Progress 02/01/23 to 01/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Industry During the 2023 reporting cycle, we continued to find new ways to network with industry professionals in the landscape design, installation, and maintenance (e.g., Landscape Design Management, Holland, MI), garden centers (e.g., West Olive Nursery, Olive Branch Plant Center), plant nursery (e.g., Twixwood Nurseries), greenhouse production (e.g., Panse Greenhouses), tree care (e.g., Kalamazoo Tree Company), and cut flower (e.g., Forget-Me-Not Farms) aspects of the green industry. Most meetings took place on-site at industry partner locations which enabled us to observe state-of-the-art technologies and identify opportunities for internships and field excursions. Following are some of the industry partners who hosted field trips for our courses: Kalamazoo Flower Group, Wenke Greenhouses, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Renewed Earth, Vandersalm's Flower Shop and Garden Center, Mulder's Landscape Supplies, Landscape Forms, Kalamazoo Specialty Plants, Tuinstra Greenhouses, Shultz Fruitridge Farms. Community We continue to work with our community partners including, but not limited to, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Fernwood Botanic Gardens, Kalamazoo County 4-H, Kalamazoo Children's Nature Playscape, Kent County Conservation District, and the Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum. We are developing relationships with these community partners that will facilitate internships, fieldwork locations, class field trips, and networking opportunities for our Sustainable Horticulture (SH) students. We have placed students into internships at Interlochen Center for the Arts, Kalamazoo Garden Design and Maintenance, Willoway Nurseries, Inc., Kalamazoo Valley Community College, and Pure Coast Veganics. Municipal Over the last year, we have spent considerable time working with the City of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Downtown Development Authority, Kalamazoo / Battle Creek International Airport, Ecumenical Senior Center, Kalamazoo Farmers Market, West Douglas Neighborhood Business Association, and Edison Neighborhood Business Association, to establish spaces within the City where students can design, install, and maintain greenscapes. These municipal partners are excited to partner with us. For them, it means a fresh perspective on downtown landscapes that are located in "tough places" (compacted soil, salt damage, etc. ). For our students it means being a part of their community and creating a sense of pride in improving local landscapes. Professional Organizations We continue to work closely with the Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA). Dr. Tanis serves as an advisor for a high school "Horticulture Olympics" event that will be held for students at two locations in the Upper and Lower Peninsulas in 2024. She and Beth Keith also attended multiple MNLA "Field Day" events where they were able to network with green industry professionals. We have also been asked to host a "Plant Academy" event for the 2024 - 2025 education series. In December 2023, approximately 25 KVCC SH students attended the Great Lakes Expo (fruit, vegetable, farm market) in Grand Rapids, MI where they participated in educational workshops, networked with industry professionals, and attended the trade show. In January 2024, approximately 15 KVCC SH students attended the Great Lakes Trade Expo (MNLA). While in attendance, they participated in multiple education sessions and hands-on building workshops, networked with industry professionals, and attended the trade show. During this event, Dr. Tanis spoke with approximately 250 high school students from around the state about the program and choosing a green industry career. In February 2024, we were asked to become honorary members of the regional chapter of MNLA, the Southwest Michigan Landscape Association (SWMLA). High School Students and Advisory Boards Both Dr. Tanis and Horticulture Lab Coordinator, Beth Keith, have given multiple hands-on field demonstrations to high school agriculture technology students at Centreville, Vicksburg, and Paw Paw high schools. In addition, Dr. Tanis continues to serve on the Advisory Boards for Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, Centreville High School, and Vicksburg High School agriculture technology programs. These institutions provide us with opportunities to network with students who might be interested in enrolling in the SH Program and we are examining ways that our programs can integrate with them through the KVCC Early Middle College Program. In October 2023, Dr. Tanis welcomed the National Junior Horticulture Association for a campus tour during their annual gathering, which was held in Kalamazoo for the first time ever. Project Director Rachel Bair gave a keynote talk at the event, and 75 high school horticulture enthusiasts from 15 states toured the Food Innovation Center and learned about the HORT program. Potential Students While the first full year of classes was underway, Dr. Tanis continued to meet one on one with potential SH students: 24 in total. These potential students represent diverse ethnic, racial, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds. They each received a personal tour of the Food Innovation Center and sat down with Dr. Tanis to discuss their interests and how we might best make the program work for them in the future. Dr. Tanis also trained members of Kalamazoo Valley's Enrollment and Recruitment team about the program. Formal Industry Advisory Board We have identified multiple candidates for our formal Industry Advisory Board. These potential advisors represent a diverse population and bring expertise from multiple facets of the green industry. Establishment of this Board, originally planned for the 2023-24 school year, is delayed but anticipated to be completed in time for a Fall