Turfgrass education center dedicated
Archived article from Dec 1, 2000
By Hollie Gilroy
Some of the most widely grown grasses in the world have sprouted from research conducted at Rutgers. On Friday, Nov. 17, a partnership between the university and the turfgrass industry produced another major turf advancement at the Cook College campus — the dedication of the Ralph Geiger Turfgrass Education Center.
The education center combines laboratory, classroom and computer facilities to "improve the educational opportunities for students who are going to be our future golf course superintendents and leaders in the turf industry," said Bruce Clarke, director of the Center for Turfgrass Science at Cook College. Built alongside the world-renowned turf research plots, the facility will also be an outdoor laboratory. "Cutting-edge research will be going on right outside the door," Clarke observed.
President Francis L. Lawrence; Arthur Brown, New Jersey secretary of agriculture; Bruce Carlton, executive dean of Cook College and executive director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station; Edward Lipman Jr., director of the Office of Continuing Professional Education; and Steven Chirip, president of the New Jersey Turfgrass Association, presided at the dedication ceremony, held on Horticultural Farm II. Ralph Geiger, a longtime supporter of the Rutgers turfgrass science program, was recognized during the program. Geiger has established an endowment fund for undergraduate scholarships in the field.
"Ralph Geiger's personal investment in the planning stage of the Geiger Center is remarkable, not only for the time he committed but for his wit and guidance during the design phase of the building named in his behalf," said Lipman. "His continuous record of financial giving remains unbroken over a decade. His behind-the-scenes advocacy helped focus the combined energy of an entire region and industry on his personal vision of a new learning resource center."
"This new building will enhance Rutgers' pre-eminent position in the turfgrass management and turfgrass science disciplines," said Lawrence. "We are proud of the internationally acclaimed faculty for the Center for Turfgrass Science. They provide the very best personalized instruction for students, and they have made the Rutgers name a household brand in the turfgrass industry."
"This building will truly be an asset not only to students and the turfgrass science program, but also to the many turf industries throughout the northeastern United States," said Carlton.
The $950,000 facility is being funded with a heavy commitment from the turfgrass industry. "Rutgers has done a world-class job of meeting the needs of our industry with its research and edu-cational programs, and this facility is a demonstration of our commitment to the university and to the job the Center for Turfgrass Science is doing," said Chirip.
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