From studying red fox biodiversity in Portugal to interning at a private equity firm in Thailand, more than 60 students from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) gained real-world experience by taking part in community-engaged learning opportunities over the past year.
Students showcased these experiences at the second CALS Engaged and Experiential Learning Symposium, held on Oct. 23 in the Daniel G. Sisler Global Development Student Hub.
The event also celebrated two major CALS milestones: the official announcement of a new partnership with the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement as an Engaged College, and the launch of the Engaged, Experiential, Entrepreneurial Learning Milestone—a graduation requirement for incoming students and part of the new CALS 2025+ college curriculum developed by the CALS Curriculum Committee.
As an Engaged College, the Einhorn Center is supporting CALS with a three-year foundational grant, expert consultation and specialized training to integrate community-engaged learning into curricular, co-curricular and research programs for students and faculty across the college. This initiative will benefit undergraduates in CALS of all majors, minors and geographical areas of focus, and will include high-quality experiences in Tompkins County, New York state and abroad.
Benjamin Z. Houlton, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of CALS, emphasized the importance of becoming an Engaged College.
“The Engaged College Initiative demonstrates the power of cross-campus collaboration, bringing together the Einhorn Center’s expertise in community engagement with CALS’ strong tradition of applied learning and research,” Houlton said. “This partnership represents a significant institutional commitment to our land-grant mission, ensuring that every CALS student graduates having participated in multiple high-impact engaged learning experiences that prepare them for meaningful careers and citizenship.”