Women's Resource Center
At the Women’s Resource Center, we believe in – and strive for – women’s education, empowerment, and strength. We aim to foster a vibrant and supportive campus community for woman-identified and gender diverse people so that they can bring their full and authentic selves to every part of their lives. We fully believe that it is best to champion women from an inclusive and intersectional place that acknowledges and supports all of their identities. Through leadership development opportunities, dynamic programs, and engaging events, we seek to build community and promote gender equity and inclusion at Cornell and beyond.
Check out Cornell Women's Resource Center on Linktree for our social media links, resources, and to schedule appointments with staff members. You can follow our Instagram or find us on Campus Groups to stay up-to-date on all of our upcoming events and programs and to engage with the Center virtually and in person!
Fifty Featured Cornellians
As we prepare to celebrate our 50th Anniversary during the 2023-24 academic year, we plan to honor 50 Cornellians who helped move the needle on gender equity at Cornell and beyond. WRC 50th Celebration Honoree nominations are now open!
Our History
The Women's Resource Center was started in the early 1970s as a student organization called Sister’s United with a physical space in downtown Ithaca. At a time when political awareness was at the center of the Women's Movement, the WRC was active in sponsoring discussions and events on issues such as abortion, equal pay, racism, and women's health. A lending library, as well as, comprehensive directories of campus and community services was established.
In the mid 1990s, the WRC was housed on campus and had a large cohort of dedicated student volunteers. These volunteers worked many hours each week staffing the office so that visitors could access the services provided. These services included a lending library, lectures and events, community service opportunities and a chance to work on Forword, a literary magazine published by the WRC.
In the fall of 1998, the first full-time director was hired, made possible by the support and funding of the Undergraduate Student Assembly. This professional position supported the work of the Women’s Resource Center Executive Board, a byline funded student organization that was heavily involved in campus gender justice work and supported signature campus events such as Feminism Food for Thought, The Vagina Monologues and Take Back the Night.
In 2016, the first Assistant Director of the WRC was hired, expanding the capacity for professional staff to support the student experience through advising and programming.
In 2018, two major changes occurred. The Women’s Resource Center Executive Board changed its name to the Gender Justice Advocacy Coalition and became a distinctly separate organization from the WRC focused on activism, programming, and funding events designed to uplift women on campus. The WRC, still housed under the DOS, as part of the D&I Portfolio, began to focus on longitudinal programming with the intention of supporting all women-identified and nonbinary students while centering the experiences of historically minoritized communities on campus. These changes allowed both organizations, still closely linked through advising relationships, to flourish.