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The College of Arts & Sciences
The department of government offers students a variety of opportunities to engage with politics and political science, beginning in the classroom, with the chance to work one-on-one with faculty; by participating in internships, and by drawing on the department's ties with programs across the College of Arts and Sciences.
Zilala Mamat ’26, government major in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences, is among three recipients of 2026 Robinson-Appel Humanitarian Awards from the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement. Mamat advocates for Uyghurs and will develop a digital archive.
In its April 2026 round-up of new books, the Cornellians website features titles by College of Arts and Sciences alumni, including a mystery novel, a book for kids about loss and a peek into the hidden lives of lab animals.
The College of Arts & Sciences at Cornell University will celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the Cornell Levinson Program in China and Asia-Pacific Studies – and a new faculty director for the program — at an April 24 symposium on the Ithaca campus.
As ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel prepare to join U.S.- brokered negotiations in Washington, D.C., Averell Schmidt, professor of government in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences, says a key is that talks are even happening. The U.S. has a strong interest in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, she says.
Cornell University alumnus Fred Rubinstein ’52, LLB ’55 endowed a government professorship to strengthen civic engagement. The Susan August Rubinstein Professorship honors his late wife while supporting teaching and public participation in the College of Arts & Sciences.
An anniversary gala will mark the Cornell Black Alumni Association’s 50th anniversary April 24-26 in Washington, D.C. Hosted by alumni of Cornell University, the event honors leading alumni and launches a $1.5 million legacy fund.
Hungary’s growing rift with the EU, at issue in April 12 parliamentary elections, reflects Viktor Orbán’s strategy more than voter sentiment, says Cornell University government professor Bryn Rosenfeld. She says Hungarian Euroskepticism followed Orbán’s attacks on Brussels.
As Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun visits China urging reconciliation, the U.S. and China dominate real cross-strait decisions, says Cornell University government scholar Allen Carlson. He calls the Kuomintang trip “political theater,” with Washington and Beijing holding Taiwan’s future.
The Government Department at Cornell is committed to free speech and academic freedom, to creating and sustaining a community all of whose members can teach, study, work and thrive, whatever their backgrounds or beliefs, without fear of intolerance, bigotry, harassment, or reprisal. Cornell University is justifiably proud of having committed itself to an affirmative responsibility to protect academic free speech, including extramural speech. It has declared this to be a year of "freedom of expression" at Cornell. We reaffirm.
Our doctoral students are trained in all the main fields of the discipline and have extensive research and teaching experience. Government graduates have gone on to outstanding careers in higher education, public service, and the private sector.