Faculty and Staff
Judy Burgholzer graduated from Purdue University with a BS in Agriculture and earned her MS degree in Horticulture from the University of Illinois. Judy’s work experience includes soil testing and interior plantscaping before joining the faculty of College of DuPage in 1987. In 1994 she took over the duties of coordinator of the department as well as teaching full-time. Classes she teaches include HORT 1101, Soils and Fertilizers; HORT 2221, Plant Propagation; and Math 1104, Math for Horticulture. Judy was voted College of DuPage Faculty Co-op Adviser of the year for 1998 and College of DuPage Outstanding Adviser for 2006-2007. She sits on the Cooperative Education Faculty Advisory Committee and is Chair of the Horticulture Advisory Committee. She is active in various professional organizations including the Illinois Landscape Contractor's Association, the Green Industry Association and Illinois Association of Community College Agriculture Instructors. Judy can be reached at (630) 942-3095 or e-mail at: burghoj@cod.edu.
Julia Fitzpatrick-Cooper earned her Bachelor of Science in Horticulture and Master of Science in Agricultural Education from Ohio State University. She has worked in a variety of horticultural industries including arboreta, wholesale nurseries, retail garden centers, horticultural therapy programs, community education programs and taught high school horticulture programs. Julia has been a full-time faculty member in the Horticulture department at College of DuPage since 1986 and was department coordinator from 1986-1994. She teaches HORT 1100 Introduction to Horticulture, HORT 1110 Plant Taxonomy, HORT 2241 Landscape Plants I, HORT 2242 Landscape Plants II, HORT 2243 Ornamental Grasses, HORT 2244 Herbaceous Perennials, and Special Topics courses. In 2001 she participated in an international faculty exchange program and traveled to Finland to study their horticulture industry and educational system. At the college Julia serves on a variety of committees and is co-chair of the Study Abroad Scholarship committee. She is a member of the Perennial Plant Association, Illinois Green Industry Association and the Illinois Landscape Contractor’s Association. She also serves on a variety of industry committees including Perennials in Focus, and the Illinois Green Industry Association Horticulture Occupational and Professional Experience committee. Julia can be reached at (630) 942-2525 or e-mail at: fitzpatr@cod.edu.
STAFF PROFILES
Elizabeth Britt has been the manager of the department since 1986 and is responsible for greenhouse crop production, budget and facilities management, special events, sales, and the retail shop. She earned a B.S. in Agriculture from The Ohio State University and a Masters in Education from National-Louis University. She has worked in horticulture therapy, floral design, nursery sales, greenhouse production and landscape design. Elizabeth can be reached at (630) 942-3806 or e-mail at britte@cod.edu
Jae Granrath is a College of DuPage Horticulture graduate. She has been the Greenhouse Lab Technician since 1985 and is responsible for all crop care and maintenance. Jae assists with sales and marketing of our specialty crops such as mums, poinsettias, annuals and perennials. She can be reached at 942-3807 or e-mail at granrath@cod.edu
PART-TIME FACULTY
We our proud of the level of industry participation we are able to offer our students. Industry leaders share their expertise as guest speakers, field trip hosts and adjunct faculty. This offers our students the opportunity to learn current issues, trends and techniques in each discipline. Our 20 part-time faculty members also serve as valuable contacts and resources for our graduates.
