FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Arbor Day Foundation recently honored Franklin College as a 2024 “Tree Campus Higher Education Institution.” This prestigious recognition acknowledges higher education institutions that successfully incorporate green spaces and trees into their campuses. It is the 12th consecutive year that Franklin College has received the “Tree Campus USA” distinction.
Michelle Saulnier, vice president of programs at the Arbor Day Foundation, said, “By growing campus green spaces, forward-thinking higher education leaders like Franklin College are cultivating vibrant learning communities that also benefit the greater environment.”
Franklin College earned recognition by upholding the standards required by the Arbor Day Foundation. They include maintaining an advisory committee, setting a campus tree care plan, verifying annual investment in the tree care plan, celebrating Arbor Day, and creating a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.
“Franklin College possesses an abundance of green space that offers faculty, staff, students, and community members an enjoyable environment for both work and leisure,” stated Alice Heikens, Ph.D., professor of biology at Franklin College. “By planting native species on our campus, we not only create habitats for local wildlife but also contribute to the purification of our air and water.”
