EVENTS

We reached new heights with events in the last academic year. Some, such as the Design Excellence Dinner, were demonstrations of our ability to build upon and improve traditions that cement our relationships with alumni and our extended community. Others, such as the spring Awards Reception, presented an opportunity for us to focus on the core mission of the college and to share our successes.

Design Excellence Dinner. Last spring’s Design Excellence Dinner surpassed all previous years— both in attendance and in funds raised for the college’s programs. The Design Excellence Dinner is now one of a few premiere ASU events. We are expecting approximately 750+ attendees for the dinner this year. Information on dinner sponsorships will be forthcoming with news about an exciting speaker to anchor a lively evening.

Council for Design Excellence. The Council for Design Excellence (CDE) hosted an extraordinary array of speakers last year on topics directly related to the programs in the college. An impressive appearance by Barnaby Evans, in both a universitywide lecture in the evening and a closed session with the CDE the next morning, allowed a wide audience to hear Evans speak. While we were not able to replicate the double performance, Peter Eisenman, architect for the new University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, gave a compelling talk on his experience as a teacher of architecture for nearly four decades and the predicament of the present state of architecture.

Annual Awards Reception. The spring convocation does not allow us to appropriately recognize the achievements of many of our graduating students. Our first attempt at an all-college event on the terrace by the South Building was greeted by the students, faculty, and alumni in attendance with much appreciation. With the benefit of this inaugural experience, we anticipate an even more memorable occasion this year.

Homecoming. We continue to see solid attendance on Homecoming Day, particularly from the architecture classes from thirty years back. Dean Reiter had the pleasure of leading a tour of the building and sharing the vision of both the college and university. Many are gratified to see the progress and are remembering the college in their annual giving plans. Almost to a person many ask how they might have more direct access to our highly regarded graduates.

PHOENIX URBAN RESEARCH LABORATORY (PURL)

It would be hard to overstate the impact of PURL on the perception of the college as a forum for progressive urbanism and design. Built around a studio capable of hosting 40 students, PURL has also been the site of countless lectures, panels, public meetings, community planning sessions, and ceremonial dinners, the most important of which was the celebration of the passage of the bond election that initiated the construction of the ASU downtown campus. With corporate contributions in support of PURL programming growing, we expect an even more successful year for this extension of the college.

Based at PURL, the Planning + Design Academy is a continuing education forum for professionals. This initiative is a service to the community that has previously gone unmet. These efforts are also being coordinated with the College of Public Programs.

PURL is also the home of the Arizona offices of the Urban Land Institute. This is a purposeful strategic partnership and one that is already paying dividends. ULI is sponsoring a major visioning project set for the fall of 2007, in which the college will play an active role—this is just a part of our emerging partnership.

Unintended Consequences, on display in the College of Design Gallery of Design during
November and December 2006, is a demonstration of the outreach efforts by PURL to work
with the community to identify needs and opportunities. A forthcoming publication on the
project will be released early this year.

PURL PROJECTS

Faculty and students have been engaged in a variety of projects under the PURL banner including:

Master planning for the Maricopa County campus downtown. This sponsored project is assisting the county with determining the scale and amenitities of its new downtown Phoenix campus.

A strategic plan for the Capitol Mall. Another sponsored project built upon the solid foundation created in a joint Planning and Architecture studio in 2005, the master plan was presented to the Governmental Mall Commission during November 2006. From that meeting, the commission selected a subcommittee to continue examining the recommendations of the master plan.

The future of Adams Street. This quick study was requested by the city of Phoenix and the Downtown Phoenix Partnership. This study was critical to the promotion of a pedestrianoriented urban realm.

A planning study for West Phoenix was successfully completed by Planning faculty and a student team. This work has garnered much praise from the community and city officials.

Upcoming projects include studies for Papago Park, the city of Maricopa, the county hospital, Sky Harbor Airport, and multiple planned communities.

HERBERGER CENTER FOR DESIGN RESEARCH (HCDR)

With a newfound direction focused on research and supporting funding for such efforts,
HCDR has found new life and many new resources to support faculty interests. It is our ambition to leverage these strengths so that sponsored research in the college is increased as mandated by the university, which in turn leads to increased opportunities for master’s and PhD students to engage in applied research projects. Key topic areas have been identified (housing, visualization, tribal land planning, healthcare design, architectural technologies, solar/sustainability) and research clusters assembled as required. Of course, the universitywide interest in sustainability is revealing many untapped opportunities and partners.

One example of note is the $1 million in funding secured to launch the Digital Phoenix
Project, a database and visualization research effort that should position the college at the center of many projects that pertain to the evolution of the metro area.

Another is the recent Department of Energy Solar America Initiative grant proposal. The
HCDR, working with the university’s Office of the VP for Research, developed an application for $970,000 in solar-related research and design to be conducted in partnership with BP Solar. A large team of college faculty is slated to participate if the application is successfully funded. The involvement in this proposal is a demonstration of the importance of cross-campus collaborations, the potential of the college to have access to larger funding streams than previously imagined, and the elevated profile of the college. We will continue to push on the issue of solar, based on the long history of involvement by the college.

