global Affairs Club’s mission is to promote greater awareness about the issues affecting today’s global workplace by pursuing all student members' interests in worker and business relations. This club will work towards its mission by hosting forums, special events and by aiding its members in their pursuit for international travel experiences. Lastly, IGAC will aim to transfer valuable leadership opportunities to its members and provide opportunities for students to explore their specific interest areas of the international workplace.

ILR International Graduate Student Association
Audience: Prospective International Student

The main purpose of ILR's IGSA is to address the specific needs of international students in the MILR program. We accomplish this by arranging a diverse group of workshops, guest speaker lectures and cultural events for members to participate in and attend. We are also committed to facilitating the creation and strengthening relationships between the international and domestic MILR student population.

ILR International Programs News

Contains links to all recent internationally related ILR news.

International Programs Profiles
Audience: Prospective International Student

This website contains profiles of ILR students, faculty, Global Partners, Visiting Fellows, and Alumni and Friends.

Career Planning

Master in European Business (MEB) for ILR Seniors
Region: Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean
Audience: Current Cornell Student, Cornell Alumni, Prospective International Student

ILR seniors now have an opportunity to earn a one-year Master in European Business from one of the world's top business schools. The program includes two semesters of study, each at a different campus of the European School of Management (Paris, London, Madrid, Berlin, Torino) or partner institutions in India (MDI Gurgaon), Thailand (AIT) Bangkok and Mexico (ITESM Monterrey). Coursework is followed by a 12-week internship in the country of the student’s choice. This program builds on an existing and successful partnership between the ILR School and the ESCP-EAP European School of Management. Graduate students at both institutions have had an opportunity to participate in a dual degree program at the graduate level. The MEB program now offers ILR seniors the chance to enroll after completing your ILR degree. In addition to acquiring a graduate degree in European business, students will gain invaluable experiences through living abroad, learning new languages, and interning alongside colleagues from around the world. The ESCP-EAP European School of Management was recently ranked 2nd in the 50 best Masters in Management programs worldwide and 6th in the best Business Schools in Europe by the Financial Times. To apply and receive more information please visit ESCP-EAP web site. For more details, please contact: Maë d’Alexis: mdalexis@escp-eap.net, tel: (33) 1 49 23 58 90

Courses

ILR International and Comparative Labor Courses
Audience: Current Cornell Student, Prospective International Student

Information on international courses within the ILR school are listed under the "International and Comparative Labor" Department.

ILR/UCD Semester in Dublin Program
Region: Europe
Audience: Current Cornell Student

The ILR/UCD Semester in Dublin Program is the first initiative in what is intended to be a comprehensive educational and professional collaboration between the ILR School at Cornell University and the Industrial Relations and Human Resources Group of the School of Business at University College Dublin. The program’s purpose is to afford eligible ILR juniors and seniors opportunities to enhance their understanding of various international dimensions of the field of industrial and labor relations through courses taught by leading scholars at one of Europe’s most vibrant and dynamic universities. The curriculum, which places a special emphasis on illuminating the most important issues of work and workplace relations affecting the 27 member nations of the world’s largest trading bloc, the European Union, is a joint design of ILR and UCD faculty members.

International and Comparative Labor Department
Audience: Current Cornell Student, Cornell Faculty/Staff, Prospective International Student

The Department of International and Comparative Labor is concerned with industrial and labor relations systems and labor markets in other parts of the world. Our world-renowned faculty members are authorities on the labor-markets of Western Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa and bring this knowledge to bear on the courses they teach as they prepare their students to understand the global marketplace.

MILR Concentration: International and Comparative Labor
Audience: Prospective International Student

In the International and Comparative Labor concentration graduate students have the opportunity to increase their understanding of international and comparative industrial relations, human resources, organizations, and labor markets. In additional to the six core MILR courses, students must complete six courses that consist of international or comparative courses related to international and comparative labor. Three of those courses must provide an understanding of the relevant institutional environment of another country or region in ways that prepare students for international careers and assignments in that country or region. The remaining three courses may be any international or comparative course, and may include language courses. Courses will be selected and agreed upon by the student and his/her special committee chairperson. The chair of the International and Comparative Labor department Department will also maintain a suggested list of courses.

Faculty

ILR Faculty: International Research

The ILR faculty represent the world's greatest concentration of scholars in the field of industrial and labor relations. Resident and extension faculty are involved in a variety of international research projects and activities around the world.

