The Arbor Day Foundation honored Kent State University at Stark as one of four colleges in Ohio to achieve Tree Campus USA status for 2009. On behalf of the Foundation, a representative for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources presented a recognition plaque to Dr. Ruth Capasso, the interim dean at Kent State Stark, during the campus’s Earth Day Celebration on Sunday, April 18, 2010.
Receiving the distinction for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship, Kent State Stark met five core standards of tree care and community engagement required for Tree Campus USA status. Those standards are establishing a campus tree advisory committee; evidence of a campus tree-care plan; verification of dedicated annual expenditures on the campus tree-care plan; involvement in an Arbor Day observance; and the institution of a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.
“The Tree Campus USA program will have a long-lasting impact at Kent State University at Stark as it engages college students and local citizens to plant trees and create healthier communities for people to enjoy for decades to come,” said John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation.
Tree Campus USA, a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation, honors colleges and universities and the leaders of the campus and surrounding communities for promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship. Tree Campus USA is supported by a grant from Toyota.
Visit www.arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA to learn more about the Tree Campus USA program.
