With the gracious support of the Arbor Day Foundation, Asbury University planted six new trees on the campus on November 6. Planted in the semi-circle green space and around campus, the trees included: White Oak, Scarlet Oak, Tulip Poplar, Sugar Maple, Yellowwood, and Dawn Redwood.
In August 2025, Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Marvin Ruffner received a $5,000 Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) Jumpstart subgrant, which supports the process and meeting required qualifications for Asbury University to be recognized as a Tree Campus USA.
“Planting trees, stewarding trees, and having Asbury University recognized as a Tree Campus USA by the ADF demonstrates Asbury’s commitment to creation stewardship which directly honors and glorifies God,” Ruffner said. “Recent scientific studies highlight the benefits of trees to people and communities. As such, the recent trees planted on Asbury’s campus enhances the tree diversity and campus beauty, and they, along with the other trees on campus, will provide many health and environmental benefits to campus life including oxygen, soil conservation, and environmental cooling for future generations.”
In the coming year, Ruffner will lead Asbury University’s first-ever tree stewardship committee to oversee the University’s trees. Ruffner also assists Drs. Kenton Sena ’12 and Ray Smith ’83 (University of Kentucky) and Dr. Bruce Branan with monitoring the tree plantings performed on Asbury’s campus in spring 2025. Ruffner also volunteers with Trees for Wilmore to enhance the urban tree diversity and canopy cover in Wilmore, Ky., and rehabilitates the Asbury University trails forest by removing invasive honeysuckle and planting various native shrubs and trees.
“Special thanks goes to Mr. Brian Hobson, Mr. David Elliot, and others with the Asbury grounds crew for all their help with the tree plantings,” Ruffner said. “Foremost, as a Christian, I feel my role in environment stewardship and natural resources is to honor God and His creation,” Ruffner said. “Secondly, I am passionate about conserving and managing our natural areas in general and the populations of plants and animals and the ecosystems they inhabit.”
Regarding environmental efforts, Asbury University plays a pivotal role in a cutting-edge project to produce clean hydrogen energy. Partnering with Virginia Tech and Cincinnati-based Shepherd Chemical, the Shaw School of Sciences received $320,000 to help develop innovative methods for breaking down methane into hydrogen. This three-year initiative seeks to create scalable, carbon-free hydrogen production, revolutionizing the clean energy landscape. Learn more.
The Shaw School of Sciences offers 14 majors and six minors, including biology, chemistry, and physics. The Walt and Rowena Shaw Collaborative Learning Center (Shaw CLC) offers 11 laboratories, with spaces dedicated to eDNA research, cell and molecular biochemistry, ecology and environmental science, physics, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, instrumentation, biology preparation, chemistry preparation, and collaborative innovation.