Cornell Daily Sun reported yesterday that the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will cut the Department of Education over the next two years as part of the new faculty-hiring initiative which aims to fund programs that the school believes can use funding most effectively. The department of education is a small department only consisting of 11 faculty members, and those faculty members are guaranteed jobs in other departments. Current students are also guaranteed class offerings in the department of education that satisfy their prospective degree requirements. What is alarming however, is the reality that the the current financial crisis has hit the Cornell campus, and even more so, the value the Cornell administration places on future academia. The Daily Sun also states the possibility of developing programs with neighboring academic institutions to provide Cornell students with proper educational training. Highlighting the change in Cornell’s focus, David Atkinson ‘60 gave 80 million dollars for the David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future. Sustainability and environmental innovation has been of growing interest in the Cornell faculty and student body and Atkinson’s large donation, along with other contributions, will allow the University to pursue greater initiatives.