For aspiring turf managers who do not have the time or means to attend traditional turf school, or for those who already have gone that route but just want a refresher, GreenKeeper University will be offering a series of online courses about practical turfgrass management taught by the top experts in the field.
The online program begins with four courses starting January 6 and continuing through March. Another four courses will begin in January 2021.
Students can work at their own pace and will earn a Certificate in Turfgrass Management from GreenKeeper University after completing all eight courses. Students can take one course at a time, or all four. Additional courses will be added as the program grows. Course work is graded on a pass-fail scale and must be completed by December 15 in the year it is begun.
The revenue generated by the courses will be put back in to developing the GreenKeeper site, so your support of GreenKeeper University is really an investment in GreenKeeper App.
GreenKeeper University was created for turfgrass professionals who might already have a job or family - or both - and are unable to make the sacrifice that a university degree demands. It also is intended for those who may already have a degree in an unrelated field but are considering a career change. GreenKeeper University is intended to help these people begin or advance their careers despite a lack of a traditional university education in turfgrass science. It is not intended as a substitute for associate's and bachelor's degrees at accredited universities.
Although GreenKeeper University courses are taught by turfgrass specialists with many years of experience teaching accredited university courses, the courses are not affiliated with an accredited university. Still, there is a definite University of Wisconsin tie. All instructors of the four programs offered next year - Paul Koch, Ph.D., Doug Soldat, Ph.D., Jim Kerns, Ph.D., and Bill Kreuser, Ph.D., attended or worked at Wisconsin.
The courses are designed to be rigorous and useful to advancing the careers of turfgrass professionals and were structured to require about four hours of work per week. Students will need a laptop or desktop computer and Internet access to take a course.
GreenKeeper University is designed for students that want to go beyond the introductory material. For example, the Great Lakes School of Turfgrass Science spends two weeks on turfgrass fertilization and soil management (including two, two-hour lectures, a handful of readings, an activity, and two quizzes). GreenKeeper University will offer a 12-week course that focuses on turfgrass fertilization and soil management.
Courses for 2020 are:
> Understanding the weather and how it relates to turfgrass growth, stress and pest management - Bill Kreuser, Ph.D., University of Nebraska.
> Integrated pest management and responsible pesticide use - Jim Kerns, Ph.D., North Carolina State University, and Paul Koch, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin.
> Turfgrass disease identification and management - Kerns and Koch.
> Turfgrass fertilization and soil management - Doug Soldat, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin.
Courses planned for 2021 are:
> Turfgrass irrigation and drainage.
> Turfgrass weed management.
> Turfgrass business management and communications.
> Turfgrass insect management.
For more information, visit the GreenKeeper University Web site.