Archinect - News

Aki Ishida appointed director of the Sam Fox School College of Architecture and Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design

2024-04-15T13:16:00-04:00

Washington University in St. Louis has announced the appointment of Aki Ishida as the next director of the Sam Fox School College of Architecture and Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design. The current associate professor and interim associate director of Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture will take over duties effective July 1st. Her appointment follows the departure of Heather Woofter, who left St. Louis to become the new Dean at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture last summer.

"Aki is an accomplished architect and designer, a respected scholar and a dedicated teacher and mentor. She is fascinated by the ways social conditions can shape the built environment, and she has a long history of collaborating with artists, engineers and health-care professionals, among others. I am confident Aki will be an inspiring leader who will connect deeply with our community and advance the strategic goals of the school and university. We are proud to welcome her t...

Taubman College announces Antje Steinmuller as new Architecture Chair

2024-03-08T11:25:00-05:00

The University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning has announced Antje Steinmuller as the next chair of the college’s architecture program. Steinmuller is expected to begin her three-year appointment on July 15th and is described by the college as “the leader best poised to strengthen the research and practice, teaching and learning that make Michigan a leader in architectural education.”

Steinmuller is currently an associate professor at the California College of the Arts (CCA), where she has taught for the past 17 years. She currently chairs the Bachelor of Architecture program and co-directs the Urban Works Agency, CCA’s urbanism research lab, where her research explores the role of design at the intersection of citizen-led and city-regulated processes in the production of urban space.

Related on Archinect: University of Michigan researchers detail new 3D printed upcycled sawdust material for formwork. Image courtesy Tharanesh Varadharajan, Zachary Ke...

Tizziana Baldenebro will lead the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation as its next executive director

2024-02-29T17:35:00-05:00

The Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF)’s search for a new organizational leader has culminated in the appointment of Tizziana Baldenebro as its next executive director following a national search that began this fall.

Baldenebro, who replaces the long-tenured and well-admired Cynthia Phifer Kracauer, has past experience as the director of SPACES, a 45-year-old nonprofit that was founded to encourage community engagement with the arts in northeast Ohio.

Baldenebro was, along with other members of SPACES, most recently a co-curator of last year’s U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale and comes to the position informed by her childhood in Los Angeles and subsequent experiences in cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago.

"We are thrilled to welcome Tizziana to our organization as she takes the helm in guiding us through our next phase of growth and advancement in championing women in architecture, engineering, construction, and related fields," Angelica T. Ba...

Mississippi State appoints Dominic Lippillo as interim associate dean at the College of Architecture, Art and Design

2023-12-28T11:30:00-05:00

Mississippi State University has announced the appointment of Professor Dominic Lippillo as the interim associate dean for the institution’s College of Architecture, Art, and Design. The photography professor takes up the position previously filled by Professor Jeffrey Haupt, who retired in November 2022.

Lippillo served as an assistant professor of photography at MSU since 2010 before earning the full rank of professor. He will take up the role of interim associate dean on January 1st, 2024, where he hopes to further the college’s “supportive atmosphere for faculty, staff and students.”

“I am really excited to be working closely with all four units of CAAD, and I’m eager to serve in this capacity,” Lippillo said about the appointment. “I want to grow as much as I possibly can, try different things, and see where I can be beneficial to the college and the university. I still love t...

Shima Clarke appointed interim associate dean of Clemson’s College of Architecture, Art, and Construction

2023-12-20T11:39:00-05:00

Clemson University has announced the appointment of Professor Shima Clarke as the interim associate dean of undergraduate and graduate studies for the university’s newly formed College of Architecture, Art, and Construction (CAAC). Since August, Clarke has served as the acting associate dean of the college, which was itself formed on July 1st.

Clarke describes her top priority in the new role as being to oversee and coordinate all programs and activities in CAAC that support student experience, recruitment, education, retention, graduation, and placement.

Having joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1998, Clarke achieved full professorship in 2013. Within the college, her research has focused on construction education, integrated project delivery, sustainability, structures, and construction safety.

Prior to serving as acting associate dean, Clarke was the director of con...

