The Cornell Small Farms Program — based in the Department of Horticulture — is cited as a prime example of community engagement in a Cornell Chronicle article, CU recognized as an ‘institution of community engagement’.
“The Cornell Small Farms Program promotes the sustainability of small farms that contribute to food security and healthy rural communities; it also offers cooperative extension programs, such as online classes for beginning farmers, and provides neutral information about the needs of small farms to inform public policy decisions.”
The occasion is the announcement that Cornell has been recognized the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Learning:
“For its community engagement, the university has earned the nation’s top recognition. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching — whose classifications of colleges and universities are considered the country’s gold standard — has designated Cornell an ‘institution of community engagement,’ Carnegie announced today (Jan. 5). Cornell is now one of only 311 U.S. colleges and universities to receive this classification.”
Congratulations Small Farms Program! I was honored to be part of the Beginning Farmer online course this past fall and I’m looking forward to the 2011 version. Good going!