INDUSTRY EDUCATION
have big shops to house the equipment , and they have the opportunity to learn how to adjust and sharpen reels and bedknives , as well as service and repair smallengine equipment .”
According to Sandor , a driving factor for those opportunities is Virginia ’ s Career and Technical Education ( CTE ) program . If Ag teachers want to offer a turfgrass class , the Virginia Department of Education provides the CTE requirements and the plan of study for curriculum such as Introduction to Turfgrass and / or Advanced Turfgrass . As a result , some of the larger high school programs in Virginia have 100 to 200 students who are taking some sort of turfgrass class .
“ Every time I visit one of these programs , I ’ m impressed ,” said Sandor . “ Students are learning turf-management concepts in their classes , and directly applying this practical knowledge in maintaining their high school fields . They are able to share with their parents that they painted the end zone that week or that they helped get the infield skin ready for a softball game – so it ’ s a wonderful and unique opportunity for these students .”
Sandor added that Virginia Tech also attracts students to its turfgrass program through on-campus events in conjunction with 4-H and FFA – including a handson sports field management workshop at the annual 4-H Congress and a turfgrass management career development event at the annual FFA convention .
“ I ’ m on the Virginia SFMA Board , and we have started doing regional field days , which has helped get the word out to high schools ,” said Sandor . “ We are really trying to maximize these regional opportunities to promote sports field management BMPs with coaches , Ag-Ed teachers and athletic directors , and increase our engagement with their students at these events .”
Sandor added that the Virginia Tech faculty , staff , mentors and alumni network combine to set it apart from other schools .
“ All of the faculty members are heavily involved in the success of our students ,” he said . “ We have a 14-member team comprised of faculty and research staff ( not including grad students ), and many sports field managers and golf course superintendents in the region who mentor students and provide experiential-learning and employment opportunities . We have a wide network of alumni all over the world working in the turfgrass industry . There is outstanding support for our students ; you can ’ t go far without running into a Hokie .”
For more information about the Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences , visit https :// spes . vt . edu / or https :// turf . spes . vt . edu /.
For more information about Virginia Tech ’ s Agricultural Technology program , visit https :// agtech . vt . edu /. SFM
SportsField Management magazine will detail other college and university turfgrass programs in coming issues . If you would like your school profiled , please contact John Kmitta at jkmitta @ epgacceleration . com or 763-383-4405 .
16 SportsField Management | May 2023 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com