ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell University is announcing its ninth annual Pre-Orientation Service Trips (POST) program for new Cornell students. POST, a program of the Cornell Public Service Center, provides a group of first-year and transfer students with opportunities, before the start of the school year, to perform community service projects for a number of local agencies. Students also get a head start on making friends and become familiar with the Ithaca community, which will be their home during their time at Cornell.

Beginning Sunday, Aug. 15, and ending the morning of Friday, Aug. 20, some 65 incoming Cornell students and 16 upper-level students who are team leaders will spend five days and nights serving the Ithaca community through public service projects. The students represent all seven undergraduate colleges and schools at Cornell, 19 states, and countries including England, China, Korea and Canada. They will be working with 20 different community organizations, including the Ithaca City School District, for a combined total of over 1,800 hours of service to the community. Program sites this year include Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, the Museum of the Earth, Hospicare and Palliative Care Services of Tompkins County, and Better Housing for Tompkins County. Service projects will include preparing local schools for the new school year, trail maintenance at various sites, painting projects, visiting with elderly residents and helping other agencies clean up and organize a variety of spaces.

During the evenings, POST participants will take part in activities designed to help orient them to the Ithaca community and to each other. These activities will include a scavenger hunt throughout downtown Ithaca and a community dinner. The program culminates with a Thursday night barbecue to celebrate the students' hard work and transition to Cornell.

The Ithaca City School District, Boynton Middle School and TCAT (Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit) have provided generous support to the program. For more information about POST, or the Cornell Public Service Center, call (607) 255-1148 or visit this Web site: http://psc.cornell.edu .