The Laidlaw Undergraduate Leadership and Research Program promotes ethical leadership and international research around the world—starting with the passionate leaders and learners found on campuses like Cornell.

With generous support for your leadership development, a summer abroad putting your skills into action, and research, this two-year cohort program for emerging leaders lays out a path for you to invest your skills, knowledge, and experience make global change. As a Laidlaw scholar, your talent and motivation are cultivated through international experiences, leadership training and research, and networking with like-minded peers.

Interested in joining our next cohort of scholars? Join us for an upcoming information session.

The Program's Key Components

Leadership Training

Leadership training is an essential component of the program that continues throughout your time as a Laidlaw scholar. You'll learn about your unique leadership strengths, further develop your skills through critical reflection, and prepare to encounter difference from a creative and mindful place.

Leadership-in-Action Experience

Spend your summer abroad to gain intercultural competency and learn from real-world leaders, exploring how organizations are enacting change in their communities and beyond. You'll spend your first summer in Ecuador working in partnership with agrarian, Indigenous, and activist communities on projects addressing education, Indigenous and epistemic justice, women's empowerment, environmental justice, food security, social entrepreneurship, leadership, and community development.

These skills are directly transferable to future work across disciplines, while also introducing you to different life experiences and expanding your perspective.

Networking

Over your two years in the program, you will get to know like-minded scholars who are passionate about Laidlaw's shared values. The international network of Laidlaw scholars extends beyond Cornell University to a global community that shares an online space for continued collaboration.

Research

Your second summer as a Laidlaw scholar you'll work on an internationally-focused research project that is supervised by a faculty member or an experienced research team. Your work is supported by a weekly stipend. 

We support you in finding a research project with an international focus and faculty mentor for your second summer of the program.