Horticulture Educational Programming for CSU Trial Gardens and Campus Arboretum
College of Agricultural Sciences
Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Larimer
County
- Horticulture
- On-campus
Primary Topic:
Horticulture
Other Topics:
Community & Economic Development, Agriculture, Horticulture
Internship Overview:
The Colorado State University (CSU) Trial Gardens and Heritage Campus Arboretum and Botanical Gardens are only a couple of excellent examples of outreach and engagement opportunities, with which we work to meet our extension mission of the Horticulture and Landscape Architecture (HLA) program and CSU. These locations are well known ‘attractions’ in and around Fort Collins and the Front Range, attracting thousands of visitors each year. In addition to providing educational opportunities for the greater public, these resources are valuable for our teaching mission, engaging hundreds of students each year. We have had several students successfully complete rewarding internships at both of these facilities, developing and enhancing their professional skills. The new faculty directors of these two facilities would like to employ an intern to further enhance the educational and visitor experiences of the gardens and arboretum.
Goals, Scope and Objectives:
This internship aims to increase the unity of two valuable horticultural resources on CSU’s campus and leverage that unity for program development. The goals and objectives outlined below also fall within the scope of the greater Arboretum and CSU Trial Gardens strategic plans (although not formally implemented, but clearly sought after by advisory committee members) that aim to positively develop the public urban green spaces as an educational entity.
A primary goal of the internship program will be to evaluate and assess current educational aspects (e.g., tours, signage, layout, etc.) and provide recommendations to increase stakeholder engagement in the future educational programming to be developed in both the CSU Trial Gardens and the Arboretum which are important assets of the HLA program. In this internship experience the student intern will:
*Work with Arboretum and CSU Trial Gardens staff to identify current educational aspects of each facility.
* Survey current stakeholder interests and ideas for engagement and education in both locations
*Generate ideas and suggestions for additional educational programming within the Arboretum and Trial Gardens to enhance educational opportunities to the stakeholders listed below.
*Identify opportunities to further connect and integrate the existing and future educational values of both the Trial Gardens to the Arboretum.
*Begin to develop active and passive educational programming in the facilities.
*Attend specific outreach events and advisory board meetings to communicate findings.
A primary goal of the internship program will be to evaluate and assess current educational aspects (e.g., tours, signage, layout, etc.) and provide recommendations to increase stakeholder engagement in the future educational programming to be developed in both the CSU Trial Gardens and the Arboretum which are important assets of the HLA program. In this internship experience the student intern will:
*Work with Arboretum and CSU Trial Gardens staff to identify current educational aspects of each facility.
* Survey current stakeholder interests and ideas for engagement and education in both locations
*Generate ideas and suggestions for additional educational programming within the Arboretum and Trial Gardens to enhance educational opportunities to the stakeholders listed below.
*Identify opportunities to further connect and integrate the existing and future educational values of both the Trial Gardens to the Arboretum.
*Begin to develop active and passive educational programming in the facilities.
*Attend specific outreach events and advisory board meetings to communicate findings.
With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?
The student intern will have the opportunity to engage with many different stakeholders associated with the Arboretum and Trial Gardens. The following are the primary groups:
1. Arboretum and Trial Garden Staff
2. Arboretum Steering and Advisory Committee
3. Annual Trial Gardens Advisory Committee
4. Master Gardeners
5. HLA Department
6. Office of Engagement and Extension
7. CSU Facilities
8. CSU Students
9. Fort Collins Area Community Members
1. Arboretum and Trial Garden Staff
2. Arboretum Steering and Advisory Committee
3. Annual Trial Gardens Advisory Committee
4. Master Gardeners
5. HLA Department
6. Office of Engagement and Extension
7. CSU Facilities
8. CSU Students
9. Fort Collins Area Community Members
What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?
Through this internship experience, the intern will have the opportunity to further develop and/or gain skills in several areas including but not limited to communication, problem solving, interpersonal, and organizational skills. Using these skills, the student intern will be able to synthesize and integrate information through development of passive and active educational programming in horticultural settings. However, these skills will be transferable to other potential career interests and endeavors. The intern will also gain a clearer understanding of Extension and Outreach, and potential career opportunities.
