The Milstein Program, a flagship enrichment program of the College of Arts & Sciences, is accepting applications from current first-year students, seeking to fill 8 spots to complete the 25-person class of 2029.
The Milstein Program selects a small cohort of first year undergraduates each year who are excited by interdisciplinary thinking, dynamic collaboration, and emergent technology. The Program offers a supportive community of engaged learners, speaker series along with core courses, unique short courses, mentorship, career development, and funded research opportunities, including an 8 week immersive experience at Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island.
Milstein is not a major or a minor—students can explore technology from a range of perspectives, and though some are computer science or information science majors, the vast majority of students double-major or major in fields in the humanities or social sciences (Milsteiners can choose among the 40+ majors offered in the College of Arts & Scieces). Prospective Milstein students should have a strong interest in the human impact of technology—what this means to them can be discovered within their four years in the program.
Each year, students take specialized classes (a First-Year Project seminar that changes every year, a speaker series featuring scholars and industry experts, and a Junior Project independent study that spans one full year and culminates in a public Expo postering session) and have opportunities to engage with their cohort during special events, short courses, and workshops. Milstein students have priority enrollment for Faculty Fellow classes that change each academic year. Visit our website for more information about the Milstein Program curriculum.
James Koga (Cornell ’25 and Milstein Scholar) said the Milstein Program in Technology and Humanity shaped his Cornell experience more than anything else. James was able to use the time, funding, and community resources allocated by Milstein Program to combine his interest in music production with his computer science studies, creating accessible wearable technologies to find exciting new ways to experience and create music.
The vision for the Milstein Program came from Howard Milstein '73 and Michael Milstein '11, both A&S graduates, who collaborated with Gretchen Ritter '83, the Harold Tanner Dean of Arts and Sciences, and Dan Huttenlocher, the Jack and Rilla Neafsey Dean of Cornell Tech. The program was launched in 2017 with a $20 million gift from the Milstein family.
Interested first-years should apply using the online application form by Dec. 1. Questions can be directed to Milstein Program staff at milsteinprogram@cornell.edu.
