July 2007

DELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE PROMOTES KINGSBURY

DOYLESTOWN, Pa., -- (July 30, 2007) - Paul Kingsbury of Doylestown, Pa., has been promoted to assistant dean of students at Delaware Valley College. He has been active in the student affairs profession for approximately 20 years and has served as the college's director of residence life for the past two years.

In this newly created position, Kingsbury will oversee all aspects of DelVal's Residence Life program and serve as the College's Student Conduct Advisor. In addition, he will provide leadership to the Office of Student Activities and promote initiatives to enhance the students' college experience and development.

Kingsbury earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Maine at Presque Isle and his master's degree in education from The Ohio University.

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DELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE TO SPONSOR
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

DOYLESTOWN, Pa., -- (July 2, 2007) - In its ongoing effort to create awareness of and education for sustainability in agriculture, business and the environment, Delaware Valley College will sponsor a national conference on the topic July 11 through July 14, at the Alice H. Cook House of Cornell University, a "green" living-learning facility boasting an energy-sustainable construction located in Ithaca, N.Y., considered and recognized often as a healthy, green city.

The conference is designed for students, faculty, staff and administrators at colleges and universities as well as statewide and national sustainable agriculture organizations to help define how agricultural education needs to move forward and organizers expect the diverse gathering to also include extension educators, farmers and food system practitioners.

"Today, more than 30 colleges and universities have majors or minors in sustainable agriculture, most developed within the past 5 years with more programs currently under development," said Jacqueline Ricotta, associate professor of horticulture at Delaware Valley College and conference planning committee member.

"Since Delaware Valley College has been using on-campus farm and "hands-on" teaching methods for agriculture since the college was founded more than a century ago, this conference gives us an opportunity to share our experiences and expertise while also learn about what other colleges are doing in sustainable agriculture education."

The conference is structured as a "learning exchange" enabling participants to share their approaches to teaching and learning the complex issues of sustainable food systems. Conference themes include pedagogies and curriculum development for sustainable agriculture, how to put educational theory into practice and how to start and maintain sustainable agriculture programs.

Participants will visit the Dilmun Hill Student Farm to experience hands-on approaches to teaching on small-scale farms followed by a visit to nearby West Haven Farm where growers will lead a workshop on integrating working farms into sustainable agriculture curriculum. In addition, there will be a resource exchange for educational materials, the launch of the recently formed Sustainable Agriculture Education Association, and a concert by sustainability advocate and singer, Adrienne Young. Food for conference meals will be locally grown.

The conference planning was a collaborative effort among several institutions, including faculty staff and students from Delaware Valley College, Cornell, Penn State University, the Rodale Institute, and University of California- Davis. For more information, visit: http://www.hort.cornell.edu/SustAgEd/.

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