Reflecting on the growth and changes of architectural academic leadership in 2023

2023-12-19T08:00:00-05:00

Architectural academia was featured prominently in our 2023 news coverage, particularly in new leadership appointments. Notably, the year highlighted a significant increase in female leadership within academia, with Archinect covering the appointment of 14 women to key roles, such as deans, academic chairs, and program directors.

Explore further insights on Archinect's review of 2023 academic leadership highlights.

In-depth discussions with academic leaders

Mary Anne Alabanza Akers, Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design Dean. Image courtesy of Cal Poly Pomona.

'Leadership Is Not Linear': A Conversation with Mary Anne Alabanza Akers, the New Dean of Cal Poly Pomona's College of Environmental Design

In March, we had the opportunity to chat with Cal Poly Pomona's new dean, Mary Anne Alabanza Akers. After spending 14 years at Morgan State University, building its School of Architecture and Urban Planning program, we chatted with Akers to discuss her path to academic leadership...

Kimberly Dowdell is inaugurated as the AIA's first Black woman president

2023-12-18T14:20:00-05:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) celebrated a significant organizational milestone with the inauguration of Kimberly Dowdell as its AIA National President for 2024.

The AIA's 100th president overall is also the first-ever Black woman to head the post, following in the wake of 2023 President Emily Grandstaff-Rice.

At an inauguration ceremony last Friday, December 15th, the Cornell University and Harvard Kennedy School alumna who formerly headed the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) from 2019 to 2020, said: "Being elected as the 100th president of AIA is both an honor and responsibility that I embrace wholeheartedly.”

“My journey in architecture, from my roots in Detroit to this influential role, has deepened my conviction that design has the power to transform communities and elevate the human experience,” she continued. “This opportunity to serve my profession beautifully aligns with my overarching mission to improve people's lives through design, foster...

Noguchi Museum appoints long-time staffer Amy Hau as its next director

2023-12-15T12:56:00-05:00

The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum has announced the appointment of Amy Hau as its next Director.

The appointment continues a more than thirty-year working relationship that first began in 1986 when Hau was hired as an assistant at the then one-year-old Long Island City, Queens institution.

Hau left the museum in 2015 to serve as the Managing Principal of New York’s WXY Architecture + Urban Design. Before that time, she had been credited with overseeing a restorative $23 million capital campaign and the development of a new master plan for the campus. Hau has held titles including Administrative Director, Assistant to the Executive Director, and Assistant to Isamu Noguchi during her first tenure and will lean on additional experience on Queens' Community Board 1 and several other local cultural groups in the execution of her new duties.

“Amy represents not only the profound legacy of the Museum but also embodies its dynamic, polyvocal future,” Spencer Bailey, the museum...

Brett Steele appointed as new USC School of Architecture dean

2023-12-04T20:35:00-05:00

The University of Southern California (USC) today announced the appointment of renowned architect and educator Brett Steele as its new dean for the School of Architecture.

Steele will be stepping in to replace interim dean Willow Bay, who was appointed back in July 2022, following the quiet departure of former architecture dean Milton Curry.

Steele is no stranger to leading prominent schools of architecture. Prior to his new future position at USC, he served as UCLA's School of the Arts and Architecture dean since 2017. Before his time working in Los Angeles, he held pivotal leadership positions at the Architectural Association (AA), serving as a chief executive and Director since 2005. Prior to that, he created and led the AA Design Research Lab, the school's first accredited Master of Architecture program, for eight years.

According to USC President Carol Folt, "Brett Steele’s collaborative leadership is a perfect fit for our School of Architecture. One of the things that impress...

Jesse Lazar announced as new permanent AIA New York and Center for Architecture Executive Director

2023-09-26T16:59:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architects New York (AIANY) and the Center for Architecture (CFA) have just announced the appointment of Jesse Lazar as the new permanent Executive Director of both organizations, filling a void left by Benjamin Prosky after his departure this February.

Lazar had been serving in an Interim Executive Director role since that time and comes to the position with experience as the CFA's Development Director between 2014 and 2016. He has been instrumental in fundraising more than $20 million for both organizations since that time while also working to establish AIANY’s 2030 Fund, CFA Lab program, and other initiatives. Lazar also has previous experience with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and received his MBA from the University of Michigan in 2012.

