MVNU celebrates Arbor Day with tree plantings in the Quad
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Joe Huddleston, Communications Specialist
joshuddleston@mvnu.edu
740-397-9000, ext. 4344
www.mvnu.edu/news
April 24, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HEADLINE: MVNU celebrates Arbor Day with tree plantings in the Quad
CUTLINES: MVNU_Arbor Day Adkins.jpg — Doug and Jennifer Adkins break the ground during a tree planting in memory of their son, Ethan, during Blue-Green Day festivities on Tuesday at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. The planting was one of three done in celebration of Arbor Day. (Photo courtesy of Mount Vernon Nazarene University)
MVNU_Arbor Day Christmas.jpg — Members of the Mount Vernon Nazarene University Tree Committee plant a white fir in the Quad in celebration of Arbor Day on Tuesday. The tree will have a future use as the campus Christmas tree. (Photo courtesy of Mount Vernon Nazarene University)
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — Mount Vernon Nazarene University marked Arbor Day during its annual Blue-Green Day festivities Tuesday morning with two special tree plantings in the Quad — honoring the memory of Ethan Adkins and establishing a future ceremonial campus Christmas tree.
Blue-Green Day is a treasured campus beautification tradition held each April, where students, faculty, and staff unite to landscape, plant flowers, and prepare the grounds for Commencement.
The event began with the planting of the Ethan Adkins Memorial Tree, a Red Oak dedicated in Adkins’ memory. Ethan, the son of Doug and Jennifer Adkins — a former MVNU employee — was a 2024 graduate of Granville High School. He tragically died in an automobile accident in July 2024, just over a month before he was scheduled to begin his studies at the university. Ethan was eagerly anticipating his next chapter at MVNU, where he planned to pursue a degree in Biology. Members of the Adkins family attended the ceremony and joined the campus community in remembering Ethan.
“Ethan loved this place,” said Jennifer Adkins. “It is an honor for MVNU to remember him. When this idea was brought up, we thought it was a really good idea. He was really looking forward to being a student on campus. It’s hard to imagine this would be his sophomore year.”
Following the memorial planting, the MVNU Tree Committee planted a white fir that will serve as the university’s future Campus Christmas Tree, creating a focal point for seasonal celebrations for years to come. Several students joined Tree Committee members in the hands-on planting effort, reflecting campus engagement in sustainability efforts.
In recognition of these efforts, MVNU has again been named a Tree Campus by the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus Higher Education program, marking the seventh consecutive year the university has earned the national designation.
For more information about MVNU, visit mvnu.edu. To see more photos from Blue-Green Day, visit flickr.com/photos/mvnumarketing/albums/72177720333280173/.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional-age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,300 students from 36 states, one U.S. commonwealth and 41 foreign countries.
###
