About the Chair

John Erwin accepted his position as a Professor and Chair of PSLA on October 28, 2019.  He was born in Quakertown, PA and worked in his family’s bakery, had a yard maintenance business and was a nursery manager while in PA.  While in graduate school, he had a landscape business in MI to supplement his income.  His first language was Latvian as his mother is an immigrant and he grew up in a Latvian community in the US that numbered over 10,000.

John received his BS from Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture in 1983, and his MS and PhD in Horticulture from Michigan State University (PgD in 1989).  Upon graduation, he accepted a position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota as a Floriculture Extension Specialist (60% research, 40% extension) and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1995 and Professor in 2007.  His PhD research resulted in several techniques used by ornamental and vegetable crop growers in controlled environments worldwide using diurnal temperature manipulation to manage crop morphology non-chemically.  His responsibilities at the University of Minnesota included research focusing on temperature/light effects on photoperiodic flower induction, environmental control of plant morphology, high temperature effects on photosynthesis and flowering.  Results of that work are the basis for photoperioidc control of flowering of numerous annual bedding plants, control of supplemental lighting to maximize photosynthesis while limiting electrical inputs, and utilizing short term high temperature exposure effects on photosynthesis as a means to accelerate high temperature tolerance in plants with respect to photosynthesis and flowering.

Although he did not have a teaching appointment, he taught Bedding Plant Production, Controlled Environment Agriculture, Backyard farmer:  the Science of Food Production and Preservation, Herbaceous Plant Identification, and Growing the Guilty Pleasures.  He also co-taught a graduate level course in Plant Growth Manipulation. While serving as a faculty member at the University of Minnesota John was also ornamental/vegetable crop production consultant at 4 of the top 10 growers in the US.  In that role, he conducted consulting activities in NH, Canada, NJ, WA, CA. OR, CO, TX, FL, OH and MI.  His clients all contributed to the University of Minnesota Foundation.  He has continued this work at a reduced level since arriving at UMD-CP.  Crops he helps grow currently can be purchased in Home Depot, Trader Joes, Lowes and Walmart nationally and include potted herbs, potted orchids, potted cacti and succulents, poinsettias, garden mums, and numerous ornamental shrubs.

Aside from his consulting and university activities, John was elected as a Citywide Park Board Commissioner in 2002-2005, 2009-2012, and 2013-2017 where he ran park operations for years and was Board Chair from 2009-2012 and was Board Vice President from 2002-2004 and 2015-2017.  The MPRB oversaw 183 parks in 5 jurisdictions, 32 recreation centers.  The operating budget when he started was %58 million/year and was $111 million when he left; while serving, he increased taxes less than any board in the >125 year history.  The Minneapolis Parks were also ranked #1 while he served and he hosted 1 Presidential visit.

As Department Chair, John has focused on facilitating faculty be as successful as possible, incentivizing faculty to seek external funding, working to update business office efficiency, increase the size of the department, courses thoughts and scope of its responsibilities, improving the workplace and department climate and culture, and strengthening the relationships between the college and department and industry.  He views the department as a regional resource and intends to pursue growing the department further to increasingly strengthen that role.  He also believes that you need to know where you want to go if you intend to get there; working retreats have been used to focus the department’s efforts culturally, academically and around research goals.

John adopted two sons while in Minnesota and now has 4 grandchildren.  In his free time he gardens, travels, jogs, cooks, plants tennis/racquetball, does home improvement (or destruction), enjoys time with his family and pets, attempts to play cello, and writes and paints.  He hopes to start making large outdoor sculptures until the HOA discovers his work. 

John has a long term attachment to the University of Maryland - College Park; it was the first university he visited in his life on a field trip to visit Washington DC.