The Motivators Judy Burgholzer & Brian Clement
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s coordinator of and professor in the Horticulture Department and an instructor/advisor, respectively, at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill., Judy Burgholzer and Brian Clement occupy an important place in planning and preparing for a career in the field and facilitating professional development. The program they serve presents a core curriculum of some 40 classes, and offers specialized certificates – including Landscape Design and Construction; Greenhouse Management; and Landscape and Turf Management – as well as an A.A.S. in Horticulture. Inspired by a high school biology teacher who “made studying plants fun,” Burgholzer earned a B.S. degree in Agriculture and an M.S. in Horticulture from the University of Illinois. Before joining the College of DuPage faculty in 1987, she worked in a soil testing lab and in interior plantscaping. Now she works to inspire others to explore the field through academic options designed to reflect industry directions and provide exposure to the field. “We try to stay on top of what’s current in the industry,” Burgholzer says, citing endeavors to evolve the program to maintain relevancy and value. A Sustainable Urban Agriculture degree and certificate, for example, is being developed for launch in late 2016. A certificate program in Power Equipment Technology covering small engine repair, portable generators, and compact diesel engines is also slated for introduction then. The Horticulture program recently received accreditation from the National Association of Landscape Professionals, a designation under which a Landscape Contracting and
Management degree sequence is being created. “This degree option, believes Clement, “will be of benefit for our students entering the landscape industry with additional new coursework in estimating and bidding and an online course for the 10-hour OSHA training card.” Having grown up on a farm in downstate Illinois where he studied agriculture in high school, Clement earned a B.S. in Agriculture Education from Illinois State University and an M.S. in Agricultural Education from Iowa State University. His work experience includes teaching middle school and high school agriculture, and horticulture and engineering at the Technology Center of DuPage in Addison, Ill. Clement and Burgholder see value in participating in industry organizations – including ILCA where the former serves on the Education Committee and the latter is involved in forming the Future Landscape Industry Professionals Committee – and where both have presented at the iLandscape show. “We do,” says Burgholzer, “try to encourage students to participate in ILCA activities, such as the design contest.”
The Landscape Contractor December 2015
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