OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (May 6, 2025) — Oklahoma City Community College has been named a 2024 Tree Campus by the Arbor Day Foundation, the 14th consecutive year that the college has earned this honor.
OCCC’s tenure, from 2011 to 2024, represents the highest number of recertifications achieved by an institution of higher education in the state, a distinction that OCCC shares with one other school.
“Oklahoma City Community College is committed to being a tree-friendly campus and proud to maintain a tenure of recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation and the Tree Campus program,” said Dr. Mautra Staley Jones, president of OCCC. “OCCC is dedicated to enhancing community well-being through tree education, investment, and community engagement.”
The Tree Campus program recognizes schools, universities, and health care facilities that utilize trees to improve their communities. To earn Tree Campus recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation, colleges and universities must uphold five core standards, including maintaining an advisory committee, setting a campus tree care plan, verifying annual investment in the tree care plan, celebrating Arbor Day, and creating a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.
“Trees have the power to inspire learning and improve well-being,” said Michelle Saulnier, vice president of programs at the Arbor Day Foundation. “By growing campus green spaces, forward-thinking higher education leaders like OCCC are cultivating vibrant learning communities that also benefit the greater environment.”
Trees on campus can lower the energy cost of campus facilities by providing shade cover, reducing extreme heat, improving air quality and boosting physical health benefits for students and staff. In addition, trees improve students’ mental and cognitive health, provide an appealing aesthetic for campuses, and create shaded areas for gathering and studying.
The Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus program is operated in partnership with the National Association of State Foresters and support from professional partner Bartlett Tree Experts. To learn more about the program or how to apply, visit arborday.org.
About Oklahoma City Community College
Since its inception in 1972, Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) has been the heartbeat of the Metro, dedicated to empowering learners and strengthening communities. Serving more than 18,000 students in credit-seeking courses and more than 5,000 students in non-credit-seeking programs, we are committed to producing leaders. “Student Success, Community Enrichment” is our mission, and we offer 87 degree and certificate programs plus more than 50 micro-credentials that provide a foundation for further education or immediate career readiness. We remain dedicated to providing accessible, affordable, high-quality education that equips students to achieve personal and professional goals. OCCC is more than an institution; we are a community catalyst, fostering growth and success in our city, our workforce, and the lives of our students. Discover your potential at OCCC, where your future is our purpose.
About the Arbor Day Foundation
The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. They foster a growing community of more than one million leaders, innovators, planters, and supporters united by their bold belief that a more hopeful future can be shaped through the power of trees. For more than 50 years, they’ve answered critical need with action, planting more than half a billion trees alongside their partners. And this is only the beginning. The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit pursuing a future where all life flourishes through the power of trees.
Media Contact:
Sarah Barrow
Executive Director of Communication
405-834-5406
sarah.barrow@occc.edu