meeting in October 2024. Faculty Advisory Board The Faculty Advisory Board was dissolved in 2022 as scheduled when the curricula were signed by the KVCC Board of Trustees, as reported in our previous report. Dr. Tanis continues to meet with members of the committee, the Facilities Department, and those within the Math Science Department to discuss programming, laboratory facilities and equipment, and interactions with students. Changes/Problems:Dr. Tanis was hired into a full-time, tenure-track position as the faculty Program Director of Sustainable Horticulture, and this position is included in the College general fund budget. The funds allocated for her position have been redirected to support a full-time Horticulture Lab Coordinator, who is supporting Dr. Tanis and six adjunct faculty in developing and implementing hands-on lab components and field trips to support course learning objectives. This position has been critical to the success of the first year of the program. We requested, and were granted, a one-year extension on the project to continue to support the establishment of this program. We report no challenges or other changes. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Dr. Tanis is participating in the first-year faculty seminar for all new instructors at Kalamazoo Valley. Dr. Tanis and Beth Keith attended the Great Lakes Expo (fruit, vegetable, farmers market) and the Great Lakes Trade Expo (MNLA). Beth Keith has attended multiple online and in-person field days and training workshops including MNLA Plant Academy: Pruning Workshop, MSU Extension's MI Ag Ideas to Grow With, Integrated Pest Management Academy, Soil Health School, and Pollinator Protection for Pesticide Applicators. Dr. Tanis will be attending Cultivate 2024 in Columbus Ohio in July 2024. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Throughout 2023, we met with 21 industry, eight community, and six educational partners in face-to-face meetings. We continue to promote the new SH Program during all Life Enrichment courses, community engagement talks, and educational events. We have attended a variety of community events (e.g., KYDNET Day of Learning) to talk about the program and hand out information to potential students. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We look forward to another full year of developing the program. Enrollment for Fall semester is already at 50% (as of the end of April). The Horticulture Lab Coordinator will continue to build capacity for robust lab experiences and support a team of instructors, including Dr. Tanis, teaching 15 total sections of 15 unique courses. Next reporting period, we will also be able to celebrate our first COA graduate in April 2024, and additional COA and Certificate graduates in December 2024. We will invest remaining grant funds in contracts with partners for curriculum development on high-demand topics. In particular, a large project will begin in April 2024 to create experiential learning and related classroom content about engineered wetlands, invasive species, and urban stormwater mitigation from a horticultural perspective. The Ecological Services Division of the Kalamazoo Nature Center will establish test plots for invasive species control and a management plan for a 1.5-acre engineered wetland area on KVCC's Food Innovation Center campus. This content will be folded into coursework in HORT courses: Green Infrastructure, Urban Horticulture, Sustainable Landscaping, Pest Management, and Herbaceous Plants. It will also be developed into short-course noncredit offerings, intended for municipal parks and public works staff. Other Subject Matter Experts will be engaged to develop other noncredit short courses, as planned. Otherwise, our goals over the next period are the same as reported in our last report: we will continue to engage with our industry, community, and educational partners to establish a formal Industry Advisory Board of 25-30 diverse green industry professionals. We will continue to attend recruiting events throughout Michigan where we will discuss our program with potential students and sponsors. We will continue to deliver branded student recruitment materials to local high schools and agriculture technology programs. Dr. Tanis will continue to attend and present at conferences, field days, and professional events to promote the program to students and industry professionals who might provide internships and employment for future students.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In 2023, the Sustainable Horticulture program was officially launched during the Winter Semester. We began by offering two classes; Introduction to Horticulture (HORT 100) and Horticultural Pest Management (HORT 110). All courses were capped at 18 students due to room size; 17 students completed each course at the end of the semester in April 2023. HORT 211: Fruit and Vegetable Production was completed by 18 students in Summer term 2023. In Fall 2023 and Winter 2024, full schedules of courses were offered. Within the program, we had 46 students completing 14 total courses. Students in the first four semesters of the program (Winter 2023-Winter 2024) were awarded financial assistance as described in our grant agreement: 50% tuition, last dollar, for any HORT course and toward any course in another discipline for students who had declared a HORT major and enrolled in at least one HORT course. A total of $43,821 was awarded across all semesters. We continue to engage educational and industry partners as outlined above. We continue discussions with Western Michigan University regarding the opportunity for students to transfer the Landscape Management Certificate into an Environment and Sustainability Bachelor of Science degree (housed within the Department of Geography and Environment). WMU has completed marketing research for this new program, as reported in our last report, and is still proceeding through