A tree helps display university's presence in New York City

President Jeffrey Lehman congratulates Cornell senior Jennifer Hoos, whose neighborhood project in Councilwoman Gale Brewer's office prompted the ceremony, Oct. 15, at 533 Amsterdam Ave. at 86th Street in Manhattan. Also congratulating Hoos, from left to right, are President Lehman's wife, Kathy Okun; Stephen Johnson, Cornell interim vice president for government affairs; Susan Murphy, Cornell vice president for student and academic services; Manhattan Borough Parks Commissioner Bill Castro; and Councilwoman Brewer. Robert Barker/University Photography

By Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.

NEW YORK -- Using the colorful backdrop of autumnal leaves along a busy New York City street, Oct. 15, Cornell President Jeffrey Lehman, Cornell undergraduate Jennifer Hoos and city dignitaries planted a young honey locust on Amsterdam Avenue at 86th St. in Manhattan to symbolize the university's ongoing involvement with the city and its residents.

During his comments at the event, Lehman reminisced about visits he made to the city as a child (he grew up in nearby Westchester County) and he talked about how downtown trees improved the city's quality of life. "I noticed that the trees were making an oasis of tranquility in a sea of concrete," he told a group gathered on the sidewalk for the event.

This past summer, Hoos, a senior from Woodbridge, Conn., majoring in urban and regional studies, was an intern in City Councilwoman Gale Brewer's (D-6th District) office through her participation in Cornell's Urban Scholars Program. Hoos and fellow Urban Scholars Program participant Josh Bronstein, a junior, organized a tree survey of the councilwoman's district, in response to constituent concerns about empty tree pits and dead and dying trees along the city streets. The interns compiled a list of the district's tree types and locations and mapped the data.

Councilwoman Brewer, with the help of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, has been working to replace the trees; and Cornell Cooperative Extension educators in the city will be instructing residents on how to care for newly planted trees.

Hoos

"As an urban and regional studies major ... I have been exposed to various types of community outreach, neighborhood planning, urban aesthetics and design and sustainability," said Hoos, speaking first at the event, before introducing Lehman and Brewer. "All of this helped me to choose to work on [Brewer's] street project and initiative."

In his comments, Lehman noted the variety of Cornell's institutions and programs within the city -- such as the Urban Scholars Program, Weill Cornell Medical College and Cornell Cooperative Extension and ILR extension -- and he told the group, "I want to make it a hallmark of my administration to expand the presence of Cornell in the city."

Brewer said, "Cornell University means a lot to the residents of New York, because its efforts in the city make our neighborhoods better."

And Manhattan Borough Parks Commissioner Bill Castro, who also spoke at the ceremony, thanked the Cornell interns for their work and said that about 70 trees would be replaced in Brewer's district by spring 2004.