Buildings & Grounds Maintenance

On March 2, 2005, Grounds Services celebrated the completion of the fall horticulture lessons of our two-year Landscape Technician Training Program. This program is designed to provide our students with a strong background in basic horticulture and to develop the skills necessary to adequately prepare for the Certified Landscape Technician test. This certification is a nationally recognized certification sponsored by the American Landscape Contractor's Association to establish a minimum standard of knowledge for working in the landscape industry.

Our horticulture lessons are held predominantly in a classroom environment where students participate in group discussions, demonstrations, fieldwork and tests. The topics of our lessons include fundamentals of horticulture, soils and fertilizers, plant installation, turf management, irrigation, pruning, pest management, equipment and safety. Students are required to attend class regularly and to prepare outside of class by reviewing the information on their own and attending study groups as needed. Based on performance, we award certificates of achievement to students who successfully earn 80% or higher from the total points possible.