By Jeff Murphy,
November 29, 2016
WARRENSBURG, MO – While visitors to the University of Central Missouri campus may
frequently comment on the institution’s beautiful grounds, a commitment to excellence
by individuals responsible this for work is earning the university and its grounds
crew national recognition. Through the 2016 Green Star Awards® Competition, the Professional
Grounds Management Society (PGMS) has recognized the university with the Honor Award,
an achievement that involved a highly competitive entry process that included submissions
from colleges and universities nationwide.
Award winners were announced during the society’s 2016 Awards Dinner that took place
in conjunction with the PGMS School of Grounds Management & GIE+EXPO in Louisville,
Ky., in October. The Green Star Awards® program provides national recognition for
grounds maintained with a high degree of excellence, complementing other national
landscape awards programs that recognize outstanding landscape design and construction.
During the recognition ceremony, PGMS presented four Grand Awards, which is its top
honor, as well as 24 Honor Awards and five Merit Awards in nine competition categories.
UCM was recognized with an Honor Award in the category for University and College
Grounds, small institutions. Separate categories also honored larger colleges and
universities, as well as urban universities. Additional award categories included
School Grounds (K-12); Athletic Fields; Golf Courses; Hospitals or Institutions; Hotel,
Motel or Resort; Multiple Sites Under Management Company; and Public Works Site.
Brad Mackey, a 16-year UCM employee who has served as grounds manager since 2014,
praised the campus grounds crew for making this award possible. He also commended
the work of Kevin Courtwright, a university alumnus and employee who served the institution
as a landscape specialist for several years before he was hired as grounds supervisor
in September 2015. Mackey said he named Courtwright to his position with a goal to
win a national award.
Courtwright compiled materials that were submitted by the university for the 2016
award competition. This included an extensive array of photographs and information
about university grounds that was put into a slide show and sent to a panel of judges.
In making award decisions, judges considered areas that included turf, landscape,
challenges, budget and sustainable practices.
“Each category is graded on a 20-point scale by the judges, and the categories add
up to 100 points,” Courtwright said.
Both men pointed out that judges’ comments will be useful in pursuing a future award
goal.
“They have Merit, Honor and Grand Awards,” Mackey said. “Only one school gets the
Grand. We’re going for the Grand Award next year.”
Strengths that judges noted about UCM grounds included positive comments pertaining
to turf and striping; annual plants around campus to add vibrant color; texture in
shade garden areas; and use of alliums for seasonal events. During the Fourth of July
observance, for example, flower beds near The Crossing - South at Holden featured
alliums that were painted red, white and blue.
“We have a lot of species diversity,” Mackey said. “We have more flower beds, more
variety, more annual plants than a lot of campuses our size. We’re not just green.”
Sustainable practices also were noted, according to Courtwright. He said the university’s
grounds management includes efforts related to rainwater collection, including use
of a cistern to collect water, use of native plants and ornamentals. The university
also creates its own compost made from the leaves of many trees that add shade and
help beauty the campus.
In talking about the value of work performed by the grounds staff, Mackey said campus
appearance enters into student decisions about enrolling at UCM. UCM President Ambrose
agrees, Mackey noted.
“I will never forget when I took this position, we were in a meeting with Dr. Ambrose
and others from Finance and Administration. He looked right at me and as he was talking
about student numbers he asked, ‘What’s the first thing anyone who comes to campus
sees? A student and their family will often make up their mind about the school within
20 minutes of stepping on campus.’”
Quality, well-maintained grounds certainly impacts that decision, and the work is
extensive. Courtwright said the grounds crew maintains approximately 65 acres of turf
and 2.5 acres of planting beds, in addition to overseeing maintenance of 19 miles
of campus sidewalks.
Chris Bamman, director of Facilities Planning and Operations, said he was proud of
the work performed by the grounds staff, noting that they are doing more with fewer
people.
“As we think about the experience on campus our visitors have, and as we try to align
our priorities to increase appearance standards, I couldn’t be more pleased by the
work of Brad, Kevin and the rest of the grounds team, who have elevated those standards.
We appreciate the recognition we have received to validate all of the team’s great
efforts.”
