WCU Campus Gardens

Overview:

WCU currently has four gardens (North Campus next to the Merion Science Center, South Campus, Tanglewood, and at the E.O. Bull Center) that follow organic principles, and offer a place for research, teaching, volunteering, experiential-learning, service-learning, and recreation. Our gardens are also an important part of campus-wide sustainability initiatives and efforts to reduce food insecurity among our students and in our community. 

We receive ongoing support from the WCU Office of Sustainability and the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society's (PHS) City Harvest Program.

Please see the links below for information about each of our four gardens. For more information on any of the gardens and/or to get involved, please contact us at: gardens@wcupa.edu

Mission:

Our mission is to educate students, faculty, staff and the community about environmentally and socially sustainable gardening; to increase access to healthy, fresh produce; and to contribute to WCU's campus greening efforts.

Meet Our Staff:

Dr. Ashlie Delshad

Dr. Delshad  Dr. Delshad joined WCU's Political Science Department in 2011 teaching courses on environmental policy, social inequality, and food politics. In 2015 she helped start the South Campus Demonstration Garden and has continued to play an instrumental role in the expansion and maintenance of the garden. Dr. Delshad also forged a relationship with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's City Harvest Program. She takes students to volunteer with their urban gardening efforts each spring an in return the South Campus Garden receives plants and organic gardening supplies as a City Harvest member site. Dr. Delshad also works closely with the WCU resource pantry. She established weekly donations from the garden to the pantry in 2017 and helps with pantry dinners designed to familiarize students with how to use the garden produce.

Dr. Joan Welch

Dr. Joan M. Welch established the first organic garden on campus in 2001 and has been involved with the organic gardens ever since. As a human-environment geographer and landscape ecologist, she incorporates sustainability into all her courses including Geography of Agriculture Food and Sustainability, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability, and Environmental Crises. She established the current north campus garden in 2010 as part of the Honors 314 Course Science, Technology and Environmental Systems. At the behest and with the support of President Christopher and Professor Susan Fiorentino, Dr. Welch and the students of Honors 314 along with significant support from the Facilities Department established an organic garden in 2017 in the back yard of Tanglewood, the President's residence. The Tanglewood garden was expanded in 2018 with the students of Honors 314 and support from the Facilities Department. These gardens serve as a resource for students, staff, faculty and the community to participate in and learn about all aspects of organic regenerative agriculture and sustainable food systems.

Elizabeth Schultz

Elizabeth Schultz is a fourth year Political Science-International Relations major with minors in Spanish and Law, Politics, & Society. She grew up gardening with her family at her home in north-eastern Pennsylvania, and has worked with the university gardens since the start of her first year at WCU in 2017. Elizabeth splits her time between the North Campus, South Campus, and Tanglewood garden locations, and is responsible for general garden upkeep as well as weekly produce harvests which are delivered to the WCU Resource Pantry. In addition to these tasks, Elizabeth also guides volunteer experiences and coordinates events at the WCU Gardens.