Elmhurst College wins tree campus award

The Arbor Day Foundation recently designated Elmhurst College as a Tree Campus USA for the eighth year in a row.

The national program was created in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor colleges and universities for their campus forest management practices, and for engaging staff and students in reaching conservation goals.

Elmhurst College achieved the title by meeting Tree Campus USA's five standards, which include maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and a student service-learning project.

"It shows we're dedicated to preserving our campus trees, and that we're dedicated to sustainability," said Paul Hack, grounds and maintenance supervisor for the college.

Elmhurst College's entire 48-acre campus is a registered arboretum that boasts nearly 900 trees and shrubs, including many exotic and rare specimens.

Elmhurst College is one of the Top 12 Colleges in the Midwest, according to U.S. News & World Report; and U.S. News, Money and Forbes magazines consistently rank Elmhurst as one of the Midwest's best values in higher education.