the process of formal establishment of a degree. Currently, faculty at WMU are navigating how best to integrate our students into their degree pathways. The WMU administration is hesitant to create a new major, so the department is designing a path for students that would enable them to enroll in an existing degree program. We expect this agreement to be in place by the conclusion of the grant award period. This exciting partnership will enable KVCC students to transfer to WMU to continue their education and training for careers in sustainable urban management. It would also serve as a direct pipeline between the two local schools. We have also begun conversations with Grand Valley State University regarding transferability of the Greenhouse and Landscape Management Certificates. Transfer would enable our students to obtain either a Bachelor of Arts or Science in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. A formal search for a full-time, tenure-track, Sustainable Horticulture faculty member ended with Dr. Sara Tanis accepting the role. As a result, Dr. Tanis transitioned off the grant and to the regular College general fund budget in August 2023. To support the successful implementation of the first year of courses, a Horticulture Lab Coordinator, Beth Keith, was hired in July 2023 with remaining grant dollars (see changes, below). Non-credited academies have been discussed with multiple partners, but many (e.g., Wenke Greenhouses and WMU Landscape Services) are indicating that they prefer to support their employees in achieving the accredited COA or Certificate. We will continue to look for opportunities to offer non-credit training and feel the relationships we are developing will lead to opportunities in the future.

Publications

Progress 02/01/22 to 01/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Industry During the 2022 reporting cycle, we continued to find new ways to network with industry professionals in the landscape design, installation, and maintenance (e.g., Landscape Design Management, Holland, MI), garden center (e.g., West Olive Nursery, Olive Branch Plant Center), plant nursery (e.g., Twixwood Nurseries), greenhouse production (e.g., Panse Greenhouses), tree care (e.g., Kalamazoo Tree Company), and cut flower (e.g., Forget-Me-Not Farms) aspects of the green industry. Most meetings took place on-site at industry partner locations which enabled us to observe state-of-the-art technologies and identify opportunities for internships and field excursions. Community We continue to work with our community partners including, but not limited to, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Fernwood Botanic Gardens, Kalamazoo County 4-H, Kalamazoo Children's Nature Playscape, Kent County Conservation District, and the Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum. We are developing relationships with these partners that will facilitate internships, fieldwork locations, class field trips, and networking opportunities for our Sustainable Horticulture (SH) students. Municipal Over the last year, we spent considerable time working with the City of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Downtown Development Authority, and Edison Neighborhood Business Association to establish spaces within the City where students can design, install, and maintain greenscapes. The FIC is located on a brownfield site, so digging beyond a certain depth is restricted by the Environmental Protection Agency. Many of our community partner sites do not have environmental restrictions, as a result our students can learn how to properly install a variety of large plants that may require deeper holes. Our municipal partners are excited to partner with us. For them, it means a fresh perspective on downtown landscapes that are located in "tough places" (e.g., spaces with compacted soil, salt damage, etc. ). For our students it means having access to a variety of diverse living labs where they can practice and hone their skills. Students are also excited to contribute to their community landscapes and they already feel a sense of pride in their contributions. Professional Organizations We continue to work closely with the Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA). Dr. Tanis has contributed to multiple brainstorming sessions that have outlined plans for two "Horticulture Olympics" events that will be held for high school students at locations in the Upper and Lower Peninsulas in 2024. She also attended multiple MNLA "Field Day" events where she was able to network with landscape professionals. In January 2023, we hosted a table at the MNLA Great Lakes Trade Expo where we met with hundreds of green industry professionals to talk about the SH program. In addition, Dr. Tanis spoke with approximately 250 high school students from around the state who were attending the Expo about the SH program and choosing a green career. High School Students and Advisory Boards Dr. Tanis has given multiple hands-on field demonstrations to high school agriculture technology students at Centreville and Vicksburg high schools and environmental science students at Paw Paw and Marshall high schools. In addition, she continues to serve on the Academic Advisory Boards for Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, Centreville High School, and Vicksburg High School agriculture technology programs. These institutions provide us with opportunities to network with students who might be interested in enrolling in the SH program and we are examining ways we can further integrate with them through the KVCC Early Middle College Program. Lastly, we have signed articulation agreements with Vicksburg High School, Genesee County Intermediate School District (ISD), Calhoun County ISD, and Kent County ISD that will enable students to transfer their high school agriculture technology horticulture course into KVCC for college credit (articulation for HORT 