Archinect - News

ACSA issues joint statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion censorship in education

2023-09-21T17:39:00-04:00

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) has joined its sibling organizations in landscape architecture and planning in opposing the concerted efforts of far-right lawmakers to prevent the inclusion of race and racism topics into curricula in states including Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, South Dakota, and Virginia.

"This united declaration stands as a strong objection to the legislation that silences educators from sharing the histories of the architectural profession. Practitioners, educators, and students must be granted access to the complete narrative. Being privy to only a portion of the story significantly disadvantages us all," Mo Zell, the 2023-24 ACSA President, said in a statement.

"The boards of directors of the three organizations representing university programs and educators in architecture, landscape architecture, and planning — ACSA, CELA, and ACSP, — jointly communicate our opposition to any legislation that prevents educators from teaching and shari...

Mo Zell is named 2023-2024 ACSA president

2023-07-07T11:41:00-04:00

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) has just named architect and academic Mo Zell as its 2023-2024 president.

In April of 2023, Zell was appointed interim dean of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s newly-established College of the Arts and Architecture comes to the position with an impressive list of past experiences both within the organization and in the world of architectural academia overall.

As a former ASCA regional director and fall conference co-chair, Zell has been able to expand on her on-campus efforts to spearhead a number of different initiatives, including the SARUP externship program, SUPERjury, Women in Design Milwaukee, and the SARUP Mobile Design Box.

Zell was also the first female department chair, Associate Dean, and faculty member at UMW’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning and holds degrees in architecture from the University of Virginia of Yale University, respectively.

In a statement, Zell said: "Architectural education p...

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee creates new 'College of the Arts and Architecture' with Mo Zell as interim dean

2023-04-05T17:17:00-04:00

In October 2022, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee released details of its strategic 2030 Action Plan. This initiative outlined plans for several UWM schools and colleges to be realigned. During this process, the School of Architecture and Urban Planning (SARUP), which originally operated as an individual school, has since been combined with the Peck School of the Arts to create the newly formed College of the Arts and Architecture. Through this reorganization, the school has announced Mo Zell as the College's new Interim Dean.

In July 2022, Archinect reported on Zell's appointment as SARUP's Interim Dean after she held the position as the school's first woman to be a Department Chair back in 2018. Zell's extensive background in academia and education at SARUP began during her time as an assistant professor back in 2008, in addition to previous teaching positions at Clemson University, North Carolina State University, and Northeastern University. Her dedication to architectural...

Mo Zell appointed UW-Milwaukee's School of Architecture & Planning Interim Dean

2022-07-07T13:12:00-04:00

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Architecture and Planning (SARUP) has announced Mo Zell as its Interim Dean.

Zell has been an impactful fixture at SARUP, starting her career at the school as an assistant professor in 2008. Since then, she has taught several foundational design studios, acted as Associate Dean from 2012–18, and in 2018 was SARUP's first woman to be a Department Chair.

Before working at SARUP, Zell taught at Yale University, South Carolina School of Arts and Humanities, Clemson University, North Carolina State University, and Northeastern University. Her extensive background as an educator and academic leader is paired with her experience as a licensed architect. In addition, she runs the award-winning design and research practice bauenstudio with her partner Marc Roehrle.

Previously on SARUP's Archinect school profile: Mo Zell named chair of architecture at School of Architecture & Urban Planning at UW-Milwaukee (2018)

"The School of Architecture a...