Per Cornell University Policy 4.12 (Data Stewardship and Custodianship), the university expects all stewards and custodians of its administrative data to manage, access, and utilize this data in a manner that is legal and consistent with the university's need for security and confidentiality. 

At the direction of the IT Governance Council, and predicated on relevant university policies, Cornell has a process for seeking Data Steward approval for the use of, and/or storage of, university data. Policy 4.12 outlines the major types of university data and identifies which vice president or committee is responsible for approving the release of university data. 

Data Steward Request Process

Use of and/or storage of any Cornell data requires acceptance of all related risks by the operating unit's dean or vice president, AND approval by the associated data steward(s). In addition, requests and research plans for human subject data must either be exempted from review or approved by Cornell's Institutional Review Board.  

• List of operating units - see Policy 4.2: Appendix G
• List of deans and vice presidents - see Senior Leadership
• List of data stewards - see Policy 4.12: Principles - Data Stewards

To make a request, complete the Data Steward Request Form.

CIT maintains a list of all requests approved by the data stewards. Questions about the request process can be directed to the Office of the CIO. Note: This Data Steward Request Process does not provide operational access to data OR replace the responsibility of each administrative functional area to develop and maintain clear and consistent procedures for actual access to university administrative data.

Related Policies

Policy 4.2 (Transaction Authority and Payment Approval), Appendix G: Operating Units 

Policy 4.4 (Access to Cornell Alumni Affairs Information University Policy) 

Policy 4.5 (Access to Student Information)

Policy 4.12 (Data Stewardship and Custodianship)

Policy 5.11 (Administrative Data Store Registry)