Pancakes and maple syrup

Cornell's Arnot Forest in Van Etten will host a pancake breakfast and public tours of its modern maple syrup-making operation, syrup tasting, displays and demonstrations, March 20-21, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. On both days, 9-11 a.m., participants can also view live amphibians, reptiles and birds of prey. Pancake breakfast: $6 per person, age 5 and up; under 5, free. Information: http://www.mapleweekend.com; directions at http://www.arnotforest.info.

Almost grow your own

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County will host a regional Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Fair, March 21, noon to 3 p.m., Boynton Middle School Cafeteria, 1601 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca. Fifteen CSA farms serving Cayuga, Cortland, Tompkins, Seneca, Schuyler and Tioga counties will talk with consumers about their farms and CSA programs.

CSA provides members with a weekly selection of just-harvested food, and farmers with an established market prior to the growing season. CSA programs differ in share size, products offered, pick-up locations, u-pick options and on-farm work opportunities. CSA programs fill up quickly. Information: 607-272-2292.

'Reimagining Cornell' talks

Vice President for Human Resources Mary George Opperman and Associate Vice President for Planning and Budget Paul Streeter will hold a second informal brown-bag discussion on managing change in uncertain times, March 25, noon-1 p.m., Ramin Parlor, Sage Hall. The program will focus primarily on staff concerns.

The next Strategic Plan Public Discussion with Provost Kent Fuchs and Professor Ed Lawler will take place April 1, 4:45-5:45 p.m., in 45 Warren Hall, focusing on the latest version of the strategic plan outline, available at http://www.cornell.edu/reimagining/plan.cfm.

Town-gown discussion

In the wake of recent student deaths on the Cornell campus, an overview and update of student mental health services within the Ithaca City School District, Tompkins Cortland Community College, Ithaca College and Cornell University will be presented at the next meeting of the Campus-Community Coalition, March 25, 7-8:30 p.m., Ithaca High School cafeteria. All are welcome.

After presentations, the meeting will be devoted to a question-and-answer session.

Other community resources, including Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services, will be on hand to distribute information.

The Campus-Community Coalition is led by staff from CU, IC and TC3, who work collaboratively on shared challenges and interests. The coalition's forum last fall on campus H1N1 strategies and information sharing was well attended.

Super Seder celebration

The university's observance of the first-night Seder of Passover, the Jewish festival of liberation, will be held at Trillium Dining, Kennedy Hall, March 29, 7:15 p.m. and the second night, March 30, 8:30 p.m., at 104 West! This "Super Seder" consists of individual Seders -- Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Short Traditional and Themed -- open to students, family members, faculty, staff and local community members, with prices starting at $17 for students on Meal Plus who reserve in advance. Individual reservations: online, http://www.dining.cornell.edu/kosher. Family reservations, e-mail: dining@cornell.edu.

Make reservations before March 20, as seating is limited.

Cornell's good ol' days

Corey Ryan Earle '07, associate director of student programs, Alumni Affairs and Development, talks about "Those Good Ol' Days on the Hill: Cornell History, Trivia and Legends," March 29 at 7:15 p.m., main auditorium, Kendal at Ithaca, 2230 N. Triphammer Road. He will discuss Cornell's role in the development of modern higher education, the glory days of Cornell football, class rivalries, the McGraw Tower pumpkin, famous alumni and other rumors and legends. Information: mindy.hillenbrand@cornell.edu.

Gandhi gives A&S lecture

Leela Gandhi, great-granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi and professor of English at the University of Chicago, will present "Notes Toward a Postcolonial Ethics," March 30, 4:30 p.m., Lewis Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall. A reception will follow.

Called "one of the most extraordinary thinkers and educators of her generation," Gandhi has focused on postcolonial theory, anti-imperialism and transnational collaboration. Her students have called her courses "transformative." Her most recent work argues that friendship is a crucial resource for anti-imperialism and transnational collaboration.

This is the first in a series of Arts and Sciences Humanities Lectures, supported by the Office of the President and the College of Arts and Sciences.

