Dear SIPS community,
This update is longer than usual, but I encourage you to stick with me and read the entire message. For those of you that are just joining the Cornell/SIPS community, welcome! We are so pleased that you are here, and I look forward to learning more about each of you.
Over the past two weeks as the semester has gotten underway, I have noticed that the anxiety and stress of students, staff and faculty has increased. If you have suggestions for how we can help reduce anxiety and stress in SIPS please let me know. I have included University resources that I encourage you to use.
- Students enrolled on the Ithaca campus may access resources provided by Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) at Cornell Health. Students can also call Cornell Health 24/7 at 607-255-5155 to speak with a licensed therapist from their on-call service.
- Students at Cornell Tech may contact Student Services for support.
- Faculty and staff in Ithaca and New York City may contact the Faculty & Staff Assistance Program (FSAP). Additional health plan benefits, including telehealth services are also available to benefits-eligible employees.
- Chaplains and spiritual advisors in Cornell United Religious Work (CURW) are available to speak with students seeking spiritual support and care, online and/or by phone.
- Confidential care and support for individuals affected by bias is also available, and any member of the community can report a bias incident or related concerns.
Congratulations!
- Jason Londo who will be starting as an assistant professor in Horticulture working on Fruit Crop Adaptation to Climate Change in January 2022
- Terence Robinson, elected a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) and awarded the American Pomological Society (APS) Wilder Medal at the 2021 joint ASHS-APS meeting
- Amanda Wilson, Plant Science ’23 and recipient of the Rawlings Presidential Research Scholarship
- Fatma Rekik, Soil & Crop Sciences PhD ‘20, and recipient of the Truog Soil Science Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Soil Science Society of America
COVID regulations: As you have all seen, in the provost’s August 27 email, the Ithaca campus has moved to a Yellow Alert Level. Masking policy has been updated with the requirement “to be worn outside when on campus (when physical distancing cannot be maintained) and inside campus buildings, except for private, non-shared spaces or when eating/drinking”. In addition, “Informal social gatherings of more than a small number of attendees should be postponed until our case count moderates.” We appreciate that people have many questions and we will share additional guidelines from Cornell and CALS as they are communicated. If you are planning an event, please contact Leslie, Tami, or Magdalen before engaging other SIPS staff
SIPS admin staff hybrid work schedules:
- Need to know where some is? View on campus/remote work schedules.
- Have suggestions for improving communication & hybrid work implementation? Submit feedback
Renovation:
Bradfield: Construction on floors 2, 3, and 4 is largely completed and is expected for B, G, and 6th floors by the end of September
SIPS Diversity & Inclusion:
Please join me in congratulating Tom Silva as the Chair of the SIPS Diversity & Inclusion Council. Also join me in thanking Hale Tufan for her service as our inaugural Chair.
Thank you to all who attended the “Connecting in SIPS” event, sponsored by the SIPS Diversity & Inclusion Council on August 25th, inspired by Beronda Montgomery’s book “Lessons from Plants”. What a wonderful way to meet new folks across the school. We still have copies of the books available, please contact Cindy Twardokus (ct259) if you would like one.
Congratulations to the following people who were recognized with a SIPS Kudos in the last month! Thanks for your effort and passion in support of SIPS.
- Going Above and Beyond: Leslie Larsen, Kim Paul and Gemma Osborne, Matt Christiansen, Sustainable Cropping Systems group (Chris Pelzer, Sandra Wayman, Kristin Loria)
- Strong Team Spirit: Annika Rowland, Alejandra Gandolfo Nixon, Gadoury and Cadle-Davidson labs, Nick King, IRIS Team (Diane Ayers, Lori Radcliff-Woods, Matthew Kwok), Dominick Lipari
- Building Mastery and Skill: Adin Burwell, McKenzie Schessl, Alexander Wares, Kerry Dillon, Bob Wilson, Darren Wilson, Nick van Eck, Jamie Wells
PLEASE remember to recognize people in our SIPS community that have gone out of their way to enhance our School. All you have to do is complete the brief form here
Take care,
Chris