Illinois Tech’s Mies Campus Awarded National Accreditation for New Alphawood Arboretum

CHICAGO—November 10, 2023—Illinois Institute of Technology has established the Alphawood Arboretum at its Mies Campus in Bronzeville thanks to a $2 million donation from Alphawood Foundation Chicago. The transformational gift will go toward not only beautifying the South Side campus but to enhancing Illinois Tech’s commitment to environmental stewardship and educational excellence.

The arboretum project—spearheaded by College of Architecture students Jessie Flatley (M.L.A ’22), Erik Schiller (M.ARCH+M.L.A ’22), and Johann Friedl (M.L.A. 5th Year) under the guidance of Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism Ron Henderson—has earned Illinois Tech national accreditation from the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program. This achievement reflects Illinois Tech’s dedication to cultivating a diverse and sustainable campus environment.

“Mies Campus has a landscape personality and character that we want to reinforce,” Henderson says. “This demonstrates the university’s commitment to environmental action, ethics, and integrity.”

The Alphawood Foundation’s grant will bolster the campus’s existing collection of 1,800 trees and 68 tree species, aiming to reach a total of 100 species.

“Alphawood Foundation Chicago is thrilled to partner with Illinois Tech on its campus arboretum plan,” Alphawood Executive Director Chirag Badlani says. “Our hope is for students, faculty, staff, and the community to come together to further cultivate and preserve this incredible landscape—strengthening the ties between the historic campus and the Bronzeville community.” 

This expansion of trees will create a living laboratory for studying climate change, urban tree canopies, and the impact of global pathogens. In pursuit of Level 2 arboretum status, which requires 100 tree species, the Illinois Tech team is also exploring the introduction of trees from southern states to study their adaptation to Chicago's urban environment and changing climate.

Chirag Badlani, Executive Director of Alphawood Foundation Chicago, expressed excitement about the collaboration, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in nurturing the campus’s natural resources. “We envision this arboretum as a space where students, faculty, and the broader community can engage in meaningful environmental action and learning,” Badlani says.

The funding will also support the establishment of a new arboretum manager position, as well as initiatives for public outreach, tree planting, and maintenance. Mies Campus now joins the ranks of only a few accredited arboreta in Chicago, including the esteemed Garfield Park Conservatory and Lincoln Park.

Illinois Institute of Technology

Based in the global metropolis of Chicago, Illinois Tech was born to liberate the power of collective difference to advance technology and progress for all. It is the only tech-focused university in the city, and it stands at the crossroads of exploration and invention, advancing the future of Chicago and the world. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, computing, architecture, business, design, science and human sciences, and law. Illinois Tech students are guaranteed hands-on experiences, personalized mentorship, and job readiness through the university's one-of-a-kind Elevate program. Its graduates lead the state and much of the nation in economic prosperity. Its faculty and alumni built the Chicago skyline. And every day in the living lab of the city, Illinois Tech fuels breakthroughs that change lives. Visit iit.edu.

IIT College of Architecture

The College of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology builds on a legacy of disciplined experimentation in materials and technologies to educate and inspire the next generation of architects and landscape architects. From its landmark campus and home at S. R. Crown Hall, IIT Architecture champions an interdisciplinary approach to education and research that is simultaneously local and global in its impact. IIT Architecture students are educated to address complex, contemporary challenges of designing and constructing across all scales. Both faculty and students enjoy a longstanding relationship with professional practice in Chicago, a city with a vibrant history of innovation in architecture, design, landscape architecture, and urbanism. Visit arch.iit.edu

Media contacts

Kevin Dollear
Communications Manager
Illinois Institute of Technology
Cell: 773.860.5712
kdollear@iit.edu