Thirty years ago, Penn State was the only land grant member of the Big Ten that did not have an arboretum or equivalent. Penn State now has one of the finest university arboreta in the country. Kim will explain the history of efforts to build a Penn State arboretum and the convoluted events that led to success after nearly a century of periodic attempts. He will describe the growth of the Arboretum since 2009, possible future developments, important changes in how the Arboretum is administered, and its relationship with the relocated Palmer Art Museum.

Instructor: Kim Steiner was hired by Penn State in fall 1974, and a few months after his initial hire, he was appointed to a “Committee on Penn State Arboretum” by Provost Russell Larson. Committees came and went, as they do, but efforts to build an arboretum did not succeed until 1999, and Kim was continually involved. He retired in 2021 as the founding director of The Arboretum at Penn State and professor emeritus of forest biology.