Ten Southeast Missouri State University horticulture students have been honored with the American Society for Horticulture Science (ASHS) Collegiate Scholars Award for 2018.The award honors the academic achievements of junior and senior undergraduates from departments of horticulture, or plant and crop science, who are majoring in horticulture. The recipients are in the top 15 percent of their class, based on academic standing, and were selected for their scholarship achievements, leadership abilities, participation in campus and club activities, and service to their departments.We are exceptionally proud of this list of students, said Dr. Julie Weathers, chair of the Department of Agriculture at Southeast. Not only are they being recognized for their outstanding academics but also for their involvement and dedication to their industry. These types of awards are hard to earn, and to have such an extensive list from Southeast speaks volumes about our student body and our horticultural leadership from Dr. Sven Svenson, professor of agriculture, and Melissa LaPlant, Charles Hutson Horticulture Greenhouse manager.The recipients are:

• Spencer Allender, a junior from Springfield, Illinois, majoring in agribusiness, horticulture option
• Jacob Hill, a senior from Festus, Missouri, majoring in agribusiness, horticulture option
• Brandon Maxfield, a senior from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, majoring in agribusiness, horticulture option, and global cultures and languages, anthropology option
• Jacob Schnurbusch, a senior from St. Louis, Missouri, majoring in agribusiness, horticulture option
• Leah Schumacher, a junior from Bridgeton, Missouri, majoring in agribusiness, horticulture option
• Joel Smith, a senior from Jackson, Missouri, majoring in agribusiness, horticulture option
• Josh Thibodeaux, a junior from Festus, Missouri, majoring in agribusiness, horticulture option
• Clay Titus, a junior from Marshall, Illinois, majoring in agribusiness, horticulture option
• Adam Way, a senior from Jackson, Missouri, majoring in agribusiness, horticulture option
• Tyler Wood of Columbia, Illinois, majoring in agribusiness, horticulture option

Among the 10 students are officers of the Horticulture Club at Southeast Missouri State University, and student employees at the Charles L. Hutson Horticulture Greenhouse. Most have volunteered some time at the Charles Nemanick Alternative Agriculture Garden. This summer, this group will begin jobs after graduation or participate in summer internships at Monsanto (St. Louis, Missouri), Quail Hollow Club (Charlotte, North Carolina), Loma Vista Nursery (Ottawa, Kansas), Forest Hills Country Club (Chesterfield, Missouri), and with a variety of landscape maintenance companies or garden centers in the Cape Girardeau or St. Louis areas.