Mission Statement

The Environmental Horticulture Program provides our students with experiential learning opportunities within a progressive curriculum, linked with internships and  community service, to instill the awareness and skills necessary for developing productive futures.

Program Description

This program has one full-time instructor, who is retiring this June, and four associate faculty. We have seen level student enrollment, industry interest and collaboration and advisory committee involvement steadily for the past nineteen years. With over 2500 employers in Northern California and ten times that on the west coast, the demand for our students and alumni far outstrips our ability to produce them. Many students enter the workforce prior to completing the program. This fact sometimes leads to problems with enrollment in �capstone� classes, even though annual enrollments average over 450.

We currently offer several avenues of education for our students. These avenues are:
Certificates of Achievement - Environmental Horticulture, Nursery Technician, Landscape/Turfgrass Technician, and Crop Protection. We also have an Associate of Science Degree - Environmental Horticulture.

We are actively creating an A.S. Degree in Viticulture & Winery Management and Certificates of Achievement in Vineyard Management and Winery Operations. The Viticulture and Winery Operations courses were approved by the Chancellor�s Office and are ready for scheduling in future semesters, once the AS degrees and certificates are submitted in spring 2020.

The need for irrigation technicians and engineers in California has tripled in recent years due to impending retirements and decreased resources, coupled with higher demands on those resources. We are partnered with other community colleges through California Agriculture Teachers Association (CATA), working on the development of a two new Irrigation Technology Certificates-Beginning and Advanced, with the creation of additional irrigation technology, auditing, and CAD courses. We reviewed the certificate proposal at the Mid Winter Conference in December 2017 and approved it to move forward. Anticipated availability is Fall 2020. Courses currently exist, at Butte, in EH, AGS, DFT, and others to meet the requirements.

This situation is similar to the increased need for PCAs (Pest Control Advisers) and CCAs (Certified Crop Advisers) seen in recent years. The additional courses to the Crop Protection curriculum have
allowed our students to sit and pass Department of Pesticide Regulations State PCA and CCA exams. These successful students are accepting great internships and jobs all over the west coast in Environmental Horticulture and Production Agriculture.

Our EH 66, Orchard Production and Management course, was offered in the fall semester 2017. A new fruit and nut tree orchard, in the old Organic Garden area, is in the planning stages and will assist in having quality on-campus laboratories for this class. EH 62 Weed Science and Invasive Species is being offered for the fifth time this semester, Spring 2020, and is now taught face-to-face. Another new course, EH 23 Fall Plant Identification was offered in Fall 2017 with high success and retention.

We host four active clubs on campus. The Environmental Horticulture Club is the oldest club on campus. The Western Heritage and Agriculture Association is a four year old club now. In 2018 we started a Beekeeping Club to meet the extreme demand for knowledge about bees and their very necessary roll in agriculture, conservation and sustainability. The demand is so strong that we will move forward with re-kindling our Beekeeping class. 

Student Learning/Administrative Unit Outcomes

SLO Findings:
It’s apparent that scaffolding assignments leads to better outcomes for our EH classes. For all classes from the online PCA courses to irrigation to viticulture to greenhouse production, students are finding success when starting with small projects and over the course of the semester combining these smaller projects into a large project (e.g., poinsettia crop scheduling and irrigation bids). Bridging between classes is important to make connections between subjects.
Strategies:
We are going to look over our course SLOs and PLOs to determine what we can add to our classes to emphasize these successes, that is, what can we include as incremental steps to increase or speed up learning and understanding. The use of small projects leads to the fulfillment of larger ones, which truly reflect the actual job skills our students must possess upon graduation. One thing that is missing is the connection to plant diseases and pests due to our lack of lab equipment. We also need to update our PLOs for the program, and complete the viticulture curriculum, certificates, and AS degree.

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (Instruction Departments)

Goals:
Our transfer rate has been steadily increasing each year. We have sent students to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, U.C. Davis, CSU, Chico, CSU, Fresno, CSU Humboldt, University of Florida, University of Oregon and others.
We are currently conducting research projects in the nursery system in collaboration with CSU, Chico College of Agriculture and Butte College Biology students and staff. Our student surveys have concluded that research is high on their list of objectives.
Retention is high, considering the industry demand, as a result of strong efforts to create a sense of place and camaraderie in the courses and within the clubs that we advise and promote. Hard work by our faculty and technicians to establish and maintain a beautiful and welcoming area helps to hold students here even when they have no classes. This strong sense of place and belonging is fostered by everyone in the program. The Environmental Horticulture Club is one of the most populated and active clubs on and off campus consistently participating in many community service projects year round.
 
