The Committee on Special Educational Projects (COSEP) was established by Cornell University in 1965 with the primary goals of: 1) increasing the enrollment of African American students at Cornell; and 2) providing support services to facilitate both their adjustment to Cornell and their graduation. Later, COSEP was expanded to include Latino/Hispanic American, Native American, and Asian American students.

Over the past 40 years, COSEP has been highly successful. Besides changing the composition of the university's student body, COSEP and its programs have helped to sensitize the university community to the challenges, needs, and accomplishments of underrepresented minority groups at Cornell. Today, COSEP remains a committee of advisors, counselors, and administrators who support the special educational needs of its students. In 1976, COSEP was subsumed into the Office of Minority Educational Affairs (OMEA). The OMEA offers and coordinates a comprehensive network of academic and administrative support services for students. Minority students at Cornell, who represent nearly 28 percent of the undergraduates, are culturally diverse and bring an impressive array of talent, scholarship, and leadership to the Ithaca campus.