University of Delaware Museum Studies Program

Rebecca Pineo
DE Dept. Health & Social Services Garden Project
New Castle, DE

As a Fellow in the Longwood Graduate Program for Public Horticulture, my internship experience is a bit atypical compared to other MSST students. The Longwood Graduate Program, which trains its students for management positions in public gardens, arboreta, and similar organizations, is focused strongly on experiential learning. Thus the yearly Professional Outreach Project, affectionately referred to as “POP.” It’s a summer-long effort in which all ten students (five first year students and five second year students) work together to complete a pro bono consulting project within the field of public horticulture.

Leadership positions are another mainstay of the Longwood Graduate Program, in which each student is assigned to manage various aspects or activities within the program. For my first year, I served as Assistant POP Leader. Now, in my second year, I have been promoted to POP Leader, charged with coordinating all aspects of the project. I’ll be organizing meeting logistics; managing the budget and timeline; ensuring good communication between students, our advisory committee, and all stakeholders; and, of course, informing people about our adventures both here and on our own Longwood Graduate Program blog.

The end of April marked the first stages of planning for this year’s Professional Outreach Project. The five rising second year students began by discussing topics we’d like to explore, narrowing it down to the big three: community outreach, urban greening, and volunteer programs. Then, we canvassed a few local institutions to see whether they might need assistance with a project in one of these areas.

After some thoughtful discussions, top-notch meetings, and tough decisions, we decided on our summer project. We’ll be developing landscape design concepts for a new 1-acre garden at the Delaware Psychiatric Center in New Castle, DE. A joint venture between the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, the Delaware Department of Agriculture, the New Castle County Cooperative Extension, the University of Delaware’s Center for Disability Services, and the Delaware Center for Horticulture, the new garden will incorporate principles of universal accessibility and sustainable agriculture. It is envisioned as a venue for horticultural therapy, art therapy, and community gardening, as well as a place for respite and reflection.

Sounds like a great project, right? We think so too. Stay tuned for more information, and I promise, no “POP” quizzes!

In early June, we met with two of the project masterminds--Faith Kuehn, Plant Industries Administrator for the Delaware Department of Agriculture, and Ray Majewski, Director of Therapy at Delaware Psychiatric Center. We also had a chance to chat with Bruce, head of greenhouse operations.