Recently, the Cornell Chronicle sat down with Alice Pell, Cornell professor of animal science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, who took over as vice provost for international relations July 1. Here are some excerpts from that conversation.

What are the tasks of the vice provost for international relations?

One thing our office does is to coordinate universitywide international visits. When foreign leaders come, we make sure that all the arrangements are properly made. We're also working on a strategic plan for international activities on the campus to ensure that we know what is happening on campus. Study abroad programs are also in our domain.

In addition, the Einaudi Center [for International Studies] and the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD) now report to the vice provost. CIIFAD is one of several other similar groups on campus that focus on development issues. We want to make sure that each of these groups is aware of what the others are doing. And we also handle memoranda of understanding with different international groups.

Why is it important for the university to have these programs and affiliations all over the world?

We live in a much more international world than our grandparents grew up in, and if students are going to succeed in this new environment, they need to know more about different cultures and how these worlds are connected.

As vice provost for international relations, I have learned that almost every part of Cornell includes international research or teaching. We want to make sure that it is easy for people on and off campus to learn about these programs. Cornell has research that involves all continents and most countries of the world; 53 languages are taught on the Ithaca campus. Also, we have very good programs in veterinary medicine, agriculture, nutrition, medicine, all of which include faculty members who have real interest and extensive research in countries all over the world.

Cornell has increasing ties with India, with a dual degree program with Tamil Nadu University and an increasing number of Indian students and alumni. What is your office's role with the Tata gift and how does that affect our ties with India?

Cornell has had various connections to India for a number of years. Obviously, the recent Tata gifts will strengthen those links. The first gift [of $25 million] is for scholarships for Indian students to come to Cornell. Most of those students will be undergraduates, but there will be some funding for graduate students. The research gift [of $25 million] will be used to focus on problems related to reduction of poverty and malnutrition through agriculture and nutrition in rural India where most of the extreme poverty is. It's working off Cornell's strengths.

The Tata funds must have to demonstrably benefit people in India, and Indian students and faculty will be involved. The money cannot be used for buildings or expensive equipment but rather will support people and projects.

How will your office influence hiring, since it is a central hub, and help address universitywide needs?

Hiring faculty is the prerogative of the dean and faculty within a college so our office will not be directly involved in these decisions. But, if we are planning to be involved in education in Africa and I know that we don't have the needed capacity and people, I'd certainly talk to a dean or department chair to indicate the problem and try to figure out how to fill such gaps.

Can you explain the role of the Einaudi Center for Cornell's international relations?

The Einaudi Center administers area, thematic and development studies programs. For example, the area studies programs include the East Asia Program, the Southeast Asia Program, the South Asia Program, the Institute for European Studies, the Institute for African Development and the Latin American Studies Program. There are also perhaps 12 or 13 thematic programs, among them the Peace Studies program and the Gender and Global Change Program. Through these programs students can focus on a specific area or theme and explore the history, culture, current politics and policy surrounding that topic.

The Einaudi Center also sponsors the travel grants program, which funds graduate students conducting fieldwork in a variety of disciplines and areas.

As part of its Foreign Policy Initiative, created in response to emerging challenges facing the global community, the Einaudi Center sponsors the Foreign Policy Distinguished Speaker Series, which brings experts in international affairs to campus. Similarly, the Lund Critical Debate Series in Foreign Policy brings outside experts and Cornell faculty together to discuss important topics. The center also hosts the Henry E. and Nancy Horton Bartels World Affairs Fellowship, which invites prominent international leaders to campus to speak and interact with the community.