Passed: October 12, 2016

Sponsors: Jeff Doyle, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Senate Discussions: October 12, 2016

Endorsing a Request to Re-brand Cornell Plantations

Whereas, In 2004, Leaders at Cornell Plantations questioned the appropriateness of the name “Cornell Plantations” and whether a different, more descriptive name was needed; and
Whereas, In 2009 and 2010 Plantations went through a rebranding process in an effort to define itself better, working with outside firm Lipman Hearne, to develop marketing tag lines
that captured the essence of experiences at Plantations and to redesign the logo to depict visually what and who they are more clearly;

and

Whereas, In 2014, Dr. Christopher Dunn began his term as the E. N. Wilds Director of Cornell Plantations and was tasked by Dean Kathryn Boor to take an in-depth look at Plantations, its mission and vision, and to determine whether these should be adapted to inform modern needs. She noted at the time that possible changes could include rebranding;

and

Whereas, From April 2014 through April 2015, Dr. Dunn met with Plantations’ staff, the advisory council, university leadership, CALS leadership, and other community stakeholders to understand better Plantations’ brand within the College and greater University context; and Whereas, In October of 2015 Cornell Plantations began a strategic planning process and hired Beacon Associates to lead them through the process;

and

Whereas, In November of 2015, Black Students United provided the Cornell University administration a list of demands that they felt needed to be addressed immediately, which included the changing of the name of the Cornell Plantations;

and

Whereas, In December of 2015 Beacon Associates held a series of focus groups amongst those most familiar with Plantations both on the Ithaca campus and in New York City, and conducted an online survey to understand better the sentiment regarding Plantations’ mission, vision and brand, which showed that 70-75% of respondents felt the name Cornell Plantations did not fit with who they are, and what they actually do,

Be it therefore resolved, that the Faculty Senate encourages the Board of Trustees to approve the proposed name change of Cornell Plantations to “Cornell Botanic Gardens” at their October 2016 board meeting, so that Cornell’s botanic gardens, arboretum and natural areas may be represented by a more relevant name, and thus reach broader audiences.

• Thomas Björkman (SIPS, Horticulture Section)
• Walter DeJong (SIPS, Plant Breeding & Genetics Section)
• Jeff Doyle (At-Large)
• Melanie Filiatrault (SIPS, Plant Pathology & Plant-Microbe Biology Section)
• Maureen Hanson (Molecular Biology & Genetics)
• Robert Howarth (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology)
• Ron Hoy (Neurobiology & Behavior)
• Andre Kessler (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology)
• Carmen Enid Martínez (SIPS, Soil and Crop Science Section)
• Michael Mazourek (At-Large)
• Linda Nicholson (Molecular Biology & Genetics)
• Gregory Page (Art)
• John Sipple (At-Large)
• Charlie Walcott (CAPE)
• Stephen Winans (Microbiology)