Learning the Ropes:
Help Stockbridge Students Attend Professional Conferences and Put Their Learning to the Test

Students in the Stockbridge School of Agriculture have many opportunities to put their skills and learning to the test. There are several conferences and competitions sponsored by professional societies and industry organizations that the school encourages students to attend. In the New England Climbing Championships, for example, future arborists take to the trees, going up against working professionals to demonstrate their mastery of essential procedures and methods. At the Collegiate Turf Bowl Challenge, held at the annual Golf Industry Show sponsored by Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, it’s a matter of where the grass is greenest, as turf management majors compete against their peers in other programs.

Established in 1918, Stockbridge offers six agriculture-related areas of study. Part of the College of Natural Resources and the Environment, Stockbridge is by its own description “the small school with big opportunities.” Conferences, competitions, and the like are the added value to its rigorous classroom education and required internships. Attending such events, says Arboriculture and Forest Management Program Director Dennis Ryan, “exposes students to professionals. The students get to see what others are doing, what kinds of jobs are out there, and how to act in a professional way. They meet commercial arborists and arborists who work for utility companies, municipalities, and other government agencies.”

A team of Stockbridge students recently went to Georgia for the PLANET Student Career Days, sponsored by the Professional Landcare Network. They were new to this competition, but that didn’t hinder them from making a great showing: placing second out of 41 teams in the arboriculture event, tenth out of 58 teams in paving installation, and doing well in the other 11 areas of competition they entered. Many Stockbridge graduates attribute their most rigorous learning to their required internships.

The costs of attending such events—which may include registration fees and transportation and hotel expenses—can be prohibitive to some students. Stockbridge’s Gift Account is available to lessen these costs, as well as subsidize student scholarships and allow upgrades to computer technology used for teaching.