Cornell is one of relatively few institutions in the nation to allow students to directly elect representatives to its highest governing body. In alternating years with the graduate and professional students, and undergraduate will be elected by fellow students to serve as a full voting member on the Board of Trustees.

Election Results

Information for Candidates (Undergraduates)

Candidates must be enrolled full-time in one of the undergraduate colleges; not on disciplinary probation or suspension; and must be, and expect to remain, registered in good-standing in their current college or school through the end of the two-year term. The elected candidate will serve as a full-voting member of the Cornell University Board of Trustees for a two-year term, from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2023. If you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact the Office of the Assemblies via email: trustee-elections@cornell.edu.

Each person who wishes to be a candidate in this election must complete the following requirements by 9:00am (EST) on Monday, April 5, 2021:

1. Read the Procedures and the Addendum to "Student and Employee-Elected Trustee Procedures for Spring 2021".
2. Register to attend the information session on Friday, March 26, 2021 at 3:30PM via Zoom
3. Complete the Online Registration Form. Be prepared to provide:
   • a candidate statement (1500 character-limit);
   • describe relevant experiences, community involvement and special interests; 
   • a photo of yourself;
4. Gather 150 valid, distinct signatures using the online Candidate Petition Form (see instructions for Creating the Online Petition Form).
   • We recommend you collect more than 150 signatures in the event that some cannot be validated.
5. Any registered Cornell undergraduate student may sign your petition form (even if they are not eligible to run for student-elected Trustee). There is no limit to the number of signature you may submit (see instructions for Signing the Online Petition Form).
   • Complete your online petition signature gathering by the registration deadline of Monday, April 5, 2021 @ 9:00am (EST).

After completing the registration requirements, candidates must also do the following as part of the election process:

1. Attend the mandatory campaigning meeting with University Counsel on Monday, April 5, 2021 at 4:00PM
2. Attend the mandatory campaigning meeting on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at 4:00PM
3. Participate in the Trustee Candidate Forum/Debate on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 5:00PM
4. Submit the Candidate Expense Report via email to the Office of the Assemblies by Friday, April 30, 2021 by 5:00pm, even if you have no expenses.
5. In the event of a challenge to a candidate, submit the Challenge Form via email to the Office of the Assemblies by Friday, April 30, 2021 by 5:00pm. 

Voting begins at 12:00PM (EST) on Tuesday, April 27th, 2021, and ends at 5:00PM (EST) on Friday, April 30th, 2021.

Election Calendar - Student-Elected Trustee | Spring 2021