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Western Michigan Landscape Management Honored with Prestigious Accreditation05-28-15 | News

Western Michigan Landscape Management Honored with Prestigious Accreditation

Professional Grounds Management Society Landscape Management and Operations Accreditation program is an evaluation tool that can be utilized by facilities and organizations that have a landscape services or grounds component.
Photo Credits: Professional Grounds Management Society

Western Michigan University was granted a 4-star Landscape Management and Operations Accreditation as awarded by the Professional Grounds Management Society.

"Western Michigan University presented its case for the Landscape Management and Operations Accreditation Program in exemplary fashion," said accreditation facilitator Joe Jackson. "The Landscape Services Division was well organized and had clearly given a great deal of thoughtful attention to addressing the program's criteria."

Obtaining a 4-star accreditation rating requires a proactive and aggressive approach to understanding and implementing sound grounds management practices, according to Jackson. The university's landscape services division effectively met this requirement while also displaying an appreciable propensity for continuous betterment.

Tim Holysz, director of landscape services at Western Michigan University, developed the accreditation submission and received the honor on behalf of the school. The program is a dynamic evaluation tool designed to be used by facilities and organizations that have a landscape services or grounds component.

Through peer expertise, the program evaluates strategic grounds management principles and practices that produce and guide the delivery of properties to an attractive, healthy, sustainable and high quality state. The accreditation focuses on three categories: environmental stewardship, economic performance, and social responsibilities.

The program has four levels of accreditation (1, 2, 3 and 4–star.) It is designed to not only recognize excellence but to provide a means by which facilities can measure growth and improvements in meeting the goals of best practices. For more information on the accreditation program please visit https://pgms.org/accreditation/.