Dr. Laurie Marker of Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) Appointed to Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large Position at Cornell University

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Liz Georges, Communications Coordinator, liz@cheetah.org
Dr. Laurie Marker, Founder and Executive Director, cheetah@iway.na

Dr. Laurie Marker of Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) Appointed to Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large Position at Cornell University

May 1, 2013 (OTJIWARONGO, Namibia) – Dr. Laurie Marker, Founder and Executive Director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, has been selected by Cornell University as an Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large. Dr. Marker joins a number of famed personages including Louis Leakey, Eudora Welty, Toni Morrison, Oliver Sacks, John Cleese, Jane Goodall, and Jacques Derrida as a recipient of this honor.

Dr. Marker was unanimously selected for this accolade by the Andrew D. White Selection Committee, Cornell President David Skorton, and the University Board of Trustees. The Program for Professors-at-Large was inaugurated in 1965 to establish ties with individuals who have achieved outstanding international distinction in the humanities, the natural or social sciences, or the learned professions, or have achieved such distinction and have demonstrated broad intellectual interests through their activity in such fields as public affairs, literature, or the creative arts.

There are currently 19 Professors-at-Large participating in the program, with initial terms of six years. Participants in the program are in residence during a three-year period for about a week while Cornell classes are in session, and are considered full members of the faculty during their visit.

“I visited and lectured at Cornell this past year, and I am so honoured to have been selected to participate in this incredible program,” says Dr. Marker. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to participate more deeply in the unique academic environment that is Cornell.”

Dr. Laurie Marker is a recipient of the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, The Tech Museum’s Intel Environmental Prize, and a two-time finalist for the prestigious Indianapolis Prize. She was named a Hero for the Planet by Time magazine and has been featured in Smithsonian magazine and National Geographic.

Founded in Namibia (Africa) in 1990, Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) is the global leader in research and conservation of cheetahs. CCF is dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild. CCF’s conservation strategy has contributed to increasing the wild cheetah population in Namibia by ~50%. CCF’s long-term studies analyse and monitor the factors affecting the cheetah’s survival in the wild, and results are used to develop conservation policies and education programs that have reached over 300,000 people. CCF is a registered not for gain organisation in Namibia, Canada, UK and the US, where it is listed as a “Four Star Charity” by Charity Navigator, which recognises sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency. People can learn more about CCF or make a donation to the organisation by visiting www.cheetah.org.