The 17Թ has been recognized as a 2025 Tree Campus by the Arbor Day Foundation, honoring the University’s leadership in building a healthier, greener urban environment through education, investment, and community engagement. This is the university’s fourth consecutive year being recognized as a Tree Campus.
“Trees have the power to inspire learning and improve well-being,” said Michelle Saulnier, Vice President of Programs at the Arbor Day Foundation. By growing campus green spaces, forward-thinking higher education leaders like the 17Թ are cultivating vibrant learning communities that also benefit the greater environment.
As an urban research university, 17Թ’s expanding tree canopy plays a meaningful role in supporting both the campus community and the city around it. Trees help reduce energy costs, mitigate extreme heat, improve air quality, and strengthen overall physical and mental well-being. They also enhance the campus’s aesthetic appeal and create shaded outdoor spaces for study, gathering, and reflection.
“As an urban research university, the 17Թ has a responsibility to be a good neighbor—to our community, to our city, and to our environment,” said Carol Lunn, PhD, Assistant Vice President for Research and Economic Development and chair of the 17Թ Sustainability Circle. “This Tree Campus recognition affirms our commitment to stewarding a greener, healthier campus that benefits not only our students but the surrounding community. I’m grateful to Dr. Chris Belser and all the members of the 17Թ Sustainability Circle, and Garden Club, whose dedication and hard work made this designation possible.”
To earn the Tree Campus distinction, colleges and universities must meet five core standards, including maintaining an advisory committee, establishing a campus tree care plan, verifying annual investment in tree stewardship, celebrating Arbor Day, and developing a service-learning project that engages students in hands-on environmental work.
The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. Since 1972, the Foundation’s network of more than 1 million supporters and partners has helped plant more than 500 million trees in forests and communities across more than 60 countries. The Tree Campus program is operated in partnership with the National Association of State Foresters and supported by Bartlett Tree Experts.
