FT. LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla., Jan. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arbor Day Foundation recently announced that Nova Southeastern University (NSU) has earned its 2013 Tree Campus USA designation. Tree Campus USA is a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota to honor colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.

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To achieve this recognition, NSU had to meet five core standards for sustainable campus forestry. The standards include the establishment of a tree advisory committee, development of a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects.

"Nova Southeastern University places a high priority on creating a campus environment that promotes outdoor comfort, security, sustainability, preservation, and a sense of place," said NSU President George L. Hanbury, Ph.D. "We are proud to have been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation, and we will continue our commitment to environmental stewardship."

NSU has an inventory of approximately 6,000 trees and strongly promotes environmental stewardship and responsible campus tree care. Students and faculty from the Environmental Science program at NSU's Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences and volunteers participate in service learning projects on campus. For example, as part of a Tree Campus USA project, students and faculty installed a native garden on NSU's main campus in Davie, Fla., in 2013. As part of their research, the students monitored and measured the amount of insects and animals living in the area. Adjacent to the native garden, faculty and staff also designed and built a raised bed working medicinal garden for students to cultivate and use the plants for experimental learning projects conducted throughout the year.

NSU's dedication to sustainable initiatives also extends to its use of power sources and efforts to reduce its carbon footprint through energy conservation. More information on NSU's sustainability efforts can be found at Go Green at NSU.

About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 314 beautiful acres in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic fully accredited research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels.  NSU is a not-for-profit independent institution with 27,000 students. NSU awards associate's, bachelor's, master's, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. NSU is classified as a research university with "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and it is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie's Community Engagement Classification. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu. Celebrating 50 years of academic excellence!

SOURCE Nova Southeastern University

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