Written by Colorado Green NOW

The Landscape Design and Contracting program at Colorado State University continues to grow and prepare their students for roles across the Green Industry.  Student experiences and industry partnerships have helped the program enrollment grow over 135% during the last two years.  Our industry partnerships have resulted in 8 named spaces which have not only recognized generous individuals and companies investing in the Landscape Design and Contracting program but have provided financial resources for our students to experience academic opportunities never previously realized.  One of our greatest initiatives has been to develop an outdoor learning lab for our students to better understand the entire profession and reinforce their classroom and studio experiences. Our outdoor learning center is a four-acre site located at ARDEC South, the old Hort Farm just north of Fort Collins.  In this space, students have had opportunities to operate equipment, build scaled down projects, install irrigation systems and practice project layout.  Additionally, important research in water conservation and native revegetation is being completed on this site. In addition to financial gifts, numerous manufacturers have provided equipment ranging from excavators, and skid steers, to a comprehensive fleet of battery-operated maintenance and construction tools.  Our students are learning firsthand about the true capabilities of battery powered equipment and how they will play a significant role in the future of the profession.  

Our students also continue to be recognized locally and nationally through scholarships to fund their education.  This year nearly 20% of our students received scholarships from numerous sources, including ALCC.  In March, our students competed at the National Collegiate Landscape Competition at Brigham Young University. Students compete in events ranging from landscape design, estimating, plant identification and hands on events such as hardscape installation.  The Colorado State University team finished 3^rd among over 60 colleges and universities.  Numerous students placed in the top 5 of their events, with some even winning their individual events. Colorado State University is excited to be the host university this spring for the  49^th annual National Collegiate Landscape Competition.  We expect over 60 schools to compete and over 120 companies to participate in the career fair portion. 

As the Landscape Design and Contracting program continually evaluates its curriculum, its required internships provide students with opportunities to explore career paths and companies. This year, over 25 students completed internships in over 10 states and 2 countries. Students completed internships in design, construction, estimating and landscape management, as well as sustainable agriculture. 

To ensure continual improvements, the program continues to be guided by an industry advisory committee.   Our advisory committee is made up of roughly 15 industry professionals representing companies, including manufacturers and suppliers, of all sizes and disciplines from across the country.   This committee meets each fall and spring, acting as board of directors.  Our fall meeting is the most comprehensive, held over two days on our campus.  The committee helps us ensure that our classes, teaching content and student experiences are unparalleled.   

As the Landscape Design and Contracting program continues to grow and meet the future leadership needs of the profession, we look forward to our continued partnerships with industry to ensure that we have both the guidance and resources required to deliver a world class program.