“I’ve worked with Jesse Lazar on and off at the Center for Architecture since 2008,” AIA New York’s 2023 President Matthew Bremer said in a statement. “I also have the mindset that instit...

Maria Villalobos Hernandez to lead IIT’s Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism

2023-09-26T11:37:00-04:00

The Illinois Institute of Technology has appointed Maria A. Villalobos Hernandez as director of its Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism program. “Villalobos is the first woman of color and first Latinx person to be a director of a College of Architecture program, and she will bring a deep-rooted sense of equity and justice to the program,” the institute said announcing the news.

Originally hailing from Venezuela, Villalobos Hernandez has “witnessed first-hand the impacts of the oil industry on local communities,” bringing her to cultivate “an approach to landscape architecture that prioritizes environmental and social justice.” Having exercised this ethos through her practice, Botanical City, Villalobos Hernandez now hopes to infuse the MLA+U program with the same spirit.

“The weight of this appointment holds resonance beyond personal achievement, as it is a great responsibility to be the inaugural Latin American Director of a program in the College,” said Villalobos Herna...

Prasad Boradkar named new dean of the University of Minnesota's College of Design

2023-08-28T15:42:00-04:00

The University of Minnesota's College of Design has announced designer, anthropologist, educator, and researcher Dr. Prasad Boradkar as its new dean following a nationwide search.

The college houses the School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Interior Design programs in addition to other design disciplines like Product Design, Apparel Design, and Human Graphic Design, to name a few.

Boradkar's extensive career in academia and the design industry can be seen through his work with Google, where he recently served as the UX Research and Sustainability Lead at the company's Advanced Technology & Projects division, and his prior professor of industrial design role at Arizona State University, where he held positions as the co-director of the Biomimicry Center and director of the InnovationSpace transdisciplinary research and education lab.

His multidisciplinary background has allowed him to collaborate across several disciplines, leading him to work in "cross-functional, tr...

Walter Hood prepares to lead UC Berkeley's landscape department

2023-08-24T11:37:00-04:00

Professor Walter Hood is set to become chair of UC Berkeley's Department of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning (LAEP) for a two-year term beginning this fall. Berkeley describes Hood as “one of the pre-eminent American landscape designers working today,” whose projects “combine architectural and public art approaches with a concern for ecological sustainability.”

As our 2021 interview explored, Hood's education began at UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design (CED), where he obtained both his Master of Landscape Architecture and Master of Architecture in 1989, followed by an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2013. Joining CED's faculty in 1993, Hood has previously held the position of LAEP department chair, serving one term, and was honored with the Woo Chair for Design Excellence from 2012 to 2022.

Archinect Feature: Othering Blackness in Design: Reflections with Walter Hood

Meanwhile, Hood's literary contributions include authoring Urban Diar...

The Cooper Union updates Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture Deanship search

2023-08-21T12:10:00-04:00

The Cooper Union has announced an update in its search to find a new permanent Dean of The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture.

In a letter to the schoolwide community, the Board of Trustees announced the continuation of Hayley Eber as Acting Dean and the addition of South African-born architect Mokena Makeka as its first Special Advisor to the Vice President of Academic Affairs following an exhaustive two-year community feedback process.

The Board shared that a four-candidate review did not yield an adequate long-term hire for the Dean’s position in the view of the committee, which has been occupied by Eber on an interim basis since 2019.

The school shares: “What it generated was a new way of thinking. We conceived an entirely different leadership model — a partnership — that combines excellence and experience across the precise domains we sought to address within the School of Architecture, in particular, and for The Cooper Union, as a whole, while working within our existing b...

Dora Epstein Jones, former A+D Museum Director, joins UT Austin School of Architecture faculty

2023-08-14T11:37:00-04:00

The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture has announced Dora Epstein Jones will be joining its faculty in the fall as one of five new appointments.

