Cornell University will support a faculty-organized workshop seeking to provide solutions to the crisis in Darfur. The workshop, "Preparing for Peace in Sudan," will bring experts from Sudan to Cornell to analyze the most urgent problems and to identify what is needed to create lasting peace and self-sustaining development in the region.

Support for the workshop was announced March 16 in a campuswide message sent by President David Skorton, Provost Biddy Martin and Vice Provost for International Relations David Wippman.

The statement also announced that Cornell will join the Scholars at Risk Network, which, in partnership with the Ithaca City of Asylum program, will host writers and scholars whose work puts their lives at risk in the Darfur region.

The magnitude of the crisis in Darfur "represents a moral challenge that cannot be ignored," the statement said.

This is Cornell's latest attempt to make a direct contribution to ending the genocide in Darfur. In April 2006, the university barred investments of its endowment in assets supporting the Sudanese government as well as oil companies currently operating in Sudan. Other Cornell-supported Darfur events have included academic conferences, a teach-in on Sudan, a service-learning course on humanitarianism, screenings of documentaries on Darfur, lectures and a 600-mile bicycle "Ride Against Genocide."

"Our efforts in connection with Darfur represent a component of a larger effort to support and strengthen Cornell's existing research, programs and activities pertaining to Africa," Friday's statement said.

Additionally, Darfur Awareness Week begins March 26 with an after-dark candlelight vigil on Ho Plaza. The week's events include a screening of the documentary "Darfur Diaries" and a question-and-answer session with the filmmaker, Aisha Bain; a lecture by former Clinton adviser and senior adviser to the International Crisis Group John Prendergast; and a panel discussion on Darfur.

Cornell also will continue to support efforts to educate students and community members about events in Darfur, to encourage diplomacy on Darfur through public officials and key alumni, and support academic research on conflict and post-conflict issues.

"We are continuing to look for ways to assist civil society organizations in Sudan in their own efforts to promote peace and secure a better future for all the people of Sudan," Friday's statement noted.

Under Provost Biddy Martin's leadership, a group of faculty and vice provosts are currently compiling information on Cornell's varied affiliations and programs related to Africa. They will offer further Africa-related recommendations in a white paper scheduled for later this year.