ALCA stands for the Associated Landscape Contractors of America. It's a national organization for companies that do business in the area of landscape contracting. These are companies which design, build and maintain landscapes. You'll find ALCA members in every state with businesses that range from small mom and pop nurseries to large national corporate landscape companies.

Well, actually it used to be called ALCA Student Field Days. It was started about 25 years ago to give students around the country the opportunity to meet with students from other schools in a friendly competition. ALCA sponsored it and ran it. For them, it was a chance to see future employees in action.

Now the name is different: it's Student Career Days. And the name reflects the change in emphasis. While there are still some 20 competitive events, the real competition takes place the day before, when students have the opportunity to talk turkey with landscape companies from all over.

And talk turkey is what we do best. We're Hokies after all. Ever since the Department of Horticulture at Virginia Tech started competing back in Atlanta in the spring of 1995, our emphasis has been on interviewing for jobs and internships.

Not that we've neglected the competition. In Atlanta, we finished 11th of 43 schools on our first try. The next year in California, we placed 6th and in Texas in 1997 we finished 2nd, just a few points out of first place. Five years ago in Lexington, Kentucky we finished 4th out of 50-some schools. We were the top school east of the Rockies. Last year we finished 9th.And in the competition for jobs--we did very, very well.

You see, we now have a reputation. These landscape firms know that our students are some of the best out there. You can see it at the annual College of Agriculture Career Fair event. I don't know if you noticed, but a full third of the companies at the Career Fair were from the green industry.

There's another side of our reputation too. When we walked into the auditorium in Columbus, Ohio last year, we stood out. While most of the teams appeared in T-shirts and cutoffs with hats on backwards, we were in coats and ties and skirts and business outfits. But now the industry knows what to expect. Our students are some of the best prepared academically and in experience for an industry that needs qualified individuals. In California in 1996, there was one company that would have hired our whole group--along with the faculty who went along!

We want to take as many students who want to make the trip. And we'll make it easy to go. We have a very supportive industry out there that gives us money to help pay the way. And with the ALCA Club and Hort Club helping, we usually charge only a small fee to go.

Since we'll be gone for a long week, the cost per person will be about $100 per person. We'll let you know the final cost at the beginning of February.

The date this year is March 19-22, 2005.

As you've probably seen already, it's at the University of Maryland in College Park.

That's OK. Remember what the emphasis is. In the events, only one or two students from each school are allowed to compete. Last year we took 28 students to Mississippi and only 22 of those competed.

Also, you may not want to compete this year, but by going it helps you get ready for next year. Besides, if you don't go, you may be the only hort student left in Blacksburg.

If you're still not convinced, ask someone who went last year or the year before. By the way, you'll get a couple of shirts out of the deal. The host school usually prints up a T-shirt that goes to all in attendance. But then again, we print our own shirts. For eight years running now, Connie Balint from Buckingham Greenery, an interior landscape company in Virginia, has bought shirts for us. We design them, she gets them printed. A very active member of ALCA, Connie has been one of our most diehard supporters. Check out her company on the web.

You can get forms outside Robert McDuffie's door in 106 Saunders or from Donna Long in 401 Saunders. One side of the form describes the events and the other side is where you sign up to go.