Previously, Jones served as former faculty at Texas Tech University at Huckabee College of Architecture in Lubbock and will be coming to campus as the school’s newest Professor of Practice. She had previously been employed as the executive director of Los Angeles’ A+D Architecture and Design Museum prior to her tenure at Texas Tech, where she was instrumental in steering the development of a new research praxis for faculty that “forge[d] stronger interdisciplinary collaboration between architecture, philosophy, and history.”

Beyond her academic career, which began in 2002 at SCI-Arc, Epstein has also previously served as a principal of the Los Angeles-based studio Jones, Partners: Architecture, and holds a Ph.D. in Architectural History, Theory, and Criticism from UCLA in addition to her M.A. in Urban Planning, which she a...

UW-Milwaukee SARUP appoints Krisann Rehbein as director of Community Design Solutions

2023-08-08T18:02:00-04:00

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s newly-formed College of the Arts and Architecture has announced its appointment of Chicago-based artist and nonprofit leader Krisann Rehbein as the new director of Community Design Solutions (CDS).

The position, which is organized within the School of Architecture and Urban Planning (SARUP), will engage with local community organizations to ensure the continued delivery of pro bono planning services such as the Turnkey Housing initiative and Green Schoolyards project that have, in addition to nearly 230 others, helped to garner praise for the institution over the past decade.

Mo Zell, the new ASCA President and Interim Dean of the College of the Arts and Architecture, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Krisann as the new director of CDS. Her vision for the future of the organization, which includes expanding the role that faculty will play in projects, and her expertise in design and community engagement will help advance the work of CDS and u...

Alexa Kasdan appointed Executive Director of the Pratt Center for Community Development

2023-07-31T12:27:00-04:00

The Pratt Center for Community Development has appointed Alexa Kasdan as its new executive director, effective September 1, 2023. Kasdan will bring to the role “two decades of experience in participatory research and policy advocacy to the role, along with the ability to leverage strong partnerships within the philanthropic community.”

As executive director of the Center, Kasdan will oversee the institution’s professional staff and coordinate with Pratt Institute faculty, students, and staff to “facilitate community-led planning, applied research, and public policy advocacy to help local organizations challenge and overcome systemic inequities.”

Kasdan's academic qualifications include a master's degree in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s degree in political science and African-American studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her policy and research career began at Community Voices Heard (CVH), working with women of color and low-i...

Milton S.F. Curry joins Cornell AAP as Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Engagement

2023-07-25T14:46:00-04:00

Former USC School of Architecture Dean (2017–22) Milton S.F. Curry will be joining Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP) as its new Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Engagement and Professor of Architecture.

Curry's new position began on July 1, 2023, according to Cornell AAP, and will bring him into contact with the university community and broader public through a range of new initiatives that include the launch of the school’s social justice-focused Black Cities Americas Lab.

Previously on Archinect: Deans List: Milton Curry shares his vision for the future of the USC School of Architecture

During his five-year tenure as Dean at USC, Curry had a list of accomplishments that includes the school’s acquisition of the once-lost Paul Revere Williams archive and shifted educational emphasis towards including academic theories of architecture across the curriculum. He will come to the AAP will similar past experience as the University of M...

Chingwen Cheng named new director of Penn State’s Stuckeman School

2023-06-23T13:00:00-04:00

Chingwen Cheng has been appointed as the new director of the Stuckeman School at Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture. Cheng is currently the program head and associate professor of landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental design at Arizona State University’s Design School.

Announcing the news, Penn State described Cheng as “a climate justice design educator and advocate for climate actions through co-designing nature-based solutions with communities.” Among Cheng’s engagement with sustainable design is her founding and directing of Hydro-GI Lab, which focuses on the evaluation of both the design process and outcomes of nature-based solutions for climate justice design.

“Climate change impacts and systemic injustice are persistent challenges that many communities around the world are facing,” Cheng said in a statement. “Design practices and scholarship must address these challenges as we hold the power to shape the built environment. After nearly three decade...

Julia Czerniak chosen as next dean of University at Buffalo’s School of Architecture and Planning

2023-06-22T12:37:00-04:00

Noted architect, landscape architect, and Syracuse University professor Julia Czerniak has been named dean of the University at Buffalo’s School of Architecture and Planning following a competitive search to find the next design education leader for the SUNY flagship campus.