ILR International Studies Expert
Audience: Current Cornell Student, Cornell Faculty/Staff, Cornell Alumni, International Visitors/Scholars, Prospective International Student

Cornell ILR faculty possess in-depth knowledge and expertise about the world of work. Listed are the broad categories that constitute the interdisciplinary study of workplace issues including many internationally related fields. Read through the list to learn more about what we do, then click on the links to identify an expert who can answer your questions or provide the assistance that will help you and/or your organization.

ILR Visiting Fellow Program
Audience: Cornell Faculty/Staff, International Visitors/Scholars

Each year the ILR Visiting Fellow Program welcomes scholars from around the world to pursue research interests in industrial and labor relations.

Funding Resources

ILR Funding Sources for Current Students
Audience: Current Cornell Student

Funding resources for current ILR students can be found here.

International Agreements

ILR Global Partnerships

The ILR School promotes international research and exchange opportunities throughout the world. Students and faculty can take advantage of various activities and experiences worldwide.

Languages

Library Resources

Catherwood Library: International Research Portal
Audience: Current Cornell Student, Cornell Faculty/Staff

The International Information links from this Portal are designed to lead the researcher and practitioner to the most reliable and fundamental information sources available in matters related to Industrial and Labor Relations. To assist in this process some sources have been grouped into categories such as Best Regional Sites, including Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, and Key State Department Sites.

Programs, Centers, and Institutes

Cornell Global Labor Institute
Audience: Cornell Faculty/Staff, International Visitors/Scholars

The Cornell Global Labor Institute (GLI) offers a unique venue for unions at the local, national and global level to work together to strengthen labor's response to the challenges posed by globalization. The goal of the Institute is to help union officers, staff and activists gain a deeper understanding of the policies and institutions that shape today's world and assist in bringing unionists based in different countries in contact with each other for meaningful discussion on strategy and policy.

ILR Research Centers and Institutes

ILR is affiliated with over a dozen research centers and institutes, ranging from local to international, that aim to advance knowledge and understanding of work-related issues.

Projects and Initiatives

ILR Community Grant
Audience: Current Cornell Student, Cornell Faculty/Staff, Cornell Alumni

ILR International Programs (IP) is pleased to announce a small grant program for members of the ILR community (faculty, extension associates, staff, and students) for international activities. This program is not intended to be used to fund individual research or travel. Rather, it is designed to help provide funding for international activities that involve MULTIPLE constituents of the ILR School (faculty, students, alumni, labor, management, governments), while simultaneously raising ILR's international profile. IP will set aside a maximum of $12,000 per year to fund one or two (at most) proposals prepared by the ILR community. One condition of this program is that recipients commit to some sort of "public" deliverable (e.g., prepare reports or provide abstracts of papers from conferences that can be shared publicly on this ILR website). The specific "deliverable" in each case will be negotiated by the recipient of the grant and the IP faculty committee.

ILR Global Service Learning

Make an Impact: Discover Global Service Learning. This page serves as a resource for providing information on travel grants. Furthermore, it serves as a center for documenting past service learning experiences of ILR students and promotes fundraising for such efforts.

Publications

Study Abroad

ILR School Study Abroad
Audience: Current Cornell Student

Students in ILR who wish to study in another country have a choice of programs sponsored by Cornell, or by another institution and endorsed by Cornell, or ones approved external programs with sponsors.

Miscellaneous

International Experience Grants for ILR Students

ILR International Programs will make available a limited number of small grants to ILR undergraduate and graduate students to support educational and research activities that enhance the student's international experience and facilitate their presence abroad. Funding will be awarded on a competitive basis to support activities that enhance your ILR education through an international experience, such as: 1)international volunteer work with a group or organization engaged in activities broadly related to ILR’s mission; 2) the international fieldwork component of a research project; 3) participatory role at an ILR-related global conference; 4)language immersion program where student has already undertaken classroom study.

The ILR International Credit Internship Program

For most of its history the ILR Credit Internship Program operated almost exclusively within the United States. In recent years, however, we have sought to expand its scope in attempt to offer our students unique opportunities to experience industrial and labor relations in an international setting. The ILR School established a unique partnership with the International Labour Organization in Geneva, Switzerland several years ago. We now routinely place students in the various offices, agencies and departments of the ILO, including recent placements in Nairobi, Kenya and Beijing, China. Other opportunities exist with ILO offices in Cairo, Egypt, Bangkok, Thailand, and other select locations.