CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Campbellsville University held a Maple Trail restoration project as part of Serve Day last year, on September 25, 2025. This project allowed CU to receive the Tree Campus Higher Education title from the Arbor Day Foundation.

Gabriel Maurer, senior and the Student Government Association president at Campbellsville University, said, “We applied for a grant two years ago and received funds to extend our maple tree trail.”

“The funding went to the state and to us, we held a ceremony for Arbor Day where a state officer, who has worked alongside this grant for many years, came out and spoke about the importance of this trail and how it runs clear across the state,” Maurer added.

Jack Baggett, the Urban and Community Forestry Partnership Coordinator, said, “To be a Tree Campus Higher Education, a campus needs to meet five standards, and Campbellsville University has done this.”

 

 

The five standards that must be met include having a tree action plan, a tree action committee, celebrating Arbor Day, and a student learning project.

The tree action plan outlines to the forestry division how the school plans to preserve trees on campus, plant new ones, and perform technical tree care.

A tree action committee is made up of a few students who serve on a rotating basis, a few faculty members, a student activities leader, and possibly someone from the community. This committee meets once or twice a year.

The student-learning project is to ensure students are engaged in planting trees and know what’s happening with the trees on campus. The project also falls into the curriculum, with students learning about trees.

Baggett added that the Maple Trail has significance to the Campbellsville University community and that the newly planted trees will be there for generations of future students.

“Planting a tree is planting a love letter to future generations. That’s what the Maple Trail does. It reminds me of people who came through this campus. They’ve gone through what you all see, this beautiful Maple Trail, and now in 100 years from now, there’ll be new tree plantings going on, with people going to enjoy the beautiful trees that we planted last fall,” Baggett said.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university that offers over 100 programs, including doctoral, master's, bachelor's, associate and certificate programs. For complete information, please visit www.campbellsville.edu.