Archinect - News

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...

Architecture schools are actively searching for deans, professors, and other design faculty

2023-02-09T14:45:00-05:00

For this week's jobs highlight, Archinect continues with a selection of employment opportunities at architecture schools seeking academic deans, professors, and other design faculty.

If you missed it, don't forget to check out January's academic job round-up for more opportunities. If you're looking for other architecture-related jobs? Explore the Archinect Job Board, the industry's leading job board with 100+ new listings posted every week.

Image courtesy of College of the Canyons Architecture via @ArchidCOC.

College of the Canyons is hiring an...

Architecture Instructor - "College of the Canyons is seeking a faculty leader in the area of Architecture. This is a 10-MONTH professional, full-time tenure track position beginning August 11, 2023. The position may include a combination of teaching, department, college, and community leadership functions. The assignment may include day, evening, and weekend duties at all District sites." Read more here.

The Ohio State University is hiring...

Amale Andraos steps down as Dean of Columbia GSAPP

2021-05-20T16:10:00-04:00

Today, academic and architectural practitioner Amale Andraos announces her decision to step down as Dean of Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. After succeeding Mark Wigley as Dean in 2014, Andraos has dedicated her time towards serving and improving the GSAPP community. During her seven-year tenure, she also ran her practice WORKac along with her husband, Dan Wood.

Keen on strengthening the institution's connectivity to the city and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations between GSAPP and other disciplines, Andraos' continued involvement with the university will continue. In her open letter to the community, she notes that she will continue to serve the GSAPP community as a Special Advisor to the President. "Climate Change is one of the main reasons I accepted to serve as Dean seven years ago [...] I will be able to continue to advocate for our disciplines' urgent transformations so that they may help address the challenges already...

Rice Architecture selects Igor Marjanović as its new dean

2021-05-18T20:11:00-04:00

Rice University School of Architecture announces Igor Marjanović as the new William Ward Watkin Dean. Beginning his position starting July 1, Marjanović is an experienced architect, educator, and curator. Before his move to Rice, Marjanović is currently the JoAnne Stolaroff Cotsen Professor and chair of undergraduate architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.

After receiving his architecture education from the University of Belgrade and the Moscow Architectural Institute, Marjanović received a Master's degree in Architecture from the Unversity of Illinois at Chicago and a Ph.D. at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. Prior to starting his practice, ReadyMade Studio, alongside Katerina Rüedi Ray, Marjanović has worked with Osnova Projekt in Belgrade, Denise Pontes Arquitetura Interiores in Fortaleza, Brazil, and OWP/P Architects (now CannonDesign) in Chicago.

Anderson Hall at Rice University. Image cou...

Stephanie Lin named incoming dean at The School of Architecture

2021-01-29T13:30:00-05:00

The School of Architecture, previously known as the School of Architecture at Taliesin, went through several changes this past year. While the announcement of its closure continued to make headlines since our first piece of coverage back in January 2020, the school's "potential future" seemed hopeful during reports in May.

After many transitions and public announcements, The School of Architecture announces Stephanie Lin's appointment as incoming Dean. Lin's work and background in academia and professional practice make her a refreshing addition to the school's future and leadership. Her work focuses on merging artistic and architectural modes of thinking scale, interiors, and installations. Her collaborative and individual work has been exhibited at Storefront for Art and Architecture, MoMA, and cneai= in Paris, to name a few.

"Gallery of Figures" - Office III were finalists at MoMA PS1 2017. Image courtesy of Office III

She received her B.A. in Architecture from UC Berkeley, follow...

Multi-talented architect and academic advocate Lesley Lokko is awarded the 2020 RIBA Annie Spink Award

2021-01-04T14:00:00-05:00

Since 2000 RIBA has presented the Annie Spink Award to individuals for their outstanding work and contributions to architectural academia. This year the prestigious biennial prize has been awarded to the multi-talented architect and academic advocate Lesley Lokko. Growing up in Ghana and Scotland, her journey towards a career in architecture has led her to become an impactful practitioner, best-selling novelist, and long-time architectural educator. Her dedication to the profession and academia has deemed her notoriety and praise.

Upon receiving the award, Lokko shares in a statement, "I am deeply humbled by the jury's decision. This award is for everyone who came out in support of the Black Lives Matter protests, which put such difficult and challenging questions on the table for us all. It is also dedicated to the teachers and students at the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg, whose tenacity and inventiveness have charted a new path for architectura...

