POUGHKEEPSIE, NY, September 14, 2021 – For the eighth year in a row, Vassar College has earned recognition as a Tree Campus Higher Education Institution by the Arbor Day Foundation, the organization’s President, Dan Lambe, announced.

In a recorded statement, Lambe lauded Vassar and 391 other colleges and universities for “leading the way in community forest management and working to create greener, healthier spaces on campus.”

To qualify for the recognition, institutions must have a working tree advisory committee, show evidence of a campus tree care plan, verify the expenses incurred to implement the plan, observe Arbor Day, and create a learning project for students on land management, said Lauren Weyers, Arbor Day Foundation Program Manager. Vassar has qualified for recognition every year since 2013, Weyers said.

Vassar President Elizabeth H. Bradley said the College was honored to have been named a Tree Campus again this year. “This award serves as recognition of the vital role that intelligent land management plays in providing a healthy environment for our students, faculty, and staff as well as members of the community who visit our beautiful campus,” President Bradley said.

For more information about the award, visit TreeCampusHigherEd.org.

About the Arbor Day Foundation

Founded in 1972 — the centennial of the first Arbor Day observance — the Arbor Day Foundation is the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. More than 1 million members, supporters, and valued partners have helped plant more than 350 million trees in neighborhoods, communities, cities, and forests throughout the world to ensure a greener and healthier future for everyone.

The Foundation’s goal is to help others understand and use trees as a solution to many of the global issues we face today, including air quality, water quality, a changing climate, deforestation, poverty, and hunger.

Vassar College is a coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Contact: Larry Hertz, lahertz@vassar.edu, 845-518-3098, 845-437-7938  (Vassar College)