MVNU celebrates Arbor Day with tree plantings in the Quad

Mount Vernon Nazarene University marked Arbor Day during its annual Blue-Green Day festivities the morning of April 21 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/.