Baylor Receives National Recognition For Excellent Grounds Maintenance
Media contact: Lori Fogleman, (254) 710-6275
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WACO, Texas (Jan. 23, 2018) — Baylor University recently received a Green Star Honor Award for excellence in maintaining campus grounds from the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) in the mid-size University and College Grounds category. The annual Professional Grounds Management Awards Program brings national recognition to grounds maintained with a high degree of excellence.
Baylor received the award during the PGMS School of Grounds Management held in conjunction with the GIE+EXPO in Louisville, Kentucky, in October.
"We are honored to have been chosen by the PGMS group to receive this award for our campus grounds," said Don Bagby, assistant vice president for facilities and planning at Baylor University. "As in the past, our grounds maintenance leadership team has distinguished themselves through their hard work and attention to detail. Andy Trimble and Mandie Johnson deserve our thanks for helping to provide a pleasant outdoor environment for Baylor faculty, staff, students and visitors."
Bagby said the combination of overall design and the arrangement of plants makes Baylor's grounds distinctive.
"We have beautiful trees that we maintain, and we do our best to keep grass maintained and keep bare spots to a minimum. Baylor's grounds also have beds around campus that undergo color changes throughout the year depending on the season, which adds variety," Bagby said.
Large Oaks provide a shady escape from the Texas summer heat, while Crepe Myrtles, Gingko, and Elm trees provide a pop of color. Baylor's Green and Gold can be spotted in the seasonal color beds filled with Chrysanthemums, Pansies, Zinnias, and of course, in the greenspaces created around campus. Ideal socializing and study nooks are tucked away in one of the many gardens filled with Japanese Yews, Knockout Roses, Liriope, and native plants composing a refreshing environment.
Bagby said grounds maintenance is important because it shapes positive attitudes about the campus for not only students, but faculty, staff and visitors.
"Coming into a well-kept landscaped area is a component that helps us feel good about where we are, not only on a college campus, but anywhere with landscaping," Bagby said.
by Joy Moton, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.