Dean Ponce de Leon made her announcement in the following e-mail to students, faculty, staff, and alumni:

"Subject to approval by the University's Board of Regents at their meeting on July 15th, I am pleased to announce the appointment of John McMorrough as chair of the Architecture Program and associate professor of architecture, with tenure , effective September 1, 2010. Professor McMorrough is currently architecture section head and associate professor at the Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture at Ohio State University, where he has been since 2005. Prior to joining Ohio State, he taught at Northeastern, Harvard, MIT and Yale. In addition to serving as a principal in studio APT (Columbus, Ohio), he has held professional positions in a number of architectural firms, including the Office of Metropolitan Architecture in Rotterdam, Rothman Partners in Boston, Oaklander, Coogan & Vitto in New York, and Ellerbe Becket in Kansas City. Professor McMorrough has a PhD in architectural history and a post-professional M.Arch. from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, in addition to a B.Arch. from the University of Kansas. He is a registered architect in the State of New York and a member of the Society of Architectural Historians.

In the field of architecture today, he is one of the most original and fresh voices. His scholarly work is marked by pertinence and high quality, and revolves around some of the most significant topics that pertain to contemporary architecture culture. I look forward to working with him, the Architecture Program faculty and students in charting a new course for the discipline of architecture, seeking new approaches to cultural engagement and re-examining the role of architecture in society. I am personally excited about his appointment and hope you will join me in welcoming John to the Taubman College faculty at the University of Michigan.

Monica Ponce de Leon
Dean & Eliel Saarinen Professor of Architecture and Urban Planning"