2019 ASHS Annual Conference

From 9 July to 1 Nov. 2018 252 two-year colleges and 100 four-year universities were surveyed regarding the status of their horticulture programs. We received 83 responses from the two-year colleges (33% response rate) and 57 responses from the four-year universities (57% response rate); of the latter, 38 responses were received from land-grant universities and 19 from other four-year universities. The 2018 survey updated an earlier, although shorter, survey completed in 2014. At the time, we surveyed 152 two-year colleges and 76 four-year universities and had a 41% and 71% response rate, respectively. The overall number of undergraduate students is stable, with a majority of institutions either keeping the same number, or increasing, in the last five years (63%). The majority of students arrive in the department as incoming freshman, representing 39%, 37% and 45% of new students for two-year, land grant and non-land grant universities, respectively. However, internal transfers, external transfers and “other” (early college students at community colleges) are growing in significance. For example, in land-grant institutions, 27% of undergraduates are internal transfers and 34% are external transfers. The overall number of graduate students is stable, with enrollment at a vast majority of institutions either maintaining the same number or increasing in the last five years (86%). Horticulture includes a broad range of subjects, with greenhouse (cross-commodity) the most commonly-offered curriculum. Other topics taught by at least 10% of the institutions from at least one educational segment (two-year, land grant or non-land grant universities) included fruits, nuts, and/or vegetables (including viticulture); horticulture business, entrepreneurship, and/or marketing; IPM; landscape design (small scale) and/or construction and contracting, turfgrass, and woody ornamentals and floriculture (including arboriculture, interiorscaping). The most common degree offered is an Associate degree with 72% of the institutions offering at least one Associate degree. Departmental identity appears to have stabilized; in 2014 19% of four-year horticulture departments were in the process of or anticipated being combined with other departments compared with only 7% in 2018. For all institutions responding, 43% have horticulture departments or a department with horticulture in the title, 18% were never separate and 21% and 5% were combined either more than five years ago or less than five years ago, respectively.