LaFeber-Silbey Lecture

This spring's LaFeber-Silbey Lecture in History will be presented by Andrew Bacevich, professor of international relations and history at Boston University, March 30, 4:30-6 p.m., at Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall; the lecture is organized by the Department of History and co-sponsored by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies.

Literary Luncheon

Irakli Kakabadze, a leading Georgian writer, will speak at the next Literary Luncheon hosted by Robin Davisson and David Skorton, March 31, 511 Cayuga Heights Road. Kakabadze is the author of "Candidate Jokola" and scores of short stories and poems. From Soviet Georgia, he is a guest writer for Ithaca City of Asylum and works with the Peace Studies Program at Cornell.

Light lunch: 11:30 a.m., presentation: noon. This free event is open to the first 25 people who respond by March 26. E-mail: special-events@cornell.edu.

Randel discusses humanities

Don Randel, president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and former Cornell provost, music professor and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will deliver a lecture on the future of the humanities, March 31, 4:30-6 p.m., at Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall, sponsored by the Society for the Humanities. Information: http://www.arts.cornell.edu/sochum.

The chorus at the chapel

Following its tour of mid-Atlantic states, the Cornell Chorus will present its "Return from Tour" concert on March 31 at 8 p.m., Sage Chapel, including a song cycle by renowned composer Libby Larsen, "A Book of Spells," Maurice Duruflé's "Tota pulchra es," a set of Russian songs and "Sheep in Fog" by undergraduate Julia Adolphe. After Eight, the a cappella subset of the chorus, will present several original arrangements of popular music, and the concert will close with popular Cornell songs.

Shifting architecture paradigms

Architect for such universities as Syracuse and Brown Universities, master plan developer for New York University and winner of the Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Toshiko Mori will present a lecture, "Paradigm Shift," March 31, 5:15-7 p.m. in Lewis Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall. Mori is a professor at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. Her work was exhibited at the Heinz Architectural Center of the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh, and her profile, "Postscripts: Building on Sacred Ground," appeared in the New York Times in May 2005. Information: http://www.aap.cornell.edu/arch/events/.

Sir Richard Jolly provides United Nations insights

Sir Richard Jolly, former assistant secretary general, United Nations, will present the lecture "The United Nations and Its Contributions to Social and Economic Ideas and Action," April 1, 4:30-5:45 p.m., 233 Plant Science Building. Jolly is co-director of the U.N. Intellectual History Project and honorary professor and research associate of the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. He was knighted by the queen in 2001 for his contributions to international development. This lecture is part of the Spring 2010 Cornell Institute for Public Affairs Colloquium Series. Information: http://www.cipa.cornell.edu.

Kallberg on Chopin

Jeffrey Kallberg, University of Pennsylvania, will deliver the Donald J. Grout Memorial Lecture, "Chopin's Pencil," April 1, 4:30-6 p.m., at the CU Musicology Colloquium, 124 Roberts Hall. A specialist in music of the 19th and 20th centuries, editorial theory, critical theory and gender studies, Kallberg has published widely on the music and cultural contexts of Chopin, most notably in "Chopin at the Boundaries: Sex History, and Musical Genre" (Harvard University Press). Information: http://music.cornell.edu/calendar/musicology-colloquium.

'New-city' development

A new business district in Incheon, South Korea, is the focus of the fifth annual Case Studies in Urban Development (CSUD) symposium, "New-City Development: Songdo International Business District," April 3, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall. Registration is required for this free event, as space is limited.

The symposium will look at "new-city" development and other aspects of urban real estate development. Speakers include the vice commissioner of the Incheon Free Economic Zone and the leader of the team overseeing master planning, design and construction. Information: http://aap.cornell.edu/events/csud/. Registration: 607-255-7324 or e-mail: aapevents@cornell.edu .

It's all about percussion

Zakir Hussain presents "Masters of Percussion," in Bailey Hall, April 3, 8-10 p.m.

Known for his dynamic performances, Hussain is one of India's most renowned cultural ambassadors. The concert will feature traditional repertoire from both Hindustani and Carnatic classical traditions, as well as excursions into the frontier between traditional and contemporary, folk and classical. Seating is reserved, with tickets for the general public, $22-35; students, $15-18. Information and tickets: http://baileytickets.universitytickets.com/.