Universities receive PLANET accreditation

HERNDON, Va. – Iowa State University and Brigham Young University - Provo in Provo, Utah, have earned reaccreditation status from PLANET.

PLANET’s accreditation program is an industry accreditation, driven by the needs of the landscape industry. It provides local and national recognition for schools with four-year Bachelor of Science and two-year Associate of Science degree programs that meet the needs of the industry, and it is the only nationally recognized endorsement offered to colleges and universities with landscape/horticulture curricula. Twenty-seven institutions of higher learning now have programs that are PLANET accredited.

The site visit team for Iowa State University included leader and co-coordinator of site teams Greg Jolley, associate teaching professor, Brigham Young University - Provo; Dr. Steven Cohan, professor, University of Maryland, and Jay Long, partner and director, Ruppert Landscape, Laytonsville, Md. The team also granted full accreditation through 2017 to the school’s Landscape Design, Installation and Management Program.

The site visit team for Brigham Young University - Provo included leader and co-coordinator of site teams Edward Plaster, retired instructor, Dakota County Technical College, Rosemont, Ohio; Dr. Zachary S. Johnson, professor, Landscape Design and Contracting and Landscape Business Programs, University of Colorado, and Russell Kimball, president, Kimball Property management, Draper, Utah. The team also granted full accreditation through 2017 to the school’s Landscape Management program.

Both schools will require another review at the conclusion of 2017.

For more information about PLANET accreditation, contact Anna Walraven at (800) 395-2522.