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Tennessee Wesleyan
Celebrated Arbor Day by
planting 12 trees, each over
20-feet tall. From
Left to Right: Rick
Cowart, TWC Grounds Manager;
Mike Ingram, TWC Facilities
Director; Ashley Wilson, SGA
President, Brandon Gentry,
Tree Campus USA Student
Representative, Stephen
Huskey, Area Forester,
Jaclyn Evans, Tree Campus
USA Student Representative
and Austin Fesmire, City of
Athens Parks & Recreation
Director and Tree City USA
Representative.
Each spring, people
traveling along Green Street
in Athens, through the
Tennessee Wesleyan College
campus, enjoy the beauty
displayed by the Bradford
pear trees. As you venture
farther onto campus, Oak and
Hackberry trees, as
described in the Nocatula
Legend as symbols of undying
love, proudly stand just off
Coach Dwain Farmer Drive.
 Trees
have long been a significant
part of the downtown Athens
campus, and continue to be
still today. The Student
Government Association, the
administrative body to all
student organizations at
Wesleyan, announced its plan
to participate in Tree
Campus USA, a program
established by the Arbor Day
Foundation. The goal is to
be a leader among private
liberal arts colleges in the
region for this program,
making Tennessee Wesleyan
the first college in
Tennessee to adopt it.
 “When
Mike Ingram, [TWC Director
of Facilities Management],
approached me with the idea
of establishing the program
at TWC, I was very pleased,”
said Larry Wallace, Vice
President for
Administration. “Mike and I
approached the student
leaders and they immediately
joined forces with
Facilities to help make TWC
a Tree Campus.”
The Tree Campus USA program
recognizes college and
university campuses that
effectively manage their
campus trees, develop
connectivity with the
community beyond campus
borders and strive to engage
their student population in
service learning
opportunities.
Five standards must be met
to be included as a Tree
Campus USA member. First, an
advisory committee
consisting of student,
faculty, facilities and
community leaders must be
formed. A tree care plan
must be created, outlining
how the campus will plant,
maintain and remove trees.
Funds must then be allocated
to properly care for trees
and an observance take place
on Arbor Day. Finally, the
campus must engage students
with service learning
projects related to trees.
 “I
believe in making the world
a better place through
proper care for our natural
resources. By participating
in the Tree Campus USA
project, this is one way my
department and I can improve
the tree canopy and
contribute to the betterment
of the TWC Campus” said
Ingram. “We have received
full support from Dr.
[Steve] Condon, [Tennessee
Wesleyan president], and
Ashley Wilson [Student
Government Association
president] has led the
charge from the student
leaders on campus.”
Tennessee Wesleyan will
plant 12 trees, each over
20-feet tall in honor of
Arbor Day, celebrated the
first Friday in March in
Tennessee. National Arbor
Day is April 30. |
