The Cornell Board of Trustees announced the appointment on Tuesday, stating that Yates will examine how the university investigates reports of sexual misconduct, its disciplinary procedures, campus police responses, and its oversight of fraternities.
"It is imperative that Cornell be willing to examine itself with the same rigor we expect of others," Board Chair Anne Meinig Smalling said in a statement.
The review comes after renewed criticism of Cornell's handling of allegations made by a woman identified in court filings as Jane Doe, who said she was sexually assaulted by multiple members of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024. Doe filed a civil lawsuit against the university, the fraternity, and seven former students in September 2026.
No criminal charges have been filed. Cornell has said it expelled some students and suspended others following its own investigation, and the Chi Phi chapter was shut down.
Yates served as deputy attorney general under President Barack Obama and as acting attorney general under Donald Trump, who fired her in 2017 after she directed Justice Department lawyers not to defend his initial travel ban targeting Muslim-majority countries.
The appointment follows protests on campus, including graffiti on a building and rallies demanding greater accountability. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to examine Cornell's initial investigation into the incident.