Implementation is to begin on recommendations from university's Land Grant Mission Review

By Jacquie Powers

Cornell President Hunter Rawlings has approved the implementation of a number of recommendations from the Land Grant Mission Review, initiated by Rawlings over a year ago to strengthen and update the university's commitment to outreach and public service.

Implementation of the recommendations, which include the establishment of a new position of associate provost for outreach, will begin July 1, said Francille Firebaugh, vice provost for land grant affairs and special assistant to the president.

"Cornell, as a land-grant university, has long been a national leader in civic engagement within higher education, an arena that is gaining in visibility and significance nationally," Rawlings said. "During the past 15 months, we have been re-examining our land-grant mission to provide a more contemporary interpretation that meets the needs of the 21st century.

"We have looked not only at outreach in the contract colleges, but also at issues such as technology transfer, economic development and outreach to K-12 education. With the implementation of these initial recommendations of the Land Grant Mission Review panels, we can continue to build upon productive collaborations within higher education as well as business and industry, to meet the pressing needs of our state even more effectively."

The panels in January made three overall recommendations, which Rawlings and Provost Biddy Martin endorsed. Martin and Firebaugh reported on those recommendations to members of the Cornell Board of Trustees at their January meeting, and the trustees offered their support.

Those recommendations, and the specific action steps Rawlings has endorsed for each, include:

·Recognizing the current importance and future potential impact of outreach. Action steps include:

--Developing a portal of entry for Cornell resources.

--Appointing an associate provost for outreach, at 50 percent time.

--Requesting progress on outreach and public service in the annual reports of deans and vice presidents.

--Pursuing better evaluation of outreach accomplishments, especially in light of promotion and tenure reviews, and developing appropriate recognition of outreach and public service.

--Considering appropriate requests related to outreach and public service for inclusion in capital campaign priorities.

·Advancing the role and commitment of Cornell to K-12 education, particularly in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and as possible in the social sciences and humanities. Action steps include:

--Developing an annual seminar on the role of higher education in K-12 STEM education.

--Appointing a faculty member, preferably in a STEM field, to lead the seminar and K-12 initiatives, at 25 percent time.

·Reorganizing the Cornell Research Foundation and Office of Economic Development and create the Office of Technology Licensing and Economic Development. Action steps, under the leadership of Robert C. Richardson, vice provost for research, include:

--Combining technology transfer and economic development in one office: the Office of Technology Licensing and Economic Development (OTLED). OTLED will have offices for technology licensing on the Ithaca campus and at Weill Cornell Medical College, as well as an economic development office.

--The Cornell Research Foundation will no longer be the entity identified with licensing and patenting transactions.

"The new organization will be more responsive to the needs of the Cornell community, the city of Ithaca and the state of New York," Richardson said. He added that technology licensing and economic development will be combined in a new, single unit.

Martin said she wants to thank the many members of the faculty, staff and board of trustees who participated in this review. "The land-grant mission is central to the heart of this institution, and these steps will help the university begin the process of rededicating itself to its land-grant mission and redefining its meaning in the 21st century," she said.

Firebaugh said an associate provost for outreach would be appointed by the fall semester. "This position is a vital step in recognizing the importance of outreach at Cornell and in responding to the call for universitywide leadership of outreach from several of the panels," she added.

She noted that the associate provost will lead overall outreach efforts, working with the provost, academic deans and directors and faculty to promote the exchange among faculty engaged in extension, outreach and public service; further advance new models of outreach and engagement; lead the evaluation of outreach efforts and encourage the highest standards in outreach and extension, including the close alliance between research and outreach; and provide increased accessibility to Cornell through resolving the need for a portal of entry.

Firebaugh said the semesterlong seminar on K-12 education would begin in January 2004, with faculty, staff and practitioners involved in K-12 education. A scientist will lead the seminar and be involved with other K-12 initiatives. Potential seminar topics include the "Relationship Between Research, Teaching and Outreach," particularly as exemplified by the National Science Foundation's criterion of addressing the "broader social impacts of a project"; "Gender and Racial Disparities in Math, Science and Engineering"; and the "Role of Service Learning and Civic Engagement in K-12 Outreach."