One Muncie landscaping firm is giving a new definition to "green thumb."
The landscape architecture firm Rundell Ernstberger Associates is raising money via a scholarship for landscape architecture students.
According to Dean Rundell, a partner in the firm, no specific amount has been set. The scholarship will feed off interest created from an endowment by the firm.
According to Malcolm Cairns, the chairman of the Landscape Architecture Department, no one will be nominated for a few more years.
Rundell said the scholarship will be given to a student demonstrating excellence in academics and leadership in the field of landscape architecture.
"We were looking to participate in something meaningful to the university," Rundell said. "This is the way we felt we could give the most meaningful gift.
"We wanted to give the university something that will last over a period of time," Rundell said.
Rundell said the university has worked closely with the firm since it began 22 years ago.
Rundell's original partner, Eric Ernstberger. Both Rundell and Ernstberger have taught in the department on and off, Rundell said. The firm has also been an consultant for the university.
Ball State alumni have also found jobs at the firm, Rundell said.
"We see this as a way to show we think it is a good program, and it can be a better program," Rundell said.
Cairns said the scholarship is a culmination of the firm's history of support.
"This is a very important scholarship," Cairns said. "Landscape Architecture is a small department, and this is a major gift."
Rundell Ernstberger Associates has an office in both Muncie and Indianapolis. Though the firm has done work in the surrounding states, Rundell said the business' most famous works are the White River Gardens in the Indianapolis Zoo.
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