Registration is open for the 2022 University of Massachusetts Winter School for Turf Managers.
The Winter School is a certificate program designed to present concepts essential to maintaining high quality turf, with emphasis on environmental stewardship, input reduction and fiscal responsibility. This comprehensive short course is designed for experienced professionals working in the golf, sports turf, LCO and parks and recreation industries. It also is ideal for those who want to advance in their career, but do not have the time or resources for a traditional two-year or four-year academic program.
Since the onset of the pandemic, the Winter School has made the transition from a full-time, in-person, six-week event to a 10-week virtual experience scheduled for Jan. 3-March 11, 2022. Instruction will be a combination of live and on-demand content. The routine schedule will feature live class time from 1-3:30 p.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 3:330-5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. On-demand content can be viewed as time allows for each attendee.
Topics to be covered include: Fundamentals of Turf Management; Advanced Topics in Turf; Soil Science and Management; Turf Pathology; Turf Entomology; Weed Management; Irrigation and Equipment Management; Arboriculture.
Winter School instructors will include Michelle DaCosta, Ph.D., Deborah Henson, Ph.D., Geunhwa Jung, Ph.D., Olga Kostromytska, Ph.D., Jason Lanier, Angela Madeiras, Ph.D., James Poro and Randall Prostak, all of the University of Massachusetts.
Everyone who completes the program will receive a Certificate of Completion. Continuing Education Units also are available. Pesticide recertification contact hours will be offered. The UMass Winter School for Turf Managers meets continuing education requirements for licensed pesticide applicators in all New England states.
Deadline for application is Nov. 19, and space is limited. All interested parties must apply and be accepted to enroll, and applications will be considered in the order received. All applicants will be notified via email of application status within one week of submission of a complete application, therefore please provide an active email address and check spam/junk folder, or contact us if not notified within one week. Payment is required within three weeks from the date of your acceptance email, and the deadline for all students to pay in full is Dec. 10.