Czerniak will take office effective September 11th and comes to campus with extensive experience both in academia and the development of communities like Buffalo that are working to come out of the long shadow of deindustrialization.

Czerniak has been on faculty at Syracuse since 1995 and served as the associate dean of the School of Architecture between 2014 and 2022. The Penn State, Princeton, and Glasgow School of Art alumna is also the founding creative director at CLEAR, a unique interdisciplinary design practice focused on developing urban landscapes in cities in the Rust Belt region. Her work there and at other ventures has led to a 2024 residency at the American Academy in Rome and the J.B. Jackson Book ...

The Architectural League of New York appoints Jacob R. Moore as its new Executive Director

2023-06-15T11:49:00-04:00

The Architectural League of New York has named Jacob R. Moore as its next Executive Director, following a thorough national search. Moore succeeds Rosalie Genevro, who announced her decision to step down last year after leading the organization for nearly 40 years.

“Jacob brings tremendous passion and a deep knowledge of the most important forces and issues impacting the built environment today,” said Mario Gooden, President of The League’s board of directors. “His vision for the future of The League and his commitment to equity, spatial justice, and the environment make him the ideal person to shape our next chapter.”

Moore will assume the position after most recently serving as the Associate Director of the Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture at Columbia University’s GSAPP. While at the Buell Center, he led the design, development, and execution of a range of public programs with a focus on the built environment, climate change, and social justice. S...

Penn State’s Stuckeman School names Frank Jacobus head of the Department of Architecture

2023-06-12T12:07:00-04:00

The Stuckeman School at Penn State University has announced that award-winning architect Frank Jacobus will take over as the next head of the Department of Architecture starting on July 1st.

Jacobus is known for his work through the 11-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina-based practice SILO and comes to the position with more than 16 years of academic experience, including a recent stint as the department head at the University of Arkansas’ Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design.

B. Stephen Carpenter II, the Dean of the College of Arts and Architecture, said: “Frank Jacobus’ broad experience as an award-winning architect, academic administrator, and committed educator positions him to effectively lead the Department of Architecture with an eye toward the future and how we can continually improve the experience for students. His commitment to openness and innovation will benefit students and faculty alike.”

Previously on Archinect: Penn State seeks an Architecture Department Head...

Evelyn Lee is named 2025 AIA President

2023-06-09T15:47:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has formally announced AIA San Francisco and AIA California chapter member Evelyn Lee as its 2024 First VP President-Elect and 2025 President.

Lee is currently the Global Head of Workspace Strategy and Innovation at Slack in San Francisco and is also a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). She also served as the AIA National Treasurer from 2020 to 2021 and comes to the position with extensive experience within the organization, including a stint as the Past Chair of the Young Architect's Forum and National Associates Committee.

Lee has also contributed to the profession as a design strategist and writer, discussing with Archinect in a 2018 featured interview that she sees a need for manifold changes throughout the profession for architecture to maintain its relevance in society more broadly.

"Architects need to take hold of our identities as multi-faceted problem solvers, conveners, and human-centered design th...

Dr. Abimbola Asojo is the new dean of Morgan State University's School of Architecture and Planning

2023-05-10T14:22:00-04:00

Morgan State University's School of Architecture and Planning has announced the appointment of Dr. Abimbola O. Asojo as the school's new dean.

Dr. Asojo is the second dean in the school's history following the tenure of former dean Mary Anne Akers, the school's founding dean who held the position for 14 years.

With over 25 years of experience as an educator, architect, writer, and academic leader, Dr. Asojo's academic work has focused on "cross-cultural design, architectural lighting design, African architecture, computing and design, global issues, sustainable design, and K-12 spaces."

She has held teaching and leadership positions at the University of Minnesota, where she served as the school's associate dean for faculty at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs and a professor of Interior Design at the School of Architecture at the College of Design for 12 years.

Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Image courtesy of Morgan State.

In addition to being a lic...

Kennesaw State University names Hazem Rashed-Ali as new dean of College of Architecture and Construction Management

2023-05-05T17:02:00-04:00

Kennesaw State University has announced the appointment of Hazem Rashed-Ali as the dean of the College of Architecture and Construction Management.

