Statement from the Executive Committee on the proposed changes to the hpp program

We, the Executive Committee of the Cornell Historic Preservation Planning Alumni, Inc. (HPPA), express our deep concern regarding recent developments and proposed changes to the Master’s Degree in Historic Preservation Planning (HPP) at Cornell University. The HPPA Executive Committee is releasing this preliminary statement now for the sake of timeliness and clarity. We will continue to consult with the full HPPA Board and the broader alumni membership and partners as we shape a coordinated response and advocacy strategy in support of maintaining and strengthening the HPP Master’s program.

While we recognize the challenges cited by the Department of City and Regional Planning (CRP)—including limited faculty, funding constraints, and small cohorts—we strongly oppose any move to pause or downgrade the HPP Master’s program in favor of a certificate. A certificate program, no matter how well designed, cannot substitute for the rigor and professional credentialing of a graduate degree. 

A certificate in historic preservation alone, paired with a bachelor’s degree in another field, will not usually meet the Professional Qualification Standards, which are part of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. The certificate might demonstrate specialized training, but the Standards emphasize degrees in relevant fields (history, architecture, architectural history, etc.) and/or documented professional experience. Furthermore, most public and private sector employers such as State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) and for-profit consultants would not consider a certificate competitive. This is especially true when applicants are in direct competition with those holding graduate degrees. This would place Cornell graduates at a distinct disadvantage in securing employment and advancing careers, breaking the legacy and long-lasting chain of important and influential Cornell-trained preservationists in our field.

For more than fifty years, Cornell’s HPP program has consistently produced highly employable graduates with a clear career trajectory and an outstanding placement record. Many alumni hold leadership positions across the preservation field, including at the local, state, and federal level. Many of them have founded and led non-profit organizations and successful private businesses.

The program has also attracted a wide range of international students, who bring critical perspectives and diverse professional experiences to the preservation discourse. These students have gone on to become leaders in heritage conservation and urban development in their home countries, demonstrating the global impact of Cornell’s HPP program. A certificate-only option would not support the same level of international engagement, nor would it be accessible or sufficient for many non-U.S. professionals who seek the credentials and research training uniquely offered by the master’s degree.

The HPP program’s interdisciplinary, research-driven, and practice-focused curriculum is unmatched in the United States and rare even internationally. It combines academic rigor with applied experience in ways that few other programs do, preparing students not only for current preservation challenges but also to lead innovation in the field of planning and policy.

Downgrading the program at a time when there is a documented shortage of qualified professionals—and when peer institutions, such as the University at Buffalo, are moving in the opposite direction by upgrading certificate programs to master’s degrees—runs counter to the needs of both the profession and the marketplace. To eliminate or downgrade Cornell’s HPP master’s degree would be a permanent solution to a temporary problem, jeopardizing a program that has shaped the preservation field for decades.

This decision is made even more disheartening by national developments. The Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation recently announced its State of Historic Preservation Education report at the National Trust for Historic Preservation conference, which calls for rebranding and reinvention of preservation education. Importantly, the Foundation intends to pair the report with new funding for incoming students at U.S.-based historic preservation programs—an unprecedented opportunity to attract and support future professionals. Although the funding package is pending final board approval, it underscores that this is precisely the wrong moment for Cornell to step back from its leadership role in preservation education.

Moreover, many of the challenges now cited are not new. As a 2012 CRP Self-Study warned, the department needed to “work out a sustainable long-term approach to student and faculty numbers, and the number of degree programs … [which] will affect historic preservation, regional science, and the relation between the department and CIPA.” Almost a decade later, the 2021 Planning Accreditation Board Site-Visit Report raised the same alarm: “The DCRP houses six degree and two dual degree programs so the faculty is stretched thin.” Instead of addressing these structural problems, the administration has repeatedly chosen to kick the can down the road—delaying meaningful solutions while the underlying issues have only grown more urgent.

This pattern of avoidance has also contributed to the perception of “loss of momentum.” Cornell has not robustly promoted the HPP program in recent years, and any decline in visibility is therefore the result of institutional neglect, not a lack of relevance or demand. Historic preservation is by its nature a small, specialized field, and Cornell’s role has always been outsized in shaping its direction. To diminish or eliminate this program would be to abandon a legacy of excellence and leadership at a critical moment for the profession.

Most significantly, the recent (2024) City and Regional Planning Self Study Report explicitly recommended reconnecting with the Cornell Historic Preservation Program Alumni Task Force, commissioned in 2020, to find solutions to these long-standing issues (CRP, 63). This recommendation was never acted upon. Instead of dismantling the program, Cornell should return to that unfinished work and partner with the Task Force, alumni, and preservation leaders to design sustainable, forward-looking reforms.

We invite alumni and other concerned partners to join us in advocating for the future of the program. Please reach out to admin@hppalumni.org or to any member of the HPPA Board to share your support and to stay engaged in our coordinated response.