Villanova University Grounds Department Honored with Top National Awards for Excellence and Sustainability in Campus Grounds Management
Villanova University's Grounds Department celebrates their recent awards at Stoneleigh garden.
VILLANOVA, Pa. (November 4, 2024) — Villanova University’s Grounds Department received the Grand Award in the University Grounds category from the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) on October 17—the highest honor in the organization’s annual Green Star Awards competition. This prestigious recognition, celebrating excellence in grounds maintenance and sustainability, marks Villanova’s second Grand Award from PGMS, with the first received in 2018.
Additionally, Villanova was presented with the 2024 Sustainability Award, given to institutions that achieve the highest standards in sustainable practices. Both awards were announced at PGMS’s 2024 Awards Celebration, held during the Annual Conference & Equip Exposition in Louisville, Ky.
“It is a great privilege and humbling to be awarded such a distinguished honor acknowledging the remarkable efforts of Villanova's Grounds team," said Jared Rudy, director of Grounds at Villanova. “To be recognized with the Grand Award for the second time, as well as the Sustainability Award this year, is a genuine testimony to the unwavering dedication of our staff to continuously enhance our campus in an environmentally conscious way.”
Villanova’s Grounds Department supports the University’s mission by providing sustainable campus stewardship, maintaining an environment that is safe, functional and visually inspiring. It strives to create an environment that meets four goals: to preserve the historic beauty of campus; educate the campus community about the diversity, environmental benefits and aesthetic qualities of plant materials; provide a sense of direction and purpose in management of the campus landscape; and generate a lasting impression upon the campus community and visitors. The department oversees all aspects of grounds maintenance, including landscape and storm management, event support and sustainable landscaping initiatives.
The PGMS Green Star Awards program celebrates outstanding grounds management across various categories nationwide, recognizing organizations that achieve excellence in landscape maintenance. At this year’s event, PGMS issued nine Grand Awards, along with 12 Honor Awards, two Merit Awards, and one Sustainability Award. More information on each award and its recipients is available here.
About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University’s six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.