A&T Landscape Architecture Plants National Presence


February 7, 1997

Greensboro, NC: Students in the Landscape Architecture Program at North Carolina A&T State University are designing a landscape scheme for the National Plant Data Center, on the campus of Southern University, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Eleven juniors and one senior from NC A&T's Planting Design class have begun designing the two-acre tract of land which surrounds the National Plant Data Center and adjoins Southern University's Urban Forestry Program Building. The class will submit its design to Southern University officials before the semester's end.

"This arrangement gives A&T students a national showcase for their knowledge, skills and talents," said Dr. Marihelen Glass, acting program coordinator for A&T's Landscape Architecture and Horticulture Program. Glass and Sue Anne Ware, an assistant professor in A&T's Landscape Architecture Program, teach the Planting Design class, which is a required course for the B.S. in Landscape Architecture offered by the A&T School of Agriculture.

The A&T students consider several factors when designing a landscape scheme. Factors such as the soil type, drainage and topography of the land, as well as the potential of using native plants, determine the final plan. The class traveled to Baton Rouge during the week of February 10, to collect data and better visualize the available landscape.

They will then submit individual research reports and present concept plans, which will be incorporated into an overall design. A&T's design then will be given to Urban Forestry and Southern University landscapers for implementation.

The A&T Landscape Architecture Program, initially accredited in 1993, is the only program accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board at a historically black college or university, and it is the only accredited undergraduate program in North Carolina. These recognitions have made the program a model for others in a field in which minorities are underrepresented.

In addition to the National Plant Data Center project, students from A&T's Landscape Architecture Program have been involved in projects with the Greensboro Arboretum and Project Homestead in Greensboro, and in projects in several other towns and cities in North Carolina.

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For more information, please contact Dr. Marihelen Glass, NC A&T School of Agriculture, (336) 334-7520.