May 7, 1998: Headlines: COS - Cameroon: Peace Corps Directors - Gearan: Cornell University: Mark D. Gearan, left, national director of the Peace Corps, speaks with Cameroon RPCV Stefan Cherry, Peace Corps coordinator at Cornell and graduate student in international agriculture, during ceremonies in Day Hall April 30

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Cameroon: Peace Corps Cameroon: The Peace Corps in Cameroon: May 7, 1998: Headlines: COS - Cameroon: Peace Corps Directors - Gearan: Cornell University: Mark D. Gearan, left, national director of the Peace Corps, speaks with Cameroon RPCV Stefan Cherry, Peace Corps coordinator at Cornell and graduate student in international agriculture, during ceremonies in Day Hall April 30

By Admin1 (admin) (141.157.22.73) on Tuesday, July 06, 2004 - 8:11 pm: Edit Post

Mark D. Gearan, left, national director of the Peace Corps, speaks with Cameroon RPCV Stefan Cherry, Peace Corps coordinator at Cornell and graduate student in international agriculture, during ceremonies in Day Hall April 30

Mark D. Gearan, left, national director of the Peace Corps, speaks with Cameroon RPCV Stefan Cherry, Peace Corps coordinator at Cornell and graduate student in international agriculture, during ceremonies in Day Hall April 30

Mark D. Gearan, left, national director of the Peace Corps, speaks with Cameroon RPCV Stefan Cherry, Peace Corps coordinator at Cornell and graduate student in international agriculture, during ceremonies in Day Hall April 30

CU and Peace Corps sign agreement for MPS service option

Mark D. Gearan, left, national director of the Peace Corps, speaks with Stefan Cherry, Peace Corps coordinator at Cornell and graduate student in international agriculture, during ceremonies in Day Hall April 30. Cherry did Peace Corps service in Cameroon last year. Nicola Kountoupes/University Photography

By Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.

Cornell and the U.S. Peace Corps have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation establishing a new academic alternative at Cornell -- a three-year master's of professional studies degree (MPS) in agriculture with a Peace Corps service option.

Mark D. Gearan, national director of the Peace Corps, was joined at a Cornell ceremony April 30 by Daryl B. Lund, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Walter I. Cohen, dean of the Graduate School, and other university and Peace Corps dignitaries.

"The Peace Corps is an essential area in which we need to be engaged," said Lund at the ceremony in Day Hall. "This shows that we're in the international agriculture business and we're here to stay."

H. Dean Sutphin, associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of the college's academic programs, and James E. Haldeman, Cornell associate director of the International Agriculture Program, signed the official agreement earlier on behalf of the university, and Judy Harrington, Peace Corps associate director of volunteer recruitment and selection, signed on behalf of the Peace Corps.

During the ceremony, Lund presented Gearan with a proclamation signed by New York Gov. George E. Pataki, declaring April 30 Peace Corps--Cornell University Partnership Day in the state.

Gearan provided a celebratory plaque, which is now in President Hunter Rawlings' office. "We believe there is a resurgent interest in the Peace Corps," said Gearan. "This will bring the Peace Corps together with Cornell; we look forward to the partnership."

Christian Peters, Edison, N.J., will be the first Cornell student to take advantage of the new option in the MPS program. He will be studying in the department of soil, crop and atmospheric sciences, and he has yet to be assigned a country for his Peace Corps work.

With the new Peace Corps option, the MPS/agriculture degree program at Cornell will emphasize the conservation of natural resources, sustainable farming systems and international development. The degree candidates' study can encompass a broad range of interdisciplinary subjects or can focus on specific topics.

The degree requires the satisfactory completion of 30 credit hours related to the candidate's specialization. Candidates who qualify for the Peace Corps option will take 24 of the credit hours at Cornell.

After two semesters of academic work on campus, candidates will enter the Peace Corps for a 27-month assignment, where the students will receive six credits toward their degree once a project paper is completed.

Cornell University ranks 11th among colleges and universities in the United States for producing Peace Corps volunteers, having sent 1,207 of its graduates into the program since 1961.




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Story Source: Cornell University

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Cameroon; Peace Corps Directors - Gearan

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