100, Introduction to Horticulture). Potential Students Over the past year Dr. Tanis gave personal tours to 22 potential SH students. These potential students represent diverse ethnic, racial, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds. They each received a tour of the Food Innovation Center's growing facilities and sat down with Dr. Tanis to discuss their interests and how best to make the SH program work for them in the future. We will continue to meet with students to talk about future programming and will continue to make recruiting a diverse student population a top priority. In 2022, we also partnered with the Kalamazoo Literacy Council to explore ways we can train their students for careers in the food and green industries. Formal Industry Advisory Board We have identified candidates for our formal Industry Advisory Board. These potential advisors represent a diverse population and bring expertise from multiple facets of the green industry. They are excited to contribute to the SH program and we look forward to making this a formal agreement for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. Faculty Advisory Board An interdisciplinary advisory committee made up of KVCC faculty, directors, and deans was developed in 2021 to provide guidance and feedback on the new SH curricula. The committee met formally six times throughout 2021. Minutes for the formal meetings can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_9WdA2PxBnixR5Sgbzz3rGE-BUyCU69JmXUbbXJf6fs/edit#heading=h.t37wh1danman The Advisory Board was dissolved in 2022 as scheduled when the SH curricula were signed by the KVCC Board of Trustees. Advisory committee stipends were dispersed to members, as per the grant agreement. Dr. Tanis continues to meet with members of the committee and those within the Math Science Department to discuss programming, laboratory facilities and equipment, and interactions with students. Changes/Problems:There are no major changes at this time. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Dr. Tanis participated in the Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) Academy sponsored by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. This Academy took place from March through June 2022. The purpose of the Academy was to pair educational institutions with employers or community partners to develop programs that lead to employment for adult learners of color. We partnered with the Kalamazoo Literacy Council for this Academy. Together, we are working with Panse Greenhouses and other green industry partners in Kalamazoo to develop training materials and programs that will upskill adult learners of color for employment within the greenhouse and landscaping industries. Dr. Tanis also attended the Michigan Certified Natural Shoreline Professional Training offered through MSU Extension, MNLA, and the Michigan Shoreline Partnership. This training provided attendees with information on how to design, install and maintain erosion control in a variety of shoreline settings (inland lakes). Attendees learned about the latest shoreline design technologies and bio-engineering practices. The training included classroom sessions and a hands-on field component. Dr. Tanis will use the knowledge gained from this certification training to facilitate discussions and classroom activities in several SH courses (e.g., HORT 224, Landscape Design and HORT 225, Sustainable Landscaping). Multiple contacts were made during this event that will establish future student internships, field trips, and possible donations for on-site wetland restoration at the Food Innovation Center. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Throughout 2022, we met with 17 industry, nine community, and eight educational partners in face-to-face meetings. We continue to promote the new SH Program during all Life Enrichment courses, community engagement talks, and educational events. We have attended a variety of community events (e.g., KYDNET Day of Learning) to talk about the program and hand out information to potential students. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Over the next reporting period, we will continue to engage with our industry, community, and educational partners to establish a formal Industry Advisory Board of 25-30 diverse green industry professionals. We will continue to attend recruiting events throughout Michigan where we will discuss our program with potential students and sponsors. We will continue to deliver branded student recruitment materials to local high schools and agriculture technology programs. We will continue to offer for-credit courses: one SH course is being offered during the Summer 2023 semester (current enrollment, 17 students, capped at 18) and eight SH courses are being offered for the Fall 2023 semester (enrollment opened in mid-April; numbers are already high enough to ensure classes will run in the Fall). We will establish a student-led organization that will plant, maintain, and deliver plants for KVCC special events (e.g., Women's History Month luncheon) and plant sales. Funds from these projects will be used to help students attend professional conferences and expos. Dr. Tanis will continue to attend and present at conferences, field days, and professional events to promote the program to students and industry professionals who might provide internships and employment for future students.