On March 6, Cornell announced that Stephanie Baldwin, who heads the Greek life program at the University of Colorado Boulder, will join the staff on April 1 as the Robert G. Engel Director of Sorority and Fraternity Life.
In Boulder, Baldwin worked with an Interfraternity council that has 11 members recognized by that university. However, Boulder has a separate, independent IFC that has another 20 chapters.
Prior to working at CU Boulder, Stephanie was the Assistant Director for Leadership Development at Utah State University where she advised the fraternity & sorority community and the campus programming board and facilitated and organized leadership training and institutes.
When Baldwin fills the Director position, there are two other vacancies that must be filled – the Associate Director as well as the advisor to the Panhellenic Sororities.
Greek life at Cornell has faced a number of recent challenges. First, this semester there have been an unusually high number of anonymous complaints filed against fraternities, many of which have been dismissed as not credible. Second, the degree of transparency and reporting of the Tri-Council, IFC and PanHell funds have not met the expectations set in prior years. Third, the IFC has implemented new recruitment rules that took effect in Fall 2023 to govern the most recent cycle. Finally, Baldwin must fill the shoes of her predecessor, Kara Miller McCarty, who was in the office for 17 years. It will take a great deal of effort to rebuild the relationships established by McCarty, particularly to assure continued alumni participation and funding of fraternities and sororities.
Cornell’s fraternity system dates back to 1868, the first year of Cornell’s operations. Cornell reports,
“Currently, one-third of the undergraduate student body (approximately 3,000+ students) belongs to one of the over 50 recognized fraternities or sororities that make up the sorority and fraternity community. Individually these organizations present members with unique personal development opportunities. Collectively, the sorority and fraternity community provides thousands of students the platform from which they contribute to the local, regional and global communities.”
Baldwin will work in Ithaca for several weeks this spring before returning to Colorado to pack and move permanently.
