The Ag Quad will be filled with project showcases, a farmers market and other community activities on Friday as the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences hosts its first CALS Day to celebrate diversity within the Cornell community as well as the newly renovated Mann Plaza.
The festivities will begin at 2 p.m. with remarks from Dean Kathryn J. Boor followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the entrance of Mann Library.
“I’m working with the CALS Student Advisory Council to ensure that CALS Day is a success,” said Scott Pesner ’87, director of the engagement and annual fund at CALS alumni affairs and development. “This is the first time we’ll be doing this, but we plan on making it an annual event.”
The event will showcase projects from various organizations, including the School of Integrated Plant Science, the communication department, the Lab of Ornithology and Cornell Botanic Gardens.
Students will also have the opportunity to eat free ice cream from Cornell Dairy, shop for local produce from student-run farmers markets and learn about Alpha Gamma Rho, Cornell’s chapter of the national agricultural fraternity, according to AGR’s OrgSync page.
The two-hour event is free and open to all Cornell community members, and the first 500 attendees will receive free tie-dye CALS t-shirts.
The CALS Student Advisory Council developed the idea and reached out to student groups and departments, building enthusiasm for the event, Pesner said.
“They are truly responsible for the success of this event,” he said. “We wanted to make sure everyone who works on the Quad was included, and I think we’ve done a really good job with that, as there are a lot of things going on in the Ag Quad buildings and in CALS.”
According to Pesner, the event will bring together the people who “work around the Quad, everyone involved in CALS, students, faculty, staff and alumni.”
Other opportunities during the event include learning about diversity initiatives on and off campus, seeing insects with Cornell’s entomology club — Snodgrass and Wigglesworth — and ordering the CALS day custom drink from the Manndible Cafe booth.
“It’s meant to be a gathering, a chance to create one big campfire, to share what CALS and those on the quad are doing, to meet with friends, co-workers, and classmates, and to celebrate CALS,” Pesner said. “All during what I know will be a beautiful day.”