Munson sees national prominence for MU Botanic Garden

he chance to fulfill a life-long dream came along this year for Richard Munson, Campus Facilities’ new superintendent of Landscape Services and director of the MU Botanic Garden.

Dick Munson brings to MU 16 years of hands-on experience in directing internationally significant botanic garden facilities.

“I’ve always wanted to be in on the beginning of a botanic garden,” said Munson. “MU’s botanic garden is off to a great start, but it’s still in just the beginning stages of becoming part of the university fabric.”

Munson wants to develop MU’s campus into a regionally and nationally recognized botanic garden that directly supports the university’s academic programs.

“A botanic garden is a multi-faceted scientific, educational and research institution in itself,” Munson said. “We want the campus to be used as both classroom and laboratory — an educational arboretum supporting the university’s faculty and academic programs, particularly those in botany and horticulture.”

Munson’s experience in horticulture lends itself well to his new job. He began his career by earning a bachelor’s degree in landscape horticulture at Ohio State. He then earned masters and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University with major and minor coursework in, respectively, ornamental horticulture and plant taxonomy.

“I always knew I wanted to work with plants,” Munson said. His academic pursuits led to teaching horticulture and plant taxonomy while working as a plant propagator, graduate assistant and assistant professor at Texas Tech and Ohio State universities.

Munson then went on to direct Smith College’s 100-year-old, 125-acre Botanic Garden in Northampton, Mass., and The Holden Arboretum in Kirtland, Ohio — between the two, a total of 16 years of hands-on experience running internationally significant horticultural facilities comprising some 3,625 acres, with staffs of more than 100 and operating budgets in the millions of dollars.

In addition to his horticultural background, Munson also served with the Corps of Engineers in the U.S. Army Reserve, from which he retired as a lieutenant colonel.

Bolstered by these experiences, Munson easily stepped into LS’s top job September 1 and has had nothing but praise for the department he now runs.

“From day one, I couldn’t have been happier with the quality of people here,” Munson said. “You won’t find more dedicated, knowledgeable or personable people anywhere. Every day I appreciate them more.”