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In 2022, the COA, Certificates, and AAS were passed through the KVCC Course and Curriculum and Academic Leadership Committees, KVCC Board of Trustees, and the Higher Learning Commission. The Sustainable Horticulture program was officially launched during the Winter 2023 Semester. We offered two classes; Introduction to Horticulture (HORT 100) and Horticultural Pest Management (HORT 110). Both courses were capped at 18 students due to room size; 17 students will have completed each course at the end of the semester in April 2023. We continue to engage educational and industry partners as outlined above. We are currently in discussion with Western Michigan University regarding the opportunity for students to transfer the Landscape Management Certificate into a Bachelor of Science degree (housed within the Department of Geography and Environment). This new degree will focus on sustainability and urban planning. WMU has completed marketing research for this potential new program and is proceeding through the process of formal establishment of the degree. This exciting partnership will serve as a direct pipeline between the two schools and will enable KVCC students to transfer to WMU to continue their education in sustainable urban planning. For an example of how the two schools are already partnering in this way, please visit this website to learn more about our Sustainable Brewing partnership. https://wmich.edu/brewing/academics A formal search for a full-time, tenure-track, SH faculty member was completed in March 2022. The outcome of this search has not yet been announced, but the process indicates KVCC's commitment to the future of the SH program. The SH programs have been placed in the Math and Sciences Department under the leadership of Dean Erin Shufro. Non-credited academies have been discussed with multiple partners, but scheduling programs has not yet occurred. Industry partners seem to be more interested in sending their employees to for-credit SH classes. We currently have three students enrolled in classes who will be reimbursed for their course fees by their employers after successful completion of the courses. We have met with multiple partners (e.g., Wenke Greenhouses and WMU Landscape Services) to continue to look for opportunities to offer non-credit training and feel the relationships we are developing will lead to opportunities in the future. The Kalamazoo Valley Marketing Department developed a comprehensive promotional plan that enabled us to promote the certificate and degree programs as soon as they received HLC approval. Branded marketing materials include multiple flyers that outline the new programs, stickers with a newly designed SH logo, radio interviews, and articles published in the Kalamazoo Focus newsletter. Please use the following links to open the KVCC SH websites: Program announcement and overview of the SH Program: https://www.kvcc.edu/community/sshaul/ Certificate of Achievement in Sustainable Horticulture: https://kvcc.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2022-2023/catalog/programs-of-study-by-pathway/science-engineering/sustainable-horticulture-coa/ Certificate in Landscape Management: https://kvcc.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2022-2023/catalog/programs-of-study-by-pathway/science-engineering/landscape-management-cert/ Certificate in Greenhouse Management: https://kvcc.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2022-2023/catalog/programs-of-study-by-pathway/science-engineering/greenhouse-management-cert/ Associate of Applied Science in Sustainable Horticulture Degree: https://kvcc.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2022-2023/catalog/programs-of-study-by-pathway/science-engineering/sustainable-horticulture-aas/

Publications

Progress 02/01/21 to 01/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Over the past year, we have had many opportunities to network with industry professionals in the landscape design (e.g., Claudia Parish Designs), landscape installation and maintenance (e.g., Native Edge Landscaping), garden center (e.g., River Street Flowerland), plant nursery (e.g., Michigan Wildflower Farm), and greenhouse production (e.g., Panse Greenhouses) aspects of the green industry. Most meetings have taken place on site at their locations so we could observe the types of technology they are using in their operations and to identify types of training that might benefit their industry. We have also met with multiple community partners including, but not limited to, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, various Kalamazoo County 4-H leaders, VanBuren County Conservation District, and the Audubon Society. We are developing relationships with these community partners that will facilitate internships, class field trips, and networking opportunities for our future SH students. In addition, we have met with multiple educational institutions who have programs in agricultural technology. These include: Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, Centreville, Vicksburg, and Paw Paw High Schools, Kent County Career and Technology Center, and Ottawa County Careerline Technology Center. These institutions have provided us with opportunities to network with students who might be interested in enrolling in our Sustainable Horticulture (SH) Program and we are examining ways that our programs can integrate through the Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) Early Middle College Program. Lastly, we are working with the Kalamazoo Literacy Council on a program that will provide "upskilling" in greenhouse technology methods to help adult learners of color obtain employment. To date, we have identified multiple professionals from the above organizations who are willing (and excited) to serve on our formal Industry Advisory Committee. That committee will officially be launched when all programs have been processed through the appropriate channels of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC, target date, October 2022). Upon official establishment, this team will continue to provide insight into our program's development and evolution. We established an interdisciplinary advisory committee made up of KVCC faculty, directors, and deans to provide guidance and feedback on the new SH curricula. The committee met formally six times throughout 2021 and Dr. Tanis met with multiple faculty one on one to discuss