Cornell has officially renamed its Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives to the Office of Academic Discovery and Impact as of Friday, according to an email sent to Pre Professional Programs scholars by Kristin Dade, director of OADI.
The Friday email, which was signed off by OADI Director William "Woodg" Horning, Dade and the entire OADI team, describes that the “very exciting” name change followed “think[ing] strategically about who we are and how all students see us across campus.”
The new name “aligns with the OADI mission and vision and the key goals of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education 一 curiosity and connection,” according to the email obtained by The Sun.
The office wanted to maintain the “signature moniker of ‘OADI’” due to its Arabic and Swahili meaning, according to the email. OADI’s website states that the word “refers to a cool protected passage route/valley through a desert, often formed by a seasonal river.”
The new name highlights OADI’s centering of “‘discovery’ for scholars as they approach and proceed through their academic journey” and the “‘impact’” each scholar brings to campus, according to the email.
According to its website, OADI works to ensure all students have equal access to educational and pre-professional programs and resources by offering academic support, scholarships, mentorship and community events. OADI’s origin spans back to 1963, through the historic Committee on Special Education Projects, which has been renamed and reorganized several times since.
“The new OADI emerged as a way for students to see themselves in our space be they first generation, low income, foster youth, Veterans, non-traditional, transfer, students from diverse backgrounds and/or any other student that finds space in our community,” the email reads.
In March, the University temporarily removed its diversity, equity and inclusion references and discrimination resources from its Equal Education and Employment Opportunity Statement. However, the University quickly adjusted the statement back to its near-original condition and explained the original revision as a “clerical error.”
“Our commitment to equal opportunity remains steadfast,” a University spokesperson wrote in an email to The Sun.
The OADI name change comes amid reported settlement talks between the Trump administration and the University to resume frozen federal funds.
The New York Times reported in April that the Trump administration had frozen over $1 billion in federal funding for Cornell, based on accounts from two unnamed U.S. officials. Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff told The Sun in early May that the University had seen approximately 120 stop-work orders until that point, along with the termination of grants over political concerns.
The University did not respond to a request for comment on why the name was changed or if it was linked to the ongoing agreements with the Trump administration by time of publication.
The office’s name switch follows similar changes at peer institutions. Harvard renamed its Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging to the Office for Community and Campus Life. Syracuse University recently closed its Office of Diversity and Inclusion, folding operations into a new unit called People and Culture.
“Our OADI team have expertise in supporting students from all walks of life and we look forward to doing so for the next 50+ years,” the email reads.
Zeinab Faraj is a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is the features editor on the 143rd Editorial Board and was the assistant sports editor of the 143rd Editorial Board. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
