Cornell Institute for Public Affairs
MPA Orientation, Fall 2015
Required events are marked with an asterisk (*)
Saturday, August 22, 2015
3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Statler Hall
International Graduate and Professional Student Orientation
Come and meet other new international students, and receive a warm welcome from the staff at the
International Students and Scholars office (ISSO). This orientation will provide essential immigration and
legal information, guidelines on health and safety, ISSO services and programs, and tips for academic
success. Included on the agenda is a session on "Adjusting to Academic Culture in the U.S.," a panel
discussion addressing such topics as transitioning to a new academic culture, academic expectations and
ethical concerns at Cornell, tips for developing a relationship with your faculty advisor, language barriers
and other issues. Spouses of students are also encouraged to attend this orientation.
Immediately following this session, there will be a Welcome Reception and International Student
Organization Fair. Enjoy light refreshments, and meet other new students while you browse and learn
about the variety of student organizations and activities at Cornell.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
160 Mann Library
Peer Mentor Program Introduction
Incoming students participating in the Peer Mentor Program will receive an overview of the program’s
purpose, a schedule of events for fall semester, and program expectations for mentors and mentees. New
CIPA Fellows will be introduced to their peer mentors, who will be supporting them throughout the
academic year. Light refreshments will be served.
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Walking Tour of Campus
Leaves from the Entrance to Mann Library
CPAS and WIPP Executive Board members will be facilitating group walking tours to acclimate new
Fellows to campus.
Monday, August 24, 2015
8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Barton Hall
Graduate School Cornell ID Distribution & Resource Fair*
Staff from The Graduate School Registrar and Graduate Student Services Office will assist Fellows with
course enrollment, registration, and guidelines for satisfying graduate degree requirements. Staff members
also provide information on academic forms and student loans. In addition, representatives from the
Student Health Insurance Program (SHIP) and Gannett Health Services, Cornell’s student healthcare
provider, provide information about student health insurance and access to services, and offer strategies
for maintaining mental and physical well-being. The event concludes with a resource fair featuring
representatives from various campus and community organizations providing information about their
services and programs, activities, and other valuable resources.
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1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Baker Lab Atrium
CIPA Orientation Lunch & Co-Curricular Activity Overview
Join faculty, staff, and current students for a light lunch before CIPA’s opening orientation session.
Representatives from CIPA’s co-curricular organizations will be on hand to discuss the mission of their
organizations, programming for the 2015-2016 academic year, and how to get involved.
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
233 Plant Sciences Building
Opening Orientation to CIPA*
Facilitated by Professor Sharon Tennyson, the Director of CIPA, Nancy Brooks, CIPA’s Director of
Graduate Studies,, and Tom O’Toole, CIPA’s Executive Director, this session will introduce new MPA
Fellows to the CIPA Core Faculty and staff, as well as academic obligations and requirements of the
MPA degree. This will be the first of a number of sessions for new CIPA Fellows.
4:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Group Advising Sessions*
Consult Orientation Folder for Location (business casual attire required)
A number of introductory advising sessions are being set up for Fellows during this session to meet with
the members of the Core Faculty who will serve as their respective academic advisors. These meetings
will start the get-acquainted process and give Fellows an opportunity to follow up on questions not
sufficiently covered in the main orientation session for the whole incoming class of 2017. Times and
places for these small group meetings are listed on orientation folders. After these initial group meetings,
faculty will arrange for individual meetings with Fellows during the next week or two, before final
decisions need to be made on course enrollment for the fall semester.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
CLASSES BEGIN
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Peer Advising
201 Caldwell Hall, Lewis Student Center
Second-year MPA Fellows will be on hand in the CIPA Fellow Lounge (201 Caldwell Hall) to answer
any questions that new Fellows have regarding course selection and enrollment.
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
280 Caldwell Hall
New Fellow Photos Session 1
Drop by 280 Caldwell Hall to meet Lisa Lennox, CIPA’s Assistant Director for External Relations, and
have your picture taken for CIPA’s online directory of students. *Please note that all new Fellows are
required to have their photos taken during one of the three photo sessions offered this week.
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Wednesday, August 26, 2015
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
280 Caldwell Hall
New Fellow Photos Session 2
See description under Photo Session 1. Fellows who have already had their photo taken do NOT need to
attend this drop-in session.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
280 Caldwell Hall
New Fellow Photos Session 3
See description under Photo Session 1. Fellows who have already had their photo taken do NOT need to
attend this drop-in session.
4:45 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
233 Plant Sciences Building
CIPA Professional Development/Academic Integrity Overview*
Join Millie Reed, CIPA Assistant Director for Career Management, for a discussion of professional
development and career services programming and opportunities at CIPA and Cornell. Jim Morris,
librarian and citation management expert at Mann Library, will also discuss academic integrity and
citation management at Cornell, including an overview of citation management software.
