Association of Collegiate Branches (ACB) Annual Business Meeting

Objective(s):
Presiding: Sarah Hobbie, ACB President The ACB of the American Society for Horticultural Science was founded in 1961 by a group of concerned undergraduate horticulture students and Society members. The purpose of the member clubs is to encourage undergraduate participation in the Society, provide a forum for exchange of club and professional ideas, encourage a greater understanding of regional and national horticulture, and act as an official body for undergraduate horticulture student contribution. How is ACB organized? The ACB is broken into four regional group: Southern, Western, Northeastern, and Mid-Atlantic. Each region has its own constitution, officers, and annual meeting. Each year, ACB officers and members meet with ASHS at the Annual Conference. ASHS, in its role as the ACB's parent organization, provides the ACB with administrative help and guidance as well as providing financial support for some of the ACB activities. A student horticulture group at a college or university operating under the supervision of a member of ASHS may organize a collegiate branch and petition ASHS for charter of affiliation. With the approval of the ASHS Board of Directors or its authorized official and payment of a fee determined by the ASHS Board of Directors, a charter of affiliation shall be granted. Each year, clubs are required to file an annual report with the ASHS Headquarters Office. What specific activities and involvement does ACB offer? Contests and competitions Each year the ACB, along with the Society, sponsors a paper and poster competition. The competition, which offers a plaque-mounted certificate for the winners, is held at the ASHS Annual Conference. Any undergraduate whose club is a member of the ACB or who is a Society undergraduate associate member is eligible to participate. Topics can range from scientific experiments carried out by the student to student-designed public gardens and landscapes. To participate, the student should contact a Society member on their faculty and under that faculty member's direction, plan, carry out, write, and present the project. The student is then eligible to enter his or her paper or poster at both the regional and national levels. The Horticultural Commodity Judging Contest and Plant Identification Contest are held at each ASHS Annual Conference. Undergraduate students from member clubs compete by rating the quality of horticultural commodities, identifying a large number of plants, many from out of their region, and by taking general exam of horticultural knowledge. Regional and national meetings of the ACB allow students to participate in a number of educational and social events. Students are also given the opportunity to present their projects, enjoy tours of nearby horticulture industry and research facilities, take outings to tourist attractions, and attend Society paper presentations and symposia. Regional and national meetings also allow students the opportunity to socialize with students of other backgrounds and horticultural experiences. In addition to national and regional meetings, the ACB and ASHS also sponsor several monetary and nonmonetary awards to undergraduates. These awards include the "Outstanding Club Award" given by ASHS to two clubs. One goes to the overall most active club in the country and the second to the most active club based on a per active member basis. Application for these two awards is in the form of a year-end activities report which is sent to each club to be completed. Criteria used in qualifying applicants include the number of club-sponsored activities with a special emphasis on speakers, educational trips (especially exchanges with other clubs), fundraising activities, and papers presented by club members. In addition, several regions give their own awards for papers and outstanding clubs or students.