specific aspects of the program's design. Minutes for the formal meetings can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_9WdA2PxBnixR5Sgbzz3rGE-BUyCU69JmXUbbXJf6fs/edit#heading=h.t37wh1danman We are currently processing advisory committee stipends as per the agreement. Even though we are limited in how we discuss our future programs (they must first gain approval from the Higher Learning Commission), we have met with several prospective students from diverse ethnic, racial, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds who are interested in green industry careers. Many of those prospective students are currently attending Kalamazoo Valley, but several are still attending high school in the Kalamazoo area. We will continue to meet with students to talk about our future programs and will make recruiting a diverse student population a top priority. We are also partnering with the Kalamazoo Literacy Council to help them train their adult students of color in valuable green industry skills. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have been selected to participate in a Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) Academy sponsored by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. The purpose of the Academy is to pair educational institutions with employers or community partners to develop programs that will lead to employment for adult learners of color. We have partnered with the Kalamazoo Literacy Council for this Academy. Together, we are working with Panse Greenhouses to develop training materials and programs that will upskill adult learners of color for employment within the greenhouse industry. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have met with 26 industry, eight community, and six educational partners in face-to-face meetings; due to COVID restrictions, we elected not to have an onsite meeting with all partners until our Industry Advisory Committee is officially established. We describe the new SH Program during all Life Enrichment courses, community engagement talks, and educational events. The KVCC Marketing Department has designed a brochure that outlines the new program and we have made these available at outreach events and at each of our campuses. We are currently working with the Marketing and Student Enrollment Departments on developing branded recruiting materials to be distributed at all 2023-24 student and campus recruiting events. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Over the next reporting period, we will continue to engage with our industry, community, and educational partners to fine-tune the credit and non-credit portions of the SH Program. We predict the courses and SH degree programs will be approved by the HLC in Fall 2022. Branded student recruitment materials will be ready to disseminate as soon as the programs are approved, courses and programs will appear in the 2023 academic marketing materials, SH classes will begin in the Winter 2023 semester, the formal Industry Advisory Board comprised of at 25-30 professionals will be established by March 2023, the four degree programs will launch in the Fall 2023 semester, Dr. Tanis will attend multiple conferences (e.g., 2022, 2023 American Hort Cultivate Conference, March 2023 National Collegiate Landscape Competition, and January 2023 MNLA GLTE) to promote the program to students and industry professionals who might provide internships and employment for future students.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Dr. Sara Tanis was hired as the Sustainable Horticulture Program Director on 9 June 2021. In partnership with our industry, community, and educational partners and an interdisciplinary KVCC faculty advisory committee, we have designed eighteen new courses and developed the following certificate and associate degree programs: Certificate of Achievement in Sustainable Horticulture, Certificate in Landscape Management, Certificate of Greenhouse Management, and Associate of Applied Science in Sustainable Horticulture. These courses and degree programs have been approved through the KVCC Course and Curriculum Committee, Academic Leadership Committee, and Board of Trustees. Paperwork is currently being processed to take the programs through the Higher Learning Commission; tentative acceptance by this institution is expected October 2022. Introduction to Horticulture and Horticultural Pest Management courses will run for the first time in the Winter 2023 and the Sustainable Horticulture degree programs will launch in Fall 2023. Non-credited credentials academies have been discussed with multiple partners, but scheduling programs has not yet occurred. We continue to look for opportunities to offer this type of training and feel that the relationships we are developing with industry partners will lead to opportunities in the future. We have begun working with Michigan Works! representatives to learn how we can recruit green industry operations into the Going Pro Talent Fund. Until the SH degrees are certified by the HLC, the college cannot actively promote them as certificate or degree options. However, with the assistance of the Kalamazoo Valley Marketing Department, we have developed a comprehensive promotional plan that will enable us to begin certificate and degree promotion as soon as HLC accreditation requirements are met. To date, we have made multiple contacts with high school students who are interested in pursuing green industry careers. We are also serving as advisors and active members of agriculture technology academic advisory boards. We have also identified several KVCC students who intend to enroll in the courses and program when they become available. We are scheduled to participate in the following events to recruit high school students: Van Buren County High School Career Fair (30 September 2022) and MNLA HS Horticulture Olympics (Fall 2022, the date has not been finalized).

Publications