Draft:Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy

The Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy is a public policy school at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. It offers seven undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It is named after Jeb E. Brooks, an alumnus of Cornell University, who provided a substantial endowment gift in June 2021 to support its founding.

History
Discussions to establish a separate school for public policy within Cornell University began in 2016 as a result of an internal review of the university's social science activities. In 2020, an implementation committee concluded that such a school would, in fact, help improve the university's academic presence in that area.

Initially, the committee planned to establish the new public policy school by redefining the purpose of the College of Human Ecology, but this move was considered too drastic by the Faculty Senate and was rejected. The new school of public policy was, therefore, designed to consolidate faculty and resources from different government, economics, and sociology departments across the university in a decentralized structure. One consequence of this decision was that, upon implementation, the B.Sc. Policy Analysis and Management Major, which had been offered through the College of Human Ecology, was eliminated and replaced by the Public Policy Major offered through the new school.

In June 2021, the School of Public Policy committee selected Colleen Barry to be its founding dean. It began accepting undergraduate and graduate students in the fall 2021 semester.

Facilities
The school, save for its affiliated centers, institutes, and programs, is located in the Martha Van Rensselaer Hall at Cornell University, the same building as the College of Human Ecology.

Academics and Research
The school's research and teaching centers primarily on the policy subcategories of data science, technology, environment, inequality, and health.

Rankings
In 2023, U.S. News & World Report included the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy's graduate-level degree programs in its annual Best Public Affairs Schools rankings. Specific numerics are summarized below.