Spartanburg Community College Receives 2010 Landscape Beautification Award
August 31, 2010
SPARTANBURG, SC – August 31, 2010 – The Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce (SACC) and Spartanburg Men’s Garden Club (SMGC) recently presented Spartanburg Community College (SCC) with an honorable mention award in the “Public Service-Large” category at the 2010 Landscape Beautification Awards ceremony.
“We are honored that our landscaping has been recognized again this year by the Spartanburg Men’s Garden Club and the Chamber of Commerce,” said Ray Switzer, SCC’s director of facilities. “Our horticulture faculty, staff and students take pride in their hard work. It takes a lot of resources, planning and maintenance to keep our campus beautiful but it’s worth it because it makes such a difference to our students, employees, community and our environment.”
The SACC and SMGC partnered in the 1960s to create a program to conduct landscaping evaluations for businesses and institutions to promote the beautification in the Spartanburg area. Each spring SMGC judges’ tour participating properties and rate them based design, execution, maintenance and overall impression.
“The Landscape Evaluation Program is a wonderful benefit to our entire community,” said Program Manager, Claire Hess. “A community whose public and corporate landscapes look inviting make a positive statement and reflect a great place to work and live. Potential businesses considering relocation to Spartanburg, as well as visitors to our community, also take note of such things. We are pleased to have around 40 participants involved in this program annually, which celebrated its 50th year in 2010.”
SCC has supported the Landscape Beautification Awards for the past 10 years through sponsorships and by providing students from the College’s horticulture program to assist in the property tours and evaluations. The College has received numerous awards in the competition over the years, but 2010 marks the fifth consecutive year SCC has received an honorable mention award.
Through numerous grants and assistance from the SCC Foundation, SCC’s campus has become a nationally recognized Arboretum. Along with four greenhouses, a nursery production area and a pavilion, the campus boasts several themed gardens including the only Outdoor Train Garden on a U.S. college campus featuring dwarf conifers and plants. The International Peace Garden, created to reflect Spartanburg’s international community, features plants from up to 40 different countries, such as the Persian Parrotia, English Oak and the Japanese Maple tree. The campus’s Ornamental Gardens have a diverse assortment of plant life including deciduous trees, evergreens, herbaceous plants and a large variety of magnolias and boxwoods. Additionally, SCC is also the only site in S.C. participating in a national boxwood trial.
This year, the horticulture program added a new feature in the gardens using green technology – the Green Roof Gazebo. Featuring a rooftop garden with a variety of drought resistant sedums and succulents, the gazebo reduces erosion while recycling rainwater. It is the only rooftop garden of it’s kind on a college campus in the Southeast.
“Many areas of our campus arboretum are cultivated and maintained by horticulture students,” says Jason Bagwell, program chair of the SCC horticulture program. “Our campus is a living classroom that provides a unique opportunity for students to take what they learn in class and immediately apply that knowledge to gain new skills. Students put their knowledge in action, which provides real-world experience before they graduate.”
For more information on Spartanburg Community College’s horticulture program, visit www.sccsc.edu/hort.
For information on applying to the College or registering for FlexStart classes this fall, contact the SCC Admissions Center at (864) 592-4800 or 1-866-591-3700. Admissions, financial aid information and the SCC fall semester course offerings are available online at www.sccsc.edu.
About Spartanburg Community College
SCC offers more than 80 academic programs of study including associate degrees, diplomas and certificates plus University Transfer opportunities to four-year universities. SCC provides flexible class scheduling including online classes through SCCOnline, FlexStart classes, evening classes and more. The College also offers non-credit classes through the SCC Corporate & Community Education Division. For more information visit www.sccsc.edu.