 

Our strategies for retention include making our students feel like they are in the right place for their education and valued for being here in our program. Our clubs are very welcoming and inclusive of all walks of life and background. We also show our students how to develop a network of friends, folks with similar interests and support systems for studying and transportation.
We also score extra credit for attending C.A.S. workshops and discuss the value of those workshops, Supplemental Instruction and free tutoring every semester.
I encourage my students to apply for scholarships and write many reference letters every year.
I have an extensive network of industry supporters who love my hard working students for their paid internship positions and place many students every year. Being paid to learn more about your chosen field definately fosters retention as many of my students will leave school to work, if they get an offer and their bills need paying.
Success and retention go hand in hand. One leads to the other. Gaining student trust, so that they know I have their best interest and success in mind, has lead to many of my students being successful and becoming life-long friends at the same time.
Being accessable at all hours, especially outside of this campus, helps students get comfortable and secure in their academic lives. They know that I will work with them and help them anyway I can.

2017 was the only year since I have been employed in the Agriculture & Environmental Sciences Department that I was not the Program Chair. I was not responsible for decisions and direction that year. In 2018, I became the Chair again and things turned around.
30-59 unit Certificates = 32
18-29 unit Certificates = 20
AS = 17
AST = 10

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (All Other Departments)

Strategic Direction

2. Guided Pathways - I wrote the Recommended Sequences of Instruction for our catalog many years ago. I see this as the same thing. I discuss Pathways with every new student that comes into my program. I help them review their goals and direction each semester prior to registration. I worry about my students not having a full time faculty replacement for me, to do this essential faculty advising after I retire.
I have brought my entire faculty, staff and students into discussions about Strategic Scheduling and my ideas about offering capstone classes every other year. I do not wish to water down our curriculum, so any student will have an opportunity to experience every class in a four semester timeline. Hopefully the cohorts can build enough to allow the capstones to make on an every other year schedule.
4. Meeting Enrollment Targets - I have served on four different high school Agriculture Advisory Committees, currently on two. I will go to any program to speak about Butte College Agriculture when invited. My clubs (Environmental Horticulture, Western Heritage & Agriculture Association and BeeKeeping & Apiary Science) set up booths and attend many events on and off campus helping to promote our program. They are wonderful ambassadors to elementary and high schools, as well as several professional associations and California Farm Bureau.
5. Meeting Student Achievement Goals - As stated earlier and elsewhere, I will do anything within reason to help my students achieve their academic and professional goals. In order to keep someone in school, I have been a taxi driver, a temporary loan agent, an inn keeper, a marriage and family counselor, an employer and a friend they can talk to.
I meet regularly with my staff to see if any students are in need or are struggling with staying in school, then address those issues with students quickly and as efficiently as possible.
6. Fostering a Culture of Inclusiveness - My student population is probably the most diverse group on this campus. I have ages from 16 to 70. Most races are represented in any given year. Their backgrounds and experiences are amazing. The tattoo colors and piercing jewelry can't be beat. We work diligently to be sure that everyone knows they are welcome and supported, so they tell their friends as well.
7. Improving Processes - b. Internal Communications - I have served, sometimes multiple stints, on every major shared governance committee on this campus, with the exception of the Curriculum Committee. I make a point of getting to know new faculty and certificated personnel. I will greet and talk to anybody that time allows. Most Butte Folks know me.
8. Strengthening Professional Development - I always have about double the required FLEX hours that I need. I belong to and attend meetings of several professional associations and have served terms as varied officers within those associations. I have facilitated FLEX activities in the past. I have served on the Great Teachers Facilitators Group for the last 17 years.
I encourage my students to join professional associations as student members, then take them to meetings and introduce them to potential mentors.
 

Program Review

Most of the latest Program Review recommendations have been implemented. We are continuing to work on adding more irrigation technology classes and certificates as this area of industry is in strong need of trained technicians. Currently, we are partners with California Agricultural Irrigation Association, California Landscape Contractor's Association, Irrigation Association, California Farm Bureau, several irrigation equipment manufacturers, educators throughout California, and many local industry partners to train students to fill the demand for technicians.
We are moving forward with the Viticulture/Enology and Landscape Irrigation Technician degrees and certificates, at least the parts of it that are in our control. At our last Advisory Committee meeting , there was  unanimous support to complete that program as originally envisioned. If cooperation is given, we can have that entire program, complete with three certificates, in place by this fall. We were also given the green light by the Advisory Committee to complete our Hydroponic Greenhouse and the class to teach its operation. We are working on finishing the electrical installation as funding becomes available, and the course will be written soon. Students have high interest in this type of operation as it is becoming more useful and recognized world-wide. You can produce high quality food and a good income without the need for quality real estate and soil. This class will be full immedietely upon its offering.
These portions of the program are actually on hold awaiting the completion of our Departmrnt of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Farm Plan.

Department Goals

1. To further support our existing students by encouraging them to use all services available on campus like C.A.S., E.O.P.S., Veteran's Services, Food Pantry etc.
2. To continue our strong Faculty Advising toward career paths, course choices, Certificates, Degrees and transfers.
3. To strengthen our industry ties and support for our students and programs.
4. To maintain high job placement and paid internships for our completers.
5. To schedule outreach visitations to high schools in order to facilitate recruitment.
6. To continue staying connected to our industry partners, professional organizations and associations for continued strength and currency in our fields.

Future Development Strategies

Requested Non-Financial Resources

Current Financial Resources

Augmentation Requests