Friends
of the Arboretum Newsletter
Volume 8,
Number 1
 |
 |
 |
 |
Director's Letter
Valuable Resources
By Bob Lyons, Ph.D., Director
One of the easiest barometers of progress on virtually any front is a simple comparison of the past with the present. For the JCRA, I could compare a variety of situations within the time frame of my five year tenure here as Director. The one I' d like to focus on right now relates to the educational component of our mission.....in other words, how useful is the JCRA to our students in terms of formal coursework enrichment and how successful have we been in integrating students into our operational activities. A quick check of our stats, for Fall Semester 2003, reveals some very encouraging information. In that most recent semester, individual students have pursued Internal Learning Experiences (ILE), extended internships, and part-time paid positions. Our two ILE students have followed in the footsteps of earlier students and received academic credit for working alongside our staff members; our two 2003 summer interns were kept on through the fall semester as part-time paid and experienced assistants; and four undergrads were hired to provide assistance in the general operations of the JCRA. That makes a total of eight undergraduates engaged in the JCRA agenda during that semester alone, the most involved in any semester in the past five years! For coursework, the evidence shows that we' re right on target here, as well. A summary breakdown reveals that our parent department, Horticultural Science, subscribes the most to using our resources. In Fall Semester alone, a total of 11 courses engaging over 400 students placed the JCRA into their curricula, and instructors at nearby Meredith College and Wake Technical Community College saw fit to do the same. This is very exciting and a trend we intend to enhance and continue with your support. See Nancy Doubrava's article in this issue for more information.
Our assistance at the graduate level became even more visible with the graduation of a Master of Horticultural Science student, Tina Wilkinson. Tina's work focused on how visitors navigate their way through the JCRA, how they make pathway decisions, and how we might improve their experience while here. In her study, she applied Kevin Lynch's urban model of "legibility" to the JCRA, giving us greater insights into how we may analyze our current paths and develop in the future to enrich one's visit to the JCRA. It appears very unlikely that modeling of this type has ever been used for botanical gardens and arboreta, and so far, the results hold great promise for us. Tina's work was a first, indeed, and she worked closely with NCSU faculty Pat Lindsey, Ph.D., (her major advisor) and Robin Moore and myself (her graduate committee members) to complete her study.
A special note of thanks to all of you who responded to our first ever Annual Appeal conducted in 2003. By all measures, it was a major success and a great confidence builder for us in times when nonprofit organizations are sweating. At the time of this writing in mid-November 2003, the tally stands at a little over $13,000.00! Be sure to read more in this issue. Appeals like this are timed strategically. Mid to late summer is a "slow" period for us in terms of new member subscriptions, membership renewals, and unrestricted donations. Your generosity softened my concerns during this usually fragile financial time for the JCRA. In fact, I have directed more than a third of the Appeal revenues directly towards salaries for all of our paid student assistants; their work has become exceptionally valuable as we "plant" into our new grounds and update the existing ones!
There are two very special people I'd like to acknowledge in our newsletter. Tom Bland is the first; he is the owner of Apex-based Bland Landscaping and a member of our Board of Advisors. Last fall I made a special request of him and he came through for us with no questions asked. We were in the process of spreading massive quantities of mulch to finish off old construction areas, cover new planting areas, and apply to beds that were not yet mulched that season. I remember looking out my office window and walking our grounds, feeling very concerned about the amount of mulch yet to be spread. One phone call to Tom for some crew assistance and the date was set. Receiving help from Bland's crew for an entire day was truly a gift, leading to quite a dent in the mulch mounds! Thanks! The second person in this issue's spotlight is Sylvia Redwine, a person who is often behind the scenes with her good intentions and great help. Sylvia took charge when the Ruby C. McSwain Education Center opened and quickly assembled and managed our new interiorscape comprised of numerous tropical plants, including lovely orchids! Sylvia is a gem! She religiously visits each week, fastidiously watering, pruning, and otherwise tending to our interior plants. The McSwain Center looks fabulous to visitors, and those of us housed there also benefit by the plants she placed directly in our offices. I get plenty of compliments and am delighted to direct the credit right to her. Sylvia's work is most often seen only as the results. The next time you admire our ficus, orchids, begonias, and other assorted plants, please remember that we owe our gratitude to Sylvia Redwine.....thanks!
