Penn State Shenango Student Affairs staffer Tony Paglia runs the gardens with the help of students and other staff and faculty. The space allows room for them all to destress and spend some time in the outdoors, but it also brings the benefits of fresh produce to campus.
Students can learn about the importance of medicinal plants at Penn State Fayette, where the garden includes a medicine wheel and additional crops with cultural significance.
An event celebrating the opening of the Penn State Berks campus garden included signs and presentations from student groups, and offered introductions to the world of gardening. That included tables to highlight the importance of pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Many of the student gardens at the Commonwealth Campuses offer the produce through farm stands and food pantries. The effort brings healthy food options to areas where people may not regularly have access to them, or might not have the resources to buy them. Students and community members alike benefit from the programs, which are open to the public.
Beyond tending to plants and vegetables, students can intern or volunteer with the campus gardens to learn about a variety of disciplines and conduct research. The spaces offer an opportunity for hands-on, experiential learning.
During her time with the garden at Penn State Beaver, student Cody Lewis has found a love for flowers. She's learned to dry them, and helped prep for classes to make paint pigments from them.
