TREE CAMPUS
Mount Vernon Nazarene University aims to continually provide students with a sustainable and enjoyable campus. The MVNU campus, with its flourishing trees and abundant greenspace, is a tremendous source of pride for our community. This endeavor toward sustainability and campus beautification has earned MVNU the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus Higher Education designation since 2019.
We are proud to have earned this recognition by meeting Tree Campus USA’s five standards:
- Campus Tree Advisory Committee
- Campus Tree-Care Plan
- Campus Tree Program with Dedicated Annual Expenditures
- Arbor Day Observance
- Student Service-Learning Project
OUR GOALS
Our Campus Tree Advisory Committee exists to cultivate sustainability and stewardship on MVNU’s campus. The goals for our campus are to:
- Protect and maintain the campus trees by managing the impact of development and construction on the campus trees.
- Provide protection and to make sure that removal of any trees on campus are conducted with proper considerations and adequate replacement program.
- Promote tree species diversity to enhance educational opportunities on campus.
- Promote respect and awareness for the value of trees.
CAMPUS TREE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
- Ben Cook – Director of Facilities Services (Chair)
- Dr. Jon Bossley and Prof. Tim Radcliffe – Faculty Representatives
- Heather Hoag – Staff Representative
- Darrel George – Staff Representative
- Representative to be designated – Horticultural Design Coordinator
- Kiera Jones and Owen Adkins – Student Representatives
- Dr. Randy Cronk – Community Representative
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
The work of the Campus Tree Advisory Committee provides additional education opportunities for biology students and for the broader campus community. Students in botany and ecology courses regularly use the campus treescape as a part of labs. Members of the campus community and visitors soon will be able to explore tree species on campus through geolocation and species identification in the Geocaching Adventure Lab app.WHAT IS TREE CAMPUS HIGHER EDUCATION?
Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals.
The Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.