Joel H. Silbey, director of the Cornell-in-Washington program, is leaving that position after five years to return full time to his faculty position as the President White Professor of History, announced Ronald G. Ehrenberg, vice president for academic programs, planning and budgeting.
Silbey's full-time return to the faculty is effective June 30, 1998, Ehrenberg said. He added the university is seeking another tenured faculty member to serve as director of the program, located in Washington, D.C. The term of appointment is a minimum of three years.
Cornell-in-Washington offers juniors and seniors a chance to live, study and work in the nation's capital for a semester. Students take a core course taught by a Cornell faculty member, do individual research and arrange an externship at a government office, nonprofit organization or one of the major institutions of American culture. Students attend class and live at the Cornell Center on O Street, near Dupont Circle.
"Cornell-in-Washington provides a superb opportunity for students to combine academic work with the practical experience that comes from internships," said Glenn Altschuler, dean of continuing education and summer sessions and professor of American studies. "Over the years my advisees have told me their experience in Washington is a highlight of their Cornell years. Joel Silbey is saluted for his outstanding leadership of the program and for his many innovations, including the American experience track, which has allowed students of American culture to spend a semester in Washington while taking courses and doing research in American studies."
"The program is really a jewel in Cornell's crown," said Theodore J. Lowi, the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions. "We were the model for similar programs at other institutions."
The program's director provides academic and administrative leadership to the program and works with the steering committee of the program to plan and develop a curriculum that is approved by the appropriate departments. The director works in cooperation with the chairs of various departments on campus to recruit faculty members to fulfill the program's curriculum needs.
The director should be a tenured faculty member with teaching and scholarship interests relevant to the educational needs of the program, Ehrenberg said, and with strong academic leadership qualities, administrative experience and the ability to represent the program to a variety of constituents. The director must be willing to teach in the program and to spend some time in Washington.
Inquiries, nominations and applications, with curriculum vitae, should be sent to: Ronald G. Ehrenberg, 435 Day Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853-2801; 255-3062. Applications are due before Nov. 15.