Rashed-Ali currently works as associate dean of research and innovation in the Huckabee College of Architecture at Texas Tech University. His research focuses on sustainable architecture and urbanism with a focus on the design of high-performance, energy-efficient, and carbon-neutral buildings and communities.

Before Texas Tech, Rashed-Ali spent 15 years at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) where he served as an associate professor in the Department of Architecture and associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Architecture, Construction, and Planning. During his time at UTSA, he received the University of Texas System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award.

Rashed-Ali earned a Ph.D. in Architecture from Texas A&M University. He also has an M.S. in Architecture from Oxford Brookes University in England ...

Clemson University names George J. Petersen as interim dean for new College of Architecture, Art and Construction

2023-04-25T12:59:00-04:00

Clemson University has appointed George J. Petersen, the Provost Distinguished Professor of Educational Innovation, as the interim dean of the newly formed College of Architecture, Art and Construction (CAAC). Petersen served as the founding dean of Clemson’s College of Education from 2014 to 2022 where he oversaw notable growth, increasing enrollment at the undergraduate and graduate programs by 37% and 105% respectively.

Prior to his work at Clemson, Petersen was dean of the Graduate School of Education at California Lutheran University. He also served as a faculty member at California Polytechnic State University, University of Missouri – Columbia, Bowling Green State University, and University of Evansville. His honors at Clemson include the Ralph D. Elliott Award for Exemplary Facilitation and Implementation of Innovative Programs for Continuing, Off-Campus and Distance Education and the Distinguished Research Award from the College of Education. He was also inducted into the H...

Montana State University announces Dean Adams as its next College of Arts and Architecture dean

2023-04-13T13:56:00-04:00

Montana State University has announced Dean Adams as the institution’s next dean of the College of Arts and Architecture. Adams will take up the new position on July 1st, where he will oversee 1,100 students across schools of architecture, art, music, film, and photography.

Adams was chosen for the role following an interview process that included meetings with faculty, administrators, and students. Members of the public were also invited to participate in open forums and submit comments online.

“As the newly appointed dean of the College of Arts and Architecture at Montana State University, I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to help lead a community of students, faculty, and staff who are dedicated to advancing our understanding of what it means to be human through studio-based learning, critical studies, creative practices, and public engagement,” Adams said in a statement following the announcement.

University of Pennsylvania appoints Rossana Hu as Architecture Chair

2023-04-12T17:13:00-04:00

The University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design has announced its appointment of Neri&Hu Design and Research Office co-founder Rossana Hu as the next chair of its Department of Architecture.

Hu, who is currently on the faculty of the College of Architecture & Urban Planning at Tongji University in Shanghai, will take over chair duties effective January 1st of next year. Current associate professor and MArch program director Andrew Saunders will lead in an interim role beginning in the fall.

Hu will become the third woman to serve as the department’s chair and continues a relationship with China that has been long-established at the school since the beginning of the 1920s.

“We see ourselves as mediators: between past and present, individual and collective, public and private, rural and urban,” Hu said of her firm’s approach to design, before adding, “It’s clear that the faculty and students at Penn are equally committed to this vision.”

Related on Archinect: The Wei...

Kansas State College of Architecture, Planning & Design names Michael McClure as its new Dean

2023-04-06T14:15:00-04:00

Kansas State University has announced architect Michael McClure as the new dean of its College of Architecture, Planning & Design.

The emerymcclure architecture co-founder and current University of Louisiana at Lafayette professor was appointed following a national search and will step into the office effective July 1st, according to the university. McClure has been serving as the interim dean of UL Lafayette’s College of Arts since 2021 and comes to the role with additional past academic experience at Louisiana State University, Tulane, and the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

In a press statement, Kansas State Provos Charles Taber referred to the architect as a "visionary leader" who holds a "passion for education," adding: "He is equipped to lead and continue to advance the college while ensuring we are preparing students for industry."

The announcement mentioned McClure has worked for Robert A. M. Stern and other New York studios before decamping to Lafayette, where he founded his 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...