For the second consecutive year, St. Edward’s University has been honored with the Tree Campus USA® recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management.Trees are an integral part of St. Edward’s University’s identity. Since 1999, over 900 trees have been planted on campus. From the massive 300 year-old Sorin Oak overlooking the Austin skyline, to the smaller trees that dot the Hilltop, each one helps make the campus a better place for students, staff, and faculty. St. Edward’s Facilities staff works incredibly hard to take care of these trees and grounds, and this designation helps prove that their work is vital to the university and continues to be recognized on a national scale.
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. St. Edward’s University 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 student service-learning project. St. Edward’s is one of 296 campus across the United States with this recognition.