The College of Distinguished Professors, founded in 2010, is composed of ACSA members who receive the ACSA Distinguished Professor Award or the ACSA/AIA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education. College membership is one of the highest honors the ACSA can bestow upon an educator.
The College of Distinguished Professors, founded in 2010, is composed of ACSA members who receive the ACSA Distinguished Professor Award or the ACSA/AIA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education. College membership is one of the highest honors the ACSA can bestow upon an educator.
With the ACSA’s annual meeting happening in Chicago from March 26th through the 28th, I wanted to update you on what has been happening since my last message. Our Vice-Chancellor, Renee Cheng, led a workshop at the administrator’s conference in November among both new and experienced administrators on the challenges –and rewards– of academic leadership. Then in December, we launched our mentoring program, which has been a great success. We have 33 mentors, many of them members of the College, and almost double that number of mentees. I want to thank all of those who have participated in the program and I, for one, know that I have learned as much from my mentees as I hope they have learned from me. Also, three of our members – Michael Crosbie, Paco Rodriguez Suarez, and me – are working on the next double issue of the JAE on The Future of Architectural Education, which has a March 23rd deadline for submissions.
I also want to take this opportunity to welcome our eight new members, who we will celebrate in Chicago. They are:
Carla Jackson Bell, Tuskegee University
Phil Bernstein, Yale University
Botond Bognar, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Caryn Brause, University of Massachusetts Amherst
David Hughes, Kent State University
Richard Mohler, University of Washington
Eric Mumford, Washington University in St. Louis
Alan Plattus, Yale University
This is a record number of new members in a single year, and I want to thank the jury – Marleen Davis, Jori Erdman, José Gámez, and Mohammad Gharipour – for their work in bringing such a stellar group of distinguished professors to our ranks.
For those of you who will be in Chicago, the awards ceremony for our new members – including Sarah Whiting from Harvard University, who as this year’s recipient of the Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education also becomes a member of the College – will occur on March 27th, from 4:30 to 6:00 pm followed by a reception. Our new members will have an opportunity to talk about their careers and to engage in conversation among themselves and with the audience on March 28th, from 9:00 to 10:30 am.
All my best,
Tom Fisher, DPACSA
Chancellor, ACSA College of Distinguished Professors
Please visit the ACSA Awards webpage for detailed information on nominations for the ACSA/AIA Topaz Medal Laureate and the ACSA Distinguished Professor Award.
The ACSA/AIA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education is awarded jointly by ACSA and the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The Topaz Medallion is the highest award given to architectural educators. It honors an individual who has made outstanding contributions to architectural education, whose teaching has influenced a broad range of students, and who has helped shape the minds of students who will shape our environment.
The ACSA Distinguished Professor Award recognizes sustained creative achievement in the advancement of architectural education through teaching, design, scholarship, research, or service.
Michael Monti
Executive Director
tel: 202.785.2324
email: mmonti@acsa-arch.org
Founded in 1912 by 10 charter members, ACSA is an international association of architecture schools preparing future architects, designers, and change agents. Our membership includes all of the accredited professional degree programs in the United States and Canada, as well as international schools and 2- and 4-year programs. Together ACSA schools represent some 7,000 faculty educating more than 40,000 students.
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