by Linda McCandless
Geneva, NY - Cornell University has named Mark McLellan and Dennis Miller as director and associate director, respectively, of the Cornell Institute of Food Science (CIFS). McLellan is chairman of the food science and technology department at Cornell's Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY, and Miller is the newly named chairman of Cornell's food science department in Ithaca, NY. In keeping with the new operating guidelines of the institute, both will serve in their respective roles through June 30, 1998, at which time they switch roles.
Dr. McLellan replaces Richard Ledford, Director of CIFS and chairman of the department of food science in Ithaca, who retired in July. "Dick has been essential in the significant progress that has been made over the last 18 months in solidifying the role of CIFS and the relationship between the Department of Food Science (Ithaca) and the Department of Food Science & Technology (Geneva)," said Daryl B. Lund, Dean of Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Science, when he announced the change in July. "We look forward to working with Mark and Dennis as we seek to build upon the excellence of food science at Cornell University."
"This is a pivotal time for the institute," said McLellan. "We are changing leadership and also putting in place a very unique form of leadership. My biggest challenge as director is to insure that food science across all of Cornell survives the budget struggles as a premiere program and excels in a world class manner."
The CIFS encompasses all food science programs at Cornell on both campuses and rests on two pillers of strength: Food Engineering/Processing and Food Biochemistry/Biotechnology. Geneva focuses heavily on plant materials while Ithaca focuses on dairy and meat, but daily collaboration occurs among scientists across locations and disciplines. The CIFS mission is education, research, and technology transfer for New York State, the nation, and the world.
In 1995, the institute formulated a strategic plan to deliver the strongest research team possible by maximizing resources. "Most academic units organize based on disciplines," said McLellan. "We organized on a program basis and are striving to bring a multidisciplinary team-approach to research, education, and extension."
The five multidisciplinary programs are defined as:
McLellan believes that food science at Cornell is "in an incredibly strong position," to meet the demands of the twenty-first century. "We have led the college in strategic planning. We have a very strong collection of scientists working together and we are very attuned to the needs of both industry and society in general," he said.
As proof, he cited the recent success of the graduate students who won the national IFT Product Development Competition in New Orleans in June. "The development of 'Stir-Ins' required team effort to investigate marketability, safety, usage, production, packaging, and formulation."
For more information about CIFS, visit their Web site at http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/cifs or contact Dr. McLellan directly at 315-787-2255 or mrm1@cornell.edu.
Return to News Page
Page created September 6, 1996 by Cathy Weeden