Friday, August 28, 2015
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Peer Advising
201 Caldwell Hall, Lewis Student Center
Second-year MPA Fellows will be on hand in the CIPA Fellow Lounge (201 Caldwell Hall) to answer
any questions new fellows have regarding course selection and enrollment.
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
CIPA Amazing Race: Ithaca*
Meet on College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Quad outside of Caldwell Hall (south side)
Join second-year Fellows on a fun, fast-paced, challenging race to locate famous (and infamous)
landmarks on campus and in Ithaca. Fellows will be organized into teams according to academic advisor
and will be led by a second-year Fellow. The first team to locate as many landmarks as possible by 6:00
p.m. wins dinner at Taverna Banfi with their academic advisor! Fellows are strongly advised to wear
comfortable clothing/shoes, and bring snacks/bottled water if needed. This event is ‘weather-permitting’;
in the event of inclement weather, this event may have to be canceled. Following the event, leaders will
accompany their teams to bars/restaurants on the Ithaca Commons for drinks and food. Fellows should
bring money to purchase drinks and food, as well as government-issued photo identification if they plan
to join their teams at a bar/restaurant following the race. Note that although the race itself is a required
teambuilding event, fellows are not required to attend the bar/restaurant crawl following. Fellows with
disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations or who have questions about physical access may
contact CIPA’s Executive Director Tom O’Toole (tjo22@cornell.edu) in advance of the event. Fellows
with disabilities that prevent them from participating in the race should not feel obligated to do so, but can
join in the festivities following the race.
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Sunday, August 30, 2015
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
CPAS Social for First-Year Students
Argos Inn, 408 East State Street
The Cornell Public Affairs Society (CPAS) is excited to invite CIPA Fellows, family, and friends to an
afternoon of conversation, connecting, and cocktails at Argos Inn. Known for its unique menu of cocktails
and relaxed atmosphere, Argos is the perfect place to make new friends and to reconnect with old. Each
attendee will receive a beverage voucher for alcoholic drinks, as well as an assortment of coffee, tea,
juices, and other non-alcoholic beverages. Light refreshments will be provided and the Smash Truck will
be available for brunch at an additional cost. Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased through the
following link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=BDP35N27H6Z5A.
CPAS executive board members will be available during orientation and the first week of classes for
ticket purchases with cash or check. The last day to purchase tickets is Friday, August 28th. Please join us
as we welcome new Fellows into the CIPA family and returning Fellows back from their summers away.
Email Marcus Franklin (mcf66@cornell.edu) if you have any questions.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
G-73 Martha Van Rensselaer
Effective Résumé Writing*
CIPA Assistant Director for Career Management Millie Reed will present this workshop on writing
effective résumés for public affairs. Topics will include the differences between résumés and CVs (and
when to use each format), chronological vs. functional résumés, and effective formatting.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
4:45-6:00 p.m.
233 Plant Sciences Building
CIPA Colloquium: Amitav Chakravati*
This will be the first required colloquium of the semester. First-year students are reminded that
enrollment in colloquium (PADM 5010) is required of all CIPA students.
Friday, September 4, 2015
2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Stewart Park
CIPA Welcome Picnic
Join CIPA faculty, staff, and second-year Fellows for an afternoon of food, fun, and conversation at
Stewart Park. Families and partners are welcome to attend this event. Ride boards and directions will be
provided by the Cornell Public Affairs Society, and available in the CIPA Fellow Lounge, 201 Caldwell
Hall.
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Thursday, September 10, 2015
4:45 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
233 Plant Sciences Building
Off-Campus Study Overview
Representatives from off-campus study programs will provide brief overviews of each program, including
academic and professional opportunities and application processes and timelines. Representatives from
the CIPA Washington Externship Semester, Cornell-Nepal Studies Program, Cornell-in-Rome Program,
and the Student Multidisciplinary Applied Research Team (SMART) program will be on hand to present
and answer questions. Professors Grasso and Balasubramaniam will also discuss the new CIPA-SVYM
off-campus study program in Mysore, India. Please note that CIPA will hold additional in-depth sessions
on each of these programs throughout the semester. The purpose of the overview session is simply to
provide new Fellows with insight into how they can incorporate off-campus study into their academic
programs.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
4:45 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
233 Plant Sciences Building
Summer 2015 Intern Panel & Engaged Learning Overview*
Second-year students who completed internships during the summer of 2015 will share their experiences
and offer advices/tips on how to conduct a successful summer job search. Sectors will include: Public
(federal, state, city governments) Private (consulting), Non-profit/NGO and International Development.
CIPA Associate Director for Engaged Learning Laurie Miller will also discuss CIPA engaged learning
opportunities, and how the skills developed through these engagements apply to summer internship
success.
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