First resident fellows of Alice Cook House appointed and ready

Cook House graduate resident fellows gather with house deans in the archway of Baker Tower, Feb. 25. They are, from left: Lucian Leahu; Emily Paavola; Jean Reese, Cook House assistant dean; Judith Cruz; Shaffique Adam; Michelle Renee Smith; Ross Brann, Cook House professor and dean; and Lindsay Batory. Nicola Kountoupes/University Photography

By Franklin Crawford

Six Cornell graduate students have been appointed as the first resident fellows of Alice H. Cook House, which opens its doors to 360 upper-level students on West Campus in August.

"The [resident fellows] represent the broad diversity of grad fields on campus and, to our delight, also represent diverse personal backgrounds," said Ross Brann, Cook House professor and dean and the Milton R. Konvitz Professor of Judeo-Islamic Studies and chair of the Department of Near Eastern Studies. "My colleagues and I on the resident fellows search committee found the six grads we appointed intellectually gifted. We also found them to have wonderful interpersonal skills and to be very committed to our vision of a campus where faculty, students and staff are partners in creating new intellectual and social communities such as West Campus."

Cook House is the first of five houses being built as part of Cornell's West Campus Residential Initiative (WCRI) for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Each house will have its own dining hall, common rooms and library. The entire five-house residential system, including a community center, is scheduled for completion in 2010. The first house is named for the late Alice H. Cook, a noted professor in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the university's first ombudsman.

The six new graduate resident fellows represent a variety of academic fields. They are: Emily Paavola, law; Michelle Renee Smith, government; Shaffique Adam, physics; Lindsay Batory, chemistry and chemical biology; Judith Cruz, business management; and Lucian Leahu, computer science.

Each will serve as a mentor and role model to Cook House students, while providing academic and programming support for Brann and Jean Reese, the newly appointed Cook House assistant dean.

Cruz, who returned to Cornell as a student in the Johnson Graduate School of Management, said she "always longed for the opportunity to be part of a residential program like the Cook House" when she was an undergraduate.

"I was seeking an academic experience that went beyond the classroom," she said. "Now that I'm back at Cornell, I can't wait to contribute to the success of the program."

Cook House residence is not mandatory, and the house is not "themed." Instead it will reflect the student and faculty leadership in residence at any given time.

Adam, who lived in a variety of residential program settings as an undergraduate, said the experience was central to his overall education.

"I am convinced that most of the really important learning -- the kind that shapes your worldview or that molds your character -- happens through interactions outside of the classroom," he said. "I am excited about creating a living and learning environment here at Cornell where undergraduate students can benefit as I did when I was in such programs elsewhere."

Rounding out the first staff of Alice Cook House are three undergraduate student assistants, all in their junior years: Shada El-Sharif, Agriculture and Life Sciences and Engineering; and Julia Levy and Sabeen Virani, both Arts and Sciences.

Student assistants interact regularly with house residents, provide information about campus and community support services and keep house administrators and resident fellows apprised of Cook House student interests, issues and trends.

Reese, who is the WCRI project leader, said she is looking forward to her new role as assistant dean of Cook House. "I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity to work more directly with students and to be a part of the implementation of Cornell's new house system after so many years of planning and committees and meetings."

Reese will work closely with Brann and continue as a liaison to the WCRI, providing leadership for the resolution of transition issues and the startup of West Campus houses II and III, she said.