The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is beginning a yearlong planning process with faculty, staff, students and stakeholders to develop a new organizational structure for one of its oldest and most respected areas of expertise: plants.

Kathryn J. Boor, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of CALS, made the announcement Nov. 16.

The five departments that fall under this umbrella -- Horticulture, Crop and Soil Sciences, Plant Biology, Plant Breeding and Genetics, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology -- will be shaped into fewer, larger units.

A committee led by Senior Associate Dean Jan Nyrop will convene in early 2012, charged with developing a plan by mid-2013 that will be implemented by mid-2014. Between now and January, chairs and associate chairs of the plant sciences departments will formulate discussion questions to structure feedback from their faculty on the committee and its charge.

The new organizational structure will combine academic resources to promote better strategic planning, more coordinated undergraduate and graduate education, enhanced collaboration, and stronger extension outreach, including international agriculture development programs.

Boor noted that the five departments are consistently ranked among the top 10 in their fields, and their accomplishments have provided the college with remarkable credentials in teaching, research and extension -- strengths she would like to leverage to create better learning experiences for students, research opportunities for faculty and benefits to the public.

"Our long-term goals are to position ourselves to have the resources to excite and attract the world's best new faculty and students, to allow us more flexibility to respond to evolving needs, and to provide our faculty with excellence in support staffing and resources," Boor said.

Boor said the number of staff members who currently support the plant sciences will be unaffected by the reorganization.

"CALS is committed to being at the forefront of research and education that addresses the major global challenges ahead of us, such as climate change, population growth, dwindling resources and diminishing biodiversity. A comprehensive and agile plant sciences presence is an integral part of that," she added.

Nyrop said he envisions complementary units that encompass faculty and a mission that spans discovery to applied research.

"They will provide an appropriate balance between foundational, translational and applied plant science that encompasses molecular and cellular biology, population genetics and genomics, and ecosystem-level dynamics," Nyrop said.

Understanding the basic biology of plants is vital to advancements in nutrition, energy, biodiversity preservation, agriculture and medicine, according to William Crepet, chair of the Department of Plant Biology. Cornell's expertise in the field is diverse; Crepet said he is confident that increased synergy between the departments will not only preserve the university's stature in each of the plant science disciplines, but strengthen them.

"I think the reorganization as I understand it will be a very good way to link the basic and applied scientists, working together to develop solutions to the sets of problems we seek to address," Crepet said.

Staff in the Department of Horticulture are familiar with change, having gone through three mergers and recently becoming the new home of two faculty members from the Department of Education. Department Chair Marvin Pritts said the experiences have been positive.

"Each time we have combined or reorganized, it's turned out really well for us," Pritts said. "We're interested in exploring future opportunities that may further enhance our strengths."

Stacey Shackford is a staff writer in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.