Arb gets new director This summer, Edward L. Schneider will become the director of the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
Schneider, who will be the fourth director in the arboretum's 52 years, was named after a two-year search. He called the arboretum "a world-class institution" and said that the new post "allows me to combine my two passions, teaching and directing a world-respected garden."
President of the Santa Barbara (Calif.) Botanic Garden since 1992, Schneider also will serve as a professor in the university's Department of Horticulture Science.
"My wife Sandy and I look forward to fitting into the Minneapolis landscape and cultural resource centers," he said. "Working in concert with the wonderful staff and utilizing the board of trustees and the departmental resources and Peter Olin himself, I'm sure we can move the arboretum to new frontiers that will make all Minnesotans very happy."
Arboretum Director Emeritus Peter J. Olin stepped down in June 2008 after 24 years. Mary Hockenberry Meyer has served as interim director.
The Chanhassen-based arboretum has more than 1,100 acres of gardens, woodlands and natural areas and 115 full-time employees.
