F-ILR Connections newsletter revised final mechs.indd - ILR School ...

One might worry that Cognetta, is, in
fact, too serious. But his noble and esoteric
pursuits seem to be happily offset with a
good deal of whimsy, whether it is riding
tricycles for a charity event or serving as the
sportscaster for Cornell baseball. Cognetta
lists his career goals as heading in the
direction of journalism, social justice, and
public service, but adds that he dreams
of calling the play-by-play for a New York
Yankees game on the radio or television.
It seems that anything is possible for this
go-getter.
His pursuits this past summer fell
more on the earnest side of his goals—he
worked for the New York City Public Service
Corps program. This program provides
undergraduate and graduate work-study
students with internship opportunities in
more than 30 city agencies tailored to the
students’ majors and interests. He is also
considering a future internship opportunity
with the American Federation of Television
and Radio Artists Union.
What is most interesting and revealing
about Jack Cognetta is the way he straddles
so many interests and worlds. His interest
in pursuing an internship with the
American Federation of Television and
Radio Artists Union in New York City
typifies his quest to bring together public
service, community, social justice, and a flair
for and interest in entertainment. And it is
this skill of unification that makes Cognetta
so successful at everything he does—from
bringing disparate groups together as
president of the SGA, to reconciling media
interpretations of the blue-collar worker in
his class. This is also what makes Cognetta
such a perfect match for ILR; he is an
embodiment of the School’s goals: to bring
all sides to the table and find a greater
good for everyone and maintain a sense of
community and levity at the same time. ■
CPRS
The Cornell Presidential Research
Scholars Program
Although Cornell is one of the top research universities in the
country, much of the research formerly was conducted outside
the field of the average undergraduate’s experience, providing
few opportunities for advanced students to reach for a higher goal
during their four years here.
President Hunter Rawlings addressed this issue as his first
undergraduate research initiative, by founding the Cornell Presidential
Research Scholars Program (CPRS). This highly selective program
brings academically gifted students to Cornell to conduct individual
research with the professor(s) of their choice during their academic
careers. Providing freshmen with the opportunity to enter a world that
was previously open only to graduate students is an honor in itself, but
the CPRS program goes a step further: it provides financial support for
the scholars. Participants in the CPRS program receive up to $10,000
in a research support account that may be used for wages, researchrelated
travel, limited supplies, and summer research expenses
(students are required to spend at least one summer during their
four years working on their research). Additionally, financially eligible
students may receive up to $4,000 each year in loan replacement.
The competition to enter the program is intense; students are
selected in conjunction with their admission applications based on their
academic qualification and past research experience. Only 2 percent
of incoming freshmen are accepted into the CPRS program. Students
are paired with a faculty adviser who is in their field of interest; Jack
Cognetta was paired with Maria Cook based on an indication on his
application that he was interested in Latin America. Though students
conducting research in science fields make up a majority of the program,
the scope of CPRS includes all disciplines. Students are required to write
regular papers as their research progresses, and at the end of their four
years they present their work at CPRS’s annual open house.
Though the work is intense, the rewards are great. Brian Kwoba ’04
researched “Rumba,” an indigenous musical art form that consists of
singing, dancing, and drumming; his CPRS funding allowed him to travel
to Cuba to conduct interviews, take drumming lessons, and observe
musical performances as part of his research. It was an experience
that no book or electronic journal article, the cornerstones of most
undergraduate academic research, could provide. For Jack Cognetta, the
CPRS program is an “opportunity to reap the benefits of such a research
university” and “the opportunity to explore these issues, ideas, and
problems that have sparked my interest since high school.”
The CPRS program is one of three programs providing scholarships
for undergraduates, which is run by the Cornell Commitment Office.
More information can be found online at www.commitment.cornell.edu/
CPRS/.
www.ilr.cornell.edu ILR Connections/Fall 2004 ■ 19