Faculty, students, and staff of Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) discover, integrate, disseminate, and apply knowledge about food & energy systems, the life sciences, the environmental sciences, and the social sciences as a basis for sustainable improvement in the lives of people throughout New York, the nation, and the world. From the university’s top-ranked undergraduate business program to innovative research in communication, development sociology, landscape architecture, the biological sciences, and other fields, CALS offers a broad spectrum of programs that extend past the traditional definition of an agricultural school. And yet, with outstanding initiatives in the food, animal, and plant sciences as well as in a broad scope of biological sciences, CALS clearly illustrates the urgency and relevance of agricultural research to creating a world that can nourish and support its inhabitants. Because of this portfolio of diverse expertise and resources, CALS is regarded as the best college of its kind in the nation, if not the world.
Informed by discoveries from our broad spectrum of expertise, CALS’ research, educational, and extension programs:
- Impart a world-class education and instills passion for life-long learning
- Further agricultural systems to ensure food and nutrition security, human health, and sustainability
- Advance knowledge in the life sciences about the unity and diversity of life
- Foster the understanding of the economy and society for individual and community well-being
- Steward environmental resources and sustainable energy solutions
Challenges confronting the global community are growing in complexity for many reasons, including the increasing human population and climate change in the context of finite natural resources. Establishing sustainable societies through sound policies, strategies, and technologies that improve the health and well-being of present populations without compromising the needs of future generations is among the greatest challenges facing humanity.
Solutions to today’s global challenges will require novel insight into the dynamics of coupled human and natural systems. Many of these solutions will be found at the intersection of the four interdependent and interacting areas of focus that inform and support CALS’ mission and shape the college’s commitment to advancing the land grant mission.
Through our curriculum and experiential opportunities, CALS develops leadership ability, civic responsibility, and curiosity in its students. Through our research, CALS makes invaluable contributions to an ever-increasing knowledge base. Through Cornell Cooperative Extension and other outreach mechanisms, we serve the public directly, sharing knowledge and improving lives around the world. In all facets of our mission, CALS honors the past, is engaged in the present, and helps shape the future.