Accreditations, Recognitions, Awards and Memberships
Recognition
The Tree Campus USA program honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. To obtain this distinction, University of Kansas Medical Center has met the five core standards for sustainable campus forestry required by Tree Campus USA, including the establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects
Awards
Announcing the 2020 Sponsor-a-Hive Awardees
We’re thrilled to announce the University of KS Medical Center Botanic Gardens (Kansas City, KS) is one of the recipients of the 2020 Sponsor-a-Hive program. The Bee Conservancy’s flagship program gifts bee homes, equipment, and educational support to awardees, and the 2020 award focused exclusively on native bee homes. This emphasis comes at a critical time: in the midst of an environmental crisis that has left one in four of North America’s 4,000 bee species at risk of extinction.
2017 Professional Grounds Management Society Small Sites Grand Award
Established in 1911, the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS®) is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization dedicated to serving and advancing managers of grounds for all specialties and disciplines. The ultimate goal of PGMS is to place its members on the cutting edge of leadership in the Green Industry by developing techniques and management skills to assure an outstanding grounds management program for their respective organization, agency, department, firm or employer and to upgrade the level of the profession.
PGMS® Green Star Award
Maintenance is the criterion upon which an entry is judged in this award program. Projects are judged on turf management, landscape maintenance, challenges, and budget to determine the overall standing and award level of the entry. The University of Kansas Medical Center received Honor Awards in 2014 and 2015 for the overall campus and in 2017, the KUMC Botanic Gardens won a Small Sites Grand Award for its Pollinator Garden which was completed earlier that year.
According to the judges, "In an effort to bring joy to The University of Kansas Medical Center's campus and surrounding communities, their twenty-themed botanical gardens highlight the best that landscape has to offer in the Central Plains. The medical center is focused on the healing aspect that horticulture provides and the University's grounds are full of life with vibrant plants that include annual flower displays, manicured lawns, and a revitalized tree program. A conscious focus on seasonal transitions bring a steady year of color and interest and communicate a dedication to its campus and patrons."
The Pollinator Garden is located at the corner of Olathe Boulevard and Rainbow Boulevard across from the student center. KU Medical Center accepted the award at the PGMS annual awards dinner event in Louisville, Kentucky.
Photo: Marion Bolick, CGM, President of PGMS, Chris Harmeyer, Botanic Gardens Program Manager, Steffani Webb, Vice Chancellor for Administration, and Eric Tow, Manager of Landscape Services