Summer Week: SYSEN 5940

This page is designed to provide the most up-to-date information about the week-long session and answer any of your frequently asked questions. Please check back for frequent updates.

Agenda

Copies of the agenda can be downloaded from this box folder.

Getting to Ithaca

Airports

There is one airport in Ithaca, and two in nearby surrounding areas, each about an hour away from Ithaca. Please use the links below to help plan your trip to Ithaca, but remember that we are not able to offer reimbursement for travel to and from Ithaca if you need a cab, Uber/Lyft, rental car, or other form of transportation to Ithaca.

• Ithaca Tompkins International Airport (ITH)
• Syracuse International Airport (SYR) (about one hour away from Ithaca)
• Elmira Corning Regional Airport (ELM) (about one hour away from Ithaca)

Ithaca Transportation Services

Ithaca offers taxi, Uber and Lyft services, making it easy to get to and from the Ithaca airport. Unfortunately, we can’t provide services or reimbursement for transportation to and from airports.

• A+ Taxi, LLC, 607-533-8294
• ASAP Cab Company, 607-272-7222
• Ithaca Dispatch, 607-588-8888

Ground Transportation from Syracuse

• Big D’s Limousine, 315-730-5931
• Lyft
• Uber

About Your Stay

Parking

If you require a parking pass for the SYSEN 5940 event, you can reserve it online through Cornell Transportation’s Click and Park.

• IMPORTANT: The program will cover all parking pass fees, but please use the link above to print out the parking pass for A Lot on Cornell Campus and place the printed parking pass on the front dash of your vehicle so it is fully displayed through the windshield.

Accommodations

If you’re not familiar with Cornell and the Ithaca area, this interactive map of Cornell and neighboring areas can help you find your way around.

You will be staying in Toni Morrison Hall, which opened in 2022 and is located in the North Campus residential area. It is named after Toni Morrison, the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, who earned her master’s degree in American literature in 1955 at Cornell. An A.D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell from 1997 to 2003, Morrison returned to the Ithaca campus numerous times over the years. Through creative floor plans, Toni Morrison Hall provides living spaces with a modern aesthetic that enhances the residential experience and encourages interaction and collaboration among students.

The Systems Engineering Program will only pay for your accommodations, parking, meals and ground transportation from check-in on Sunday June 21, 2026 to to check-out on Friday, June 26, 2026.

All attendees staying early in the residence hall before 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 21, 2026 or remaining in the residence hall past 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 26, 2026, must personally reserve and pay for the additional nights. Please contact Conference and Event Services to extend your stay in the residence halls or email CESHelp@cornell.edu. They will do their best to accommodate special requests, but it is not guaranteed. If you are interested in staying off-campus before or after the course and do not want to stay in a residence hall, there are a multitude of local hotels and Airbnb options in the Ithaca area that you can research.

Check-in and check-out will take place just up the road at the Robert Purcell Community Center (107 Jessup Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850)

Check-In Procedures

Where: Robert Purcell Community Center (107 Jessup Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850)

When: Sunday, June 21, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. EST

• No early arrivals are permitted without specific arrangements!
• As soon as you check in, please be sure to pick up your welcome bag at the front desk. This bag will contain your agenda for the week, a name tag, and additional information.
• Conference and Event Services staff are at the Robert Purcell Community Center 24 hours a day to answer any questions you may have.

Check-Out Procedures

Where: Robert Purcell Community Center (107 Jessup Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850)

When: Friday, June 26, 2026, by 10:00 a.m. EST

• No later check-outs unless otherwise arranged
• Please plan to leave no earlier than 1:00 p.m. EST, when class ends. Personal luggage can be stored in the Toni Morrison Multi-Purpose Room from 10:00 a.m.– 1:00 p.m. EST)

What is Included in Your Residence Hall Single Room

• Freshly made bed
• Mattress pad
• Sheets
• Blanket and bedspread
• Pillow and pillowcase
• 3 towels and 3 wash cloths
• Soap
• Drinking cup
• Clothes hangers

These services will be provided

• Linen exchange and trash removal (available Monday through Friday as needed)
• Daily cleaning of external common areas
• External restrooms will be cleaned and restocked three times per week.
• Internal restrooms and common areas will be cleaned and restocked once a week (this includes your internal dorm restroom and common areas).
• Laundry services: Laundry machines are available in the dorm building, and are free to use during the summer months. Guests will be required to provide their own laundry detergent and download an app to operate the machines (details listed in each laundry room).

Items to Consider Bringing That Are Not Included in Your Dorm

Please keep in mind that you will be staying in a single-room dorm, in suites with shared bathrooms. Below is a list of items you might consider bringing with you to make your stay more comfortable.

• Slippers
• Sneakers (for walking around campus)
• Flip-flops or shower shoes (for dorm showers)
• Toiletries: toothpaste, toothbrush, dental floss, mouthwash, deodorant, extra soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc.
• Ear plugs (the dorms may be loud)
• Your own laptop, preferred stationery, and/or writing tools
• Anything you can think of that might make your stay more comfortable!

If you are interested in renting a fan for your room, please contact Lewis Freedman from Campus Services at 607-539-6673 or via email at FridgeandFanRentals@gmail.com, or at FridgeandFanRentals.com.

Fitness

Information about exercise facilities is available on the Cornell Fitness Center/ Recreation Services website.