2004 Kaplan Family Distinguished Faculty Fellows

Winthrop Wetherbee

Professor Emeritus, Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities, Arts & Sciences

Cornell in Auburn is a program which for nine years has involved a number of Cornell faculty offering each year two or three courses for Cornell credit at the Auburn Correctional Facility, a maximum security state prison. The proposal was to integrate the program into the curriculum of the College of Arts and Sciences. Each semester three or four departments might offer one course each at Auburn as part of their regular offerings, and therefore as part of the teaching load of the instructor. Courses involve undergraduate and graduate students in service-learning activities, including teaching, research, mentoring, and tutoring inmates.

Therese O'Connor

Senior Lecturer, School of Hotel Administration

Project Title: At-Risk Youth Mentorship in the Hospitality Industry: A Proposal for an Integrated Course Program

The course program was designed with a two-fold mission: first to expose high school students to the hospitality industry and the world of employment, and provide an awareness of the potential for working in the industry by actually giving them the opportunity to work in the field. High school students are paired with Cornell student mentors, who would prompt them to explore a variety of schooling, training and employment opportunities in the hospitality industry. Secondly, the course provides a meaningful and effective service-learning experience for Cornell students by exploring the application of mentoring and supervision theories learned in the classroom, which then inform Cornell students’ mentorship with and role modeling for high school students. Partnerships are developed with agencies such as the Tompkins County Youth Bureau, the Ithaca Youth Bureau, the Learning Web, and the Access to College Education Program (ACE).