BYU Provo Prepares for NCLC - The Edge from the National Association of Landscape Professionals

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BYU Provo Prepares for NCLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For first-time attendees at this year’s National Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC) at BYU Provo, March 15-18, the event promises to be an eye-opener for students and industry members alike.

“I competed in the late nineties while a student at Penn State University,” said NCLC Chair Kory Beidler, LandCare Director of Training and Development. “There were so many students and so many different competitive events, it made me realize I was part of something big—that the industry is huge and provided so many opportunities.”

 

New industry attendees will have a similar experience this year, he added. “They will get to see and feel the energy that 800-plus students bring to the Opening Ceremony, something that carries over into the competition and the Career Fair.” As Beidler pointed out, the industry may be mature but the excitement and enthusiasm exhibited by students show the youth movement is alive and well.

“Every year a new school adds to the excitement,” noted the Chair. “Attendees who have never visited BYU-Provo will have an opportunity to see a great campus and program, and talk with its professors and students.”

This will be the second year that BYU-Provo has hosted NCLC.  The first year was 2006 for the event’s 30th anniversary. This year, as in 2006, BYU professors Phi Allen and Greg Jolley will be the school’s coordinators.  Allen admitted the last couple of months leading up to NCLC can be hectic, but the end results for students more than make up for hard work. “The competition is fun and exciting for them, but the Career Fair is something I emphasize to my students. It gives them a chance to meet with industry leaders, find out what opportunities are available, and even practice their interviewing skills.”

Like other professors of host schools, Allen and Jolley relish the opportunity to share their campus with visitors.  A couple of campus tours this year will highlight a new sports turf field, man-made waterfalls, and interior landscaping.  They also enjoy sharing their outdoors. The BYU Landscape Management Club has invited attendees for some post-event fun on Saturday afternoon:  snowshoeing to the world’s largest known White Fir, mountain biking along the shoreline of Ancient Lake Bonneville, rock climbing at Rock Canyon, and touring Temple Square Gardens in Salt Lake City.  For more information about participating in any one of these four complimentary events, contact Phil Allen at phil_allen@byu.edu.

Allen and Beidler remind attendees that this “eye-opener” is only possible because of the support from sponsors large and small alike and all the volunteers, including competition judges and the students who usher visitors around campus.

Join us biggest career event in the industry. Opening Ceremony is at 8:00 am on Thursday, March 16 followed by the Career Fair from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. A full day of competitive events is scheduled for Friday.