Dean searches have begun at The University of Virginia and The University of Tennessee's architecture departments

2020-12-09T17:45:00-05:00

It's not every day you come across job ads for positions like university deans, but this week there have been two new searches advertised on Archinect Jobs.

The University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville, is currently seeking a new Dean of the School of Architecture. They are looking for someone "who can advance the mission and to build upon the School’s unique qualities that provide a competitive advantage among Schools of Architecture." As with most positions of this stature, the university envisions hiring an individual accomplished in academia, with experience leading a school of architecture and/or design, however, applicants coming from a professional practice background, who value academic teaching and research will also be considered for the position.

In 2014 Elizabeth K. Meyer was named dean of the University of Virginia, followed by Ila Berman in 2016. For more information about this opportunity view the job ad for full details.

Meanwhile, at The University of Te...

What will the future of architectural education look like?

2020-10-15T14:47:00-04:00

It's safe to say that nobody knows what the future of architectural education will be. These days it's hard to know what next month will bring us. Few people would argue, however, that academia is ripe for change, as are many facets of modern life that have not evolved at the pace the world has changed in recent decades.

To address this necessary change, we invite you to join us for a special discussion this upcoming Monday, from 1-2 pm EST / 10-11 am PST, featuring a distinguished panel of leaders of architectural education. Deans from across the country will be addressing, head-on, the change they hope to see, and the challenges they currently face to make that change.

To RSVP for this virtual panel, please click the "reserve" button at this link. Space is limited and registration is required to attend.

The Panelists

Hernán Díaz Alonso has been the director of the Southern California Institute of Architecture since 2015, where is held the position of distinguished faculty membe...

Lesley Lokko resigns as Dean of CCNY's Spitzer School of Architecture

2020-10-07T13:36:00-04:00

This week Lesley Lokko announces her resignation as Dean of Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York. After her appointment in June 2019, there was a lot of excitement about her plans and goals for the school under her leadership. We spoke with Lokko back in November to for an exclusive Archinect Deans List interview. She spoke of her journey towards architecture, her path as an educator, and her pedagogical approaches for the school.

The Spitzer school is New York City's only public school of architecture. Image courtesy of CCNY.

During Dean Lokko's appointment, the world was struck with a pandemic that impacted everyone around the globe. Academic institutions did their best to navigate these challenging times, however, visions for the 2020 academic year were dramatically altered. In a statement shared with the Architectural Record, Lokko explains, "My decision to leave Spitzer after less than a year is fairly straightforward: I was not able to...

Vishaan Chakrabarti assumes deanship at UC Berkeley CED

2020-08-04T15:29:00-04:00

Nearly 15 years after earning an M.Arch degree from the University of California, Berkeley College of Environmental Design, architect, educator, and author Vishaan Chakrabarti has taken the reins of the college as its new Dean.

In a welcome note published to the school's website, Chakrabarti reflects on the "intertwined challenges" facing rising architecture and design students, explaining that "the world is at an inflection point like no other."

Previously on Archinect: "Deans List: Berkeley's Vishaan Chakrabarti on Rejecting the False Choices Embodied by Recent Architectural Pedagogies." Vishaan Chakrabarti is the new dean at the College of Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley. Image courtesy of Columbia University.

"From the righteous calls on city streets for racial, economic, and environmental justice; to the disproportionate impacts of this global pandemic on black and brown communities; to the promise and pitfalls of new technologies; to the fraying ...

Scott Poole to step down as Dean of University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of Architecture and Design

2020-08-03T12:47:00-04:00

Architecture and Design Dean Scott Poole at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville has announced plans to step down from his position in order to return to teaching.

A statement published by the school announcing Poole's decision to step down reads: "Poole’s 35-year career of teaching, professional practice, service, and leadership includes many accomplishments and accolades. As an academic leader, Poole developed innovative strategies to advance meaningful collaborations between design education and practice, set the context for multiple nationally and internationally recognized experiential learning projects, hired and mentored award-winning educators, and engaged the collective capabilities of faculty to create inspiring environments for design education."

The school recently announced a new scholarship initiative aimed at bolstering the pipeline of students from diverse backgrounds entering architectural education.

The announcement explains that the school will soon form a se...