Building Opportunity

Warren Hall embodies the spirit of interdisciplinary learning, discovery, and engagement that defines the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Home to the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management and the Department of Development Sociology, the residents of Warren Hall are dedicated to exploring all aspects of social and economic change and empowering people to build vital, sustainable communities.

Constructed in 1932, the Beaux-Arts style building will undergo a $51 million renovation that marries modernization with preservation. The brick and stone exterior, distinctive entry lobby, and large lecture hall will undergo a complete historic restoration. The remainder of the 128,355-square-foot building will be completely updated, providing state-of-the-art classrooms, modern offices, conference rooms, and public spaces that encourage increased interaction among faculty and students.

The Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management takes the lead in meeting today’s most important global challenges, ranging from the economics of biofuels to oil production in the Middle East, to trade agreements with the European Union and the rapidly developing economies of China, India and Africa, and from the economics of consumer behavior and food psychology to their effects on food consumption and nutrition. As one of only two accredited undergraduate business programs in the Ivy League, the Dyson School is a leader in applying practical, applied economics and management tools on every continent to solve the world’s most significant business and social issues. Programs include food and agricultural economics, environmental and resource economics, international and development economics, and management economics.

The Department of Development Sociology, the only department of its kind in the nation, is Cornell University’s hub of interdisciplinary activity related to global development. Faculty seek solutions for problems related to social and economic change while engaging organizations and people at all levels of society who are working to build both community and problem-solving capacity. The global community is in the midst of profound transformations: new security concerns (political, resource-based, environmental), the reorganization of economic activity, and deepening inequalities. Dedicated to securing human well-being and environmental sustainability, the department is energetically informing contemporary debates about the scope, meaning and promise of development in a changing world.

The new Warren Hall will reflect the same devotion to sustainability, with the completed building expected to earn at least the U.S. Green Building Council’s Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) status.