Franklin College Receives Eleventh Tree Campus USA Designation
Franklin College has been recognized as a 2023 “Tree Campus Higher Education Institution” by the Arbor Day Foundation. This program recognizes higher education institutions for integrating green spaces and trees into their campuses. The award marks the 11th consecutive year Franklin College has received the honor.
The Arbor Day Foundation is the world’s largest membership nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees. Its Tree Campus Higher Education program began in 2008 to encourage colleges and universities to plant trees on their campuses.
"Trees not only play a vital role in the environment but also in our daily lives,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Having trees on college and university campuses is a great way to show a commitment to students and faculty’s overall wellbeing.”
Franklin College earned the recognition by meeting Tree Campus Higher Education’s five core criteria for effective campus forest management, including establishing a campus tree advisory committee, creating a campus tree care plan, dedicating annual expenditures for a campus tree program, observing Arbor Day, and sponsoring student service-learning projects. There are currently 410 campuses nationwide with the distinction.
“Franklin College has considerable green space, which provides faculty, staff, students, and community members with a pleasant environment for work and life,” said Franklin College’s Alice Heikens, Ph.D., professor of biology. “In addition, by planting native species on campus, we provide habitats for animals as well as purifying the air and water.”
About the Arbor Day Foundation: Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation is the world’s largest membership nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees. With a focus in communities and forests of great need, the Foundation — alongside its more than 1 million members, supporters, and valued partners — have helped plant nearly 500 million trees in more than 50 countries. Guided by its mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees, the Arbor Day Foundation is committed to unlocking the power of trees to help solve critical issues facing people and the planet. Learn more about the impact of the Arbor Day Foundation at www.arborday.org
About Franklin College: Founded in 1834, Franklin College is a residential liberal arts and sciences institution located 20 minutes south of Indianapolis. Franklin offers a wide array of undergraduate majors as well as master’s degree programs in Physician Assistant Studies and Athletic Training. The unique curriculum merges classroom instruction with immersive experiences, research opportunities and study away programs. Students participate in 21 NCAA Division III sports, esports, Greek life, musical and theatre productions and more than 40 student organizations. As the first college in Indiana to become coeducational with the admission of women, Franklin welcomes diversity of thought, belief and person into a community that values equity and inclusion. Franklin College maintains a voluntary association with the American Baptist Churches USA. For more information, visit www.FranklinCollege.edu. Find Franklin College on Facebook, follow @FranklinCollege on X (formerly known as Twitter) and watch FranklinCollegeGrizzlies on TikTok.