The Horticulture Committee at Farmingdale State College has scheduled its fall symposium, "The Garden is Art," for Saturday, September 23.


The event – which will feature three nationally known horticulturalists/authors – will be held from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Campus Center Ballroom. Tickets are priced at $135 through August 14, and $150 thereafter. For ticket information contact Kevin Kearney, 934-420-2075 or Vanda Bordies, 934-420-2113. Tickets are also available online at the College website. Lunch will be available at the Campus Center Market.


Proceeds from the event will benefit Farmingdale's Robert F. Ench Teaching Gardens and the Department of Urban Horticulture and Design. Continuing Education credits are available to industry professionals. Tributes to recently retired professors Dr. Richard Iversen and Professor Paul Fogelberg are also planned.


Guest speakers include:
• Stephen F. Byrns, founding partner of BKSK Architects, and founder and president, Untermyer Gardens and Conservancy. Author, Untermyer: A Garden for the World.
• Lynden B. Miller, public garden designer and painter. Author, The Designer's Eye.
• Ken Druse, lecturer, award-winning author and photographer. Author, The New Shade Garden: Creating a Lush Oasis in the Age of Climate Change."
Speakers will be discussing and signing their respective books.


Dr. Iversen, a SUNY Chancellor's Award winner and recipient of FSC's Distinguished Faculty Award, joined the College in 1981. Says Dr. Jonathan Lehrer, Chair of the Department of Urban Horticulture and Design: "Richard's dedication and hard work completely revolutionized the Robert F. Ench Teaching Gardens, making them the showplace for learning and community outreach that they are today."


Professor Fogelberg had been a member of the faculty since 1980. In addition to teaching he is an authority on bonsai plants, and active in local enthusiast societies. "Paul has been a driving force in the professional lives of hundreds of landscape design graduates who have gone on to successful careers in the local and regional industry," says Dr. Lehrer.