How does faculty partner with the Arboretum?

Education doesn't always take place in the classroom. The Arboretum and Botanical Garden at Cal State Fullerton provides academic experiences for each of the 8 colleges, offering a teaching and learning platform spanning 26 acres with opportunities for research, internships, service-learning, class projects, thesis exhibits/presentations and capstone projects. These experiences can be transformative for the wellbeing of students by providing a sense of belonging and promoting academic success. 

Let us know how the Arboretum can support your learning objectives.

Are you a non-CSUF faculty member? You can inquire about academic use of the Arboretum at arboretum@fullerton.edu.

Schedule an Outdoor Class

Are you looking to bring your class on-site to the Arboretum? Please submit the Faculty Request Form below.

Once your request is submitted, a staff member will review your request along with the Arboretum master calendar. You will receive a reply in a timely manner with either 1) approval of your request, or 2) follow-up questions regarding your request​. Approved requests will always be confirmed in writing by email​.

 

Faculty Request Form

Service-Learning Site

 

Do your students need to complete service-learning hours as part of your course? The Arboretum is a CICE-approved Service-Learning site, and we are happy to provide service projects for your students to complete on-site!

Service-Learning is comprised of the following elements:​

• Relevant and meaningful service with the community (as “text”)​
• Enhanced academic learning​
• Purposeful civic learning​
• Evaluation of learning goals through reflection​

The service must be done with a non-profit agency or government entity and the best practice is for students to complete 20-40 hours of service over the course of one semester.

Developing a new service-learning course or adding service learning to an existing course at CSUF is a process that varies by department. To learn more, visit the Center for Internships & Community Engagement faculty service-learning page. Here you will find resources on understanding service-learning and practical tools to help you implement it​. For questions about service-learning at CSUF, please contact the CICE team's Community Engaged Learning Specialist, Katie Herbst (kherbst@fullerton.edu​).

Unique Collaboration Proposals

Are you interested in proposing a unique collaboration with the Arobretum that does not fall into the category of scheduling an outdoor class or engaging in service-learning? Please email the Academic & Environmental Program Coordinator, Justin Villasenor (javillasenor@fullerton.edu), to share your unique collaboration proposal!

Unique collaboration proposals may include ongoing events/projects, utilizing particular aspects of the Arboretum for research (i.e., the Apiary, fruit grown on-site, pond water, etc.), and so on.

Faculty using the Arboretum as a Classroom