Welcome to Cornell University's Residential College Initiative.

Charged with bringing students and faculty together in a spirit of inquiry and active citizenship, the West Campus House System offers a living and learning experience for sophomores, juniors, and seniors at Cornell University. Each House in the West Campus House System is overseen by a House Professor-Dean, a tenured faculty member who guides and directs the House's educational program, and a House Assistant Dean, a student affairs professional who directs the multiple functions of the House and shares responsibility with the House Professor-Dean for the realization of House's educational mission.

The West Campus House System offers upper students an actively engaged community of their own - one that fosters personal discovery and growth, and nurtures scholarship and creativity in an environment of collegiality, civility, and responsible stewardship.  A product of years of planning by Cornell students, faculty, and staff, the West Campus House System emphasizes informal interaction with faculty members, self-governance, social and cultural programming, privacy, and independence.  What student residents on west campus will find - and help to build - is a natural extension of the experience they shared as first-year students on north campus. It is also a part of Cornell's vision to be the best research university for undergraduate education in this country.

West Campus House System Mission: A community of students and faculty gathered in a spirit of inquiry and active citizenship.

West Campus House System Program Goals:

  • Develop a sense of belonging to one's House.
  • Create safe, healthy, and welcoming communities.
  • Build meaningful relationships between residents and faculty.
  • Create opportunities for intellectual exploration that lead to a deeper understanding of one's discipline, exposure to a broad range of knowledge, and a desire to be a lifelong learner.
  • Encourage student engagement in the House System and provide opportunities for the development of student leadership skills.
  • Provide opportunities for students to engage as citizens in the broader community.
  • Help students navigate the opportunities available to them at Cornell

Student Learning Outcomes:
West Campus residents engage in four domains of learning: Active Citizenship, Cultural Learning, Intellectual Inquiry, and Health & Wellbeing. By taking part in co-curricular experiences hosted in the Houses, students will:

Active Citizenship

  • Recognize interpersonal communication skills
  • Describe personal responsibility to one’s community
  • Identify community engagement or civic action that benefits the public good

Cultural Learning

  • Name personal values, beliefs and identities.
  • Describe the values and beliefs of multiple cultures
  • Identify societal structures and social identities.

Intellectual Inquiry

  • Express intellectual curiosity through formal and informal academic settings
  • Express creative thinking skills in formal and informal academic settings
  • Recognize connections across multiple academic disciplines

Health & Wellbeing

  • Identify appropriate resources for success
  • Describe mindfulness and resilience strategies
  • Recognize self-care practices