As part of a decades-old path to campus beautification, students from Texas Tech’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources will again gather in the coming day to plant, celebrate and revisit a tradition rooted in both necessity and renewal. The planting portion of the event is now set for 1-4 p.m. on Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 5.
The program segment is still set for 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, May 1, at the Student Union Building, and will feature live music including a set by DJ Yeti along with free food for students presenting a university ID. Additionally, the national championship-winning Texas Tech spirit program will perform with planting scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m.
“Arbor Day is an annual event that provides an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to join together to beautify the Tech campus, while building a sense of community,” said Clint Krehbiel, dean of Davis College.
This year’s program will include participation from a wide cross-section of Davis College student groups and academic units, among them are:
- Agricultural Education & Communications Graduate Organization
- Agricultural Educators of Tomorrow
- Alpha Zeta
- Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics
- Horticulture Society
- Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance
- Student American Society of Landscape Architects
- Weed Science Team - Department of Plant & Soil Science
- The Wildlife Society
The modern celebration echoes an earlier version of campus beautification. In 1937, Bradford Knapp, then president of the university, declared that one day each spring would be devoted to planting trees and shrubs across the largely barren grounds.
The effort struggled against the region’s climate. Limited water supplies made sustaining the newly planted greenery difficult, and by 1948, the tradition had faded. It was not until the late 1990s that the event was revived, under the leadership of former chancellor John Montford, reestablishing Arbor Day as both a symbolic and practical.
CONTACT: Clint Krehbiel, Dean, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2808 or Clint.Krehbiel@ttu.edu
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