Overview of the College

With more than three thousand students, the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is the second largest undergraduate college at Cornell and the third largest college of its kind in the United States. In national surveys we rank as the best college of agriculture and related sciences in the country. Our faculty and staff and teaching and research facilities are among the finest available anywhere, and the college's educational programs are carefully designed to ensure that every student's education is geared to contemporary, real-world issues. Through teaching, research, and extension-the three components of our land-grant mission-we strive to improve the nation's food supply and maintain its safety, enhance the environment, and help people improve their lives.

Mission Statement

Our mission statement reflects a continuing commitment to people and to the future:

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University is an educational institution whose mission is to discover, integrate, disseminate, and apply knowledge about agriculture, biological sciences, food systems and nutrition, environment and natural resources, and community and rural development as a basis for sustainable improvement in the lives of people throughout New York State, the nation, and the world.

Our Roots

Agriculture was a major catalyst of the university's creation in 1865. During the Civil War, federal land grants were given to states to establish colleges of agriculture. Ezra Cornell and his friend Andrew Dickson White persuaded the New York State legislature to locate the state's new land-grant university in Ithaca. Ezra Cornell, a prosperous farmer, inventor, and business man, donated a half-million dollars for a new university that would offer education in agriculture on the campus. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has evolved over the past century from the Department of Agriculture (1874), to the College of Agriculture (1888), to the New York State College of Agriculture (1904), to the present New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (1971). These changes reflect our dedication to meeting society's ever-changing needs.

Originally, the college focused on improving farming practice, with the formation before 1900 of the departments of entomology, agronomy, horticulture, dairy industry, and animal industry. Over the years, CALS departments and programs have established world-recognized teaching, research, and extension programs in agriculture; community, human, and rural development; environment and natural resources; food and nutrition; international programs; and life sciences. We are committed to achieving and maintaining excellence, relevance, and impact in each of these programmatic areas.

For more information on the College please visit the CALS website at http://www.cals.cornell.edu/.