West Virginia State University Designated a Tree Campus USA from National Arbor Day Foundation

3/9/2016

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Contact: Kimberly Osborne 
(304) 766-3363
kosborne@wvstateu.edu    
            INSTITUTE, W.Va. – West Virginia State University (WVSU) has received its third consecutive designation as a Tree Campus USA® from the National Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management. To date, WVSU remains the only institution of higher education in West Virginia to hold such a designation.

“West Virginia State University is incredibly proud of our designation as a Tree Campus USA,” said WVSU President Brian O. Hemphill. “Indeed, with our enduring commitment to the preservation and beautification of our campus, we are ensuring an exemplary living and learning environment for Yellow Jackets for generations to come.”

“West Virginia State has taken the initiative to ensure that our campus trees remain healthy and beautiful by using proper management techniques,” WVSU Extension Agent Brad Cochran said. “Tree Campus USA is a designation that we continue to be very proud of.”

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. WVSU achieved the title by meeting Tree Campus USA’s five standards, which include maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and a student service-learning project.

“Students are eager to volunteer in their communities and become better stewards of the environment,” said Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Participating in Tree Campus USA sets a fine example for other colleges and universities, while helping to create a healthier planet for us all.”

The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $36.8 million in campus forest management last year.

WVSU became the first institution in the state to receive Tree Campus USA designation for its tree care efforts in 2014. Currently, there are 254 campuses across the United States with this recognition.

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West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.