Every single day, thousands of students converge on Mississippi State University’s campus to study, hang out, meet new people and learn. The students walk on clear sidewalks, sit in courtyards surrounded by beautiful greenery and lay in the sun on the carefully manicured drill field.

The privilege of a clean and enjoyable campus is not something that just happens, though. There is a dedicated team of people who work tirelessly to make sure all areas of campus are nice and enjoyable for everyone who comes to visit.

Mississippi State University’s landscaping and grounds team, officially called Campus Landscape, really cares about the work its members do.

Jimmy Shannon, the MSU Grounds Supervisor, acknowledges the importance of taking diligent care of the campus grounds.

“We really work hard because we know we’re the front door of the University, and if students’ parents come with them and see us taking care of this place the right way, they know that we’ll take care of their child when they’re here,” Shannon said.

According to Shannon, the university’s landscaping and grounds teams have an incredibly large area to maintain with a relatively small team of about 50 people. The teams are responsible for over 1,700 acres of land, including sections of both Highway 182 and Highway 12 as well as Blackjack Road. When broken down, that’s about 34 acres of land per team member.

“The biggest challenge here is the size of campus that we have and staffing,” Shannon said.

In order to cover this much area, every morning, the teams meet at 6:30 a.m. to discuss what the day will look like for each team. Then they do some stretches and head out to get started before the campus is flooded with students.

Every day looks different for these teams. They are constantly adjusting to a plethora of different things, from weather to events that are happening on campus. Jim Bo Hearnsberger, the associate director of campus grounds, noted that the groundkeepers have to adapt to constant changes.

“Our day is kind of chaotic. I mean, our schedules change every minute,” Hearnsberger said.

The teams do not just do the obvious work that students see every day, though, like mowing or edging, but they also have some unique jobs people may not even think about. For example, the landscaping and grounds teams are responsible for cleanup after some sporting events.

“After a football game, everybody loves to come out into the Junction and have a big party on Saturday, but our crew gets to wake up at 4 a.m. Sunday morning and come clean up after it,” Hearnsberger said. “I challenge you to come through here on Sunday morning after 8 a.m., and you will not see anything out here.”

Despite the harsh demands of their job, the teams remain focused on the reason behind their work.

Myles Thibodeaux, the university’s Horticulture Supervisor, explained the rewards of seeing students appreciate campus.

“This year we planted around 24,000 tulip bulbs, and that’s a lot of work,” Thibodeaux said. “Seeing students sit down and take pictures by them and stuff, you’re feeling recognized you know?”

Shannon and Hearnsberger both grew up in Starkville and are Mississippi State alumni, but according to Hearnsberger, within every single member of the MSU landscaping and grounds teams, there is an overwhelmingly apparent love for the university and its students.

“It’s more than just a job 8:00 to 5:00 — it’s us creating a space that is enjoyable by everybody who visits campus,” Hearnsberger said.

The Mississippi State landscaping and grounds crews are dedicated to making campus beautiful. As weather starts to get nicer, and people spend more time outside, Hearnsberger has a challenge for readers.

“My challenge would be: deviate from where you normally go, and take a different path,” Hearnsberger said. “You’ll see something different, and everywhere you go somewhere different, you’re going to see something new.”