A look towards the future and a few additional notes are worth your attention. Stay tuned for more information about the JCRA-sponsored trip to Italy! I'm working closely with a great friend and tour organizer extraordinaire, Robert McDuffie, on the details for this 2005 excursion......more to come! Get on the Lyons' Den to receive the timeliest information. We've also been asked when we'll offer another photography workshop.....well, wait no more! The first JCRA Photography Master Class is coming in April and will be taught by three seasoned photographers....and we're serving up a new and healthy dose of the digital world this time around. Remember to sign up early when this class is announced, registration will be limited and always fills fast!
I am especially pleased to let you know that our technician position which was "frozen" for most of 2003 was officially "unfrozen" as of January 1, 2004. If I had fireworks, I would have set them off! Special thanks to my former department head, Tom Monaco, Ph.D.; our current head, Julia Kornegay, Ph.D.; and the efforts of NCAN and the entire North Carolina Green Industry for their work in our behalf to get this position opened up again for re-hiring. It is key and critical to our operations and overall health of our plant collections. You should also know that the existing staff is to be commended, thanked, congratulated, and admired for "filling in" where needed for most of 2003 during this vacancy. The Arboretum is a dynamic place and requires all the attention it did before the freeze, staff vacancy or not. Our talented staff pulled it off, even in the midst of new growth in and around the new McSwain Center, but they worked hard in doing so. It gives me great pleasure to let you know that Jon Roethling accepted our offer and assumed his new position and title as of January 1, 2004. Jon and his work ethic have been no strangers to the JCRA. He has worked as a student assistant at the JCRA in the past and most recently as an assistant to Todd Lasseigne in our green industry-supported position. Jon has a strong interest in horticultural plant materials and an equally strong commitment to the JCRA. He has accompanied other staff on trips to other nurseries, he has been with us at our trade shows, and he has even been our representative on plant exchange travels in the past. Jon has worked very closely with our own volunteer curators. Please join me in congratulating Jon when you see him! We had an exceptionally strong pool of candidates for this position and if I had additional positions, I would have hired them all! They are to be commended for their strong credentials.
Finally, as I close down calendar year 2003 at this writing, I am very excited about our upcoming season of student internships. In unprecedented fashion, we already have confirmed six, yes, count 'em six, internships locked in for summer 2004! In 2003, we launched a very uncomplicated way for anyone to sponsor a student internship.......kind of "Easy Philanthropy," or dare I use the fractured vernacular, "E-Z Philanthropy!" For as little as $2,000.00 (I realize this is really a lot of money but wait until you see where it gets us!), I can hire a student for 12 weeks at 20 hours/week. This goes a long way and provides an excellent experience at the JCRA while also allowing scheduling flexibility for summer school, for example. Well, summer 2004 will showcase the following named internships: The North Carolina Association of Nurserymen Internship, The Ben Anderson Internship, The North Carolina Commercial Flower Growers Association Internship, The Raleigh Garden Club Internship, The Sudden Impact Internship, and The Alan MacIntyre Internship. Imagine, six students in all getting a chance to work side-by-side our own JCRA staff. With so many interns this summer, I'll be able to assign them to staff who work in other specialty areas, in addition to those targeted for collections and grounds management. This is a first and I've been hoping to do this for a long time. I am indebted to all of our donors! What a great way for any philanthropist to get his or her feet wet and help us out; the impact is enormous and multifaceted.......you are not only directly responsible for assisting the JCRA but also providing an invaluable experience for a student interested in horticulture, landscape techniques, and arboretum operations. Many thanks!
Director's Letter | Announcements | Book Review | Horticulture | Development | Volunteering
Formatted into HTML by Christopher
Todd Glenn
Programs & Education Coordinator
JC Raulston Arboretum
Department of Horticultural Science
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7522
© The JC Raulston Arboretum, February 2004