Dean Amale Andraos announced this month that GSAPP will commit $1 million to establish the Norma Merrick Sklarek '50 B.Arch Scholars Fund, intended to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity towards access for graduate study.
Sklarek was the first Black woman to become a registered architect in the State of New York. After graduating from Columbia University, she worked at the Department of Works for New York City and later accepted a position at SOM before moving to Los Angeles for a position at Gruen Associates.
While at Gruen, Sklarek was named the firm's Director in 1966 before transitioning to work at Welton Becket's firm as the organization's Vice President. Moreover, Sklarek became the first Black woman to receive a fellowship by the AIA in 1980 after which she founded Siegel, Sklarek, Diamond with Margot Siegal and Katherine Diamond.
According to Columbia University, "the Norma Merrick Sklarek ’50 B.Arch Scholars Fund will be used over the next three academic years to support a cohort of full tuition financial aid awards and will be aimed at positively addressing inequity and barriers for students who have historically been underrepresented at GSAPP."
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Equal parts glad and frustrated to see this take shape 18 months too late for myself as a minority who had to opt-out of attending to avoid re-entering practice six figures in the hole.
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