The Bronx has the distinction of being New York City’s “greenest borough,” and for over half a century, the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) and Lehman College—two of its anchor institutions—have shared a mission to foster research, sustainability, and care for the natural world.

Lehman president Fernando Delgado, who sits on the NYBG board, spoke about the partnership at a January 30 event previewing the Garden’s new strategic plan.

“For 56 years, the Garden and Lehman College have worked with the CUNY Graduate Center to train the next generation of PhD students in plant science. Plants play a critical role in supporting life on Earth, and we are proud to help propel the study of botany, which is so important in helping to understand and conserve the natural world,” he said.

Students have access to the Garden’s 7.8 million specimens, 550,000-volume library, curators, and researchers; their work is supported by Lehman’s advanced instrumentation and faculty.

The program has 109 alumni and currently hosts 11 doctoral candidates whose research tackles areas ranging from metabolic engineering and biotechnology to ethnobotany and conservation.

Lehman also collaborates with the Garden’s Humanities Institute to connect its historic collections to the interdisciplinary study of food, culture, science, and social justice for scholars and students alike.