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.

In addition to being a licensed architect, Dr. Asojo holds several accreditations, including being named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, recognition as U.S. Design Intelligence's top educator in 2010 and 2017, and the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the faculty of Environmental Design and Management at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. Her work and experience in lighting design led to the creation of the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment's lighting design minor, which she helped co-found. Other academic positions include her time at the University of Oklahoma, College of Design.

Through her work, she helped develop West Africa's first Master of Interior Design program. Dr. Asojo has a certification from the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) certification. She is a member of several organizations, including the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), and serves as a review board member on the Journal of Interior Design (JID), and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) Building Information Modeling (BIM) committee.

"I am extremely excited and honored to be named the dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at Morgan State University. It is a great privilege for me to serve and contribute my expertise to build relationships and advance the school’s vision and priorities to align with the university’s core values and strategic plan — Transformation Morgan," shared Dr. Asojo. "I am looking forward to collaborating with the students, staff, faculty, and administration to lead the school with its exemplary reputation to greater heights.”

Dr. Asojo holds a B.S. and M.S. in Architecture from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. She also holds an M.S. in Architecture: Computing Design from the University of East London and a Ph.D. in Instructional Psychology and Technology, Anthropology, and History from the University of Oklahoma.