The Herberger Center is also assisting the college in further development of sustainability
research via a new visiting researcher initiative. In spring 2007, HCDR and the college will host Dr. Susan Roaf and Dr. Rajat Gupta, both of Oxford, UK, for a semester of teaching, lectures, research, and PhD student support. Drs. Roaf and Gupta have international reputations in the areas of thermal comfort, sustainable architecture, carbon modeling, and public policy strategies to mitigate carbon emissions. We anticipate that this will be the beginning of an ongoing collaborative relationship that will lead to greater opportunities for faculty and students to participate in global sustainability issues.

Support continues for opportunities in housing research and events that educate the public. February 25-26, 2007, HCDR will host the EDRA/Places 2007 Design Awards jury as they evaluate and select the 2007 award-winning projects. Jurors will conduct a plenary presentation for our students at the close of the weekend. HCDR also works closely with Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family and was a sponsor for the closing event of the Stardust/Bentley Projects exhibit Affordable Housing: Designing an American Asset. The event featured Juan Williams, National Public Radio (NPR) senior correspondent, with a reception and special presentation “Faces and Voices,” stories from our local housing community, prior to Williams’ presentation.

CROSS-COLLEGE PROGRAMS

Moving in step with the university’s initiatives in interdisciplinary arrangements, the college is taking further advantage of the proximity of its disciplines, students, faculty, and facilities. To that end, the college has organized the new Bachelor of Arts in Design Studies program, the Master of Science in Design, and the PhD in Environmental Design and Planning program into one administrative group— Cross-College Programs.

The Bachelor of Arts in Design Studies received official blessing from the Arizona Board of Regents in late spring and has, as anticipated, been widely accepted by our students seeking alternatives to the professional programs. We are pleased that we will be able to serve this group of students who can now pursue careers in related design fields. The BA is seen as a model program for retaining and supporting students at ASU and has been referenced by President Crow in many public addresses. It is clear that there is an audience for this program and potential career tracks that complements—but not competes—with the professional programs already in the college.

The MSD Program continues to be the graduate research arm of industrial design, interior design, and visual communication design, but it, too, has expanded its offerings. A concentration with Arts/Media/Engineering was recently approved and a focus on innovation—a hot topic across campus— is under discussion. Like other cross-college programs, refining the areas of emphasis, making sure that they are fully supported and attracting the best graduate students into these tracks, is essential.

For the first time since its inception, the PhD Program has students from all of our design disciplines— a clear indication that the program’s quest for an interdisciplinary mix is achievable. It is clear that the PhD program will benefit from presenting options that are backed up by a larger offering of required courses, links with university initiatives, and a stronger research emphasis.

MASTER OF REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT (MRED)

The Master of Real Estate Development (MRED)—the first truly transdisciplinary degree program at ASU—has exceeded all expectations. Approved by ABOR in June, the program was launched at an inaugural luncheon and ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 15. Thirty high-powered graduate students were accepted into the program from 170 applicants. Letters of interest for next year exceed 400.

The curriculum for this program involves a four-college arrangement with faculty from law, business, design, and construction presenting material in a manner outside of conventional course structures. In fact, there are no classes in the conventional sense. Instead, the material is offered in fluid presentation that parallels the development process. An exchange program with MIT, a 25-member board of advisors/contributors, and a roster of nationally recognized guest speakers are but three of the features of the program.

The MRED program has its own advisory board comprised of members of the development community, finance, law, and architecture. Please contact Trista Dunagan, Director of Development for the College of Design, if you are interested in joining this prestigious board.

COLLEGE ALLIANCES

One of the hallmarks of the New American University is the establishment of meaningful connections between interest groups around problems requiring the multiple perspectives. The MRED program, mentioned above is such an example. InnovationSpace has a well-established track record with links to Engineering and Business. It should be noted that this highly successful program was touted in BusinessWeek earlier this month, along with the fact that the College of Design has now been included in BusinessWeek’s list of the Top 60 Global Schools of Design—which includes 33 U.S. institutions and only 16 institutions that also have Industrial Design programs.

Another partnership has been formed with the Arts Media And Engineering (AME), itself an interdisciplinary program. Opportunities to work in the realm of digital interfaces and experience via AME have been formally arranged in both the PhD and MSD programs. Plans for a joint laboratory with AME and InnovationSpace are in the works at SkySong in Scottsdale.

Partnerships with Global Institute of Sustainability (GIOS), the College of Public Programs, and the Herberger College of Fine Arts are developing rapidly.

COMMUNICATIONS

We are constantly trying to increase the exposure for the work of the faculty, students, and alumni in the College of Design. We have made some significant strides but have plans for even further outreach.

The college's new website was also launched over the summer at design.asu.edu. The website begins to communicate that we are indeed a school of design and unique to ASU. Reviews of the website—both for design and content—are quite positive.

The accompanying book for the college, designed by Tolleson Design in San Francisco, is being distributed across ASU, the region, and nationally. The book has gotten rave reviews from around ASU, with Dr. Crow asking for 100 copies that he delivered to other schools and colleges as a demonstration of what the New American University should look like.

Our faculty and programs continue to be among the highest rated in the university and nationally. The publications and awards are too numerous for this note and will be recognized on the web and in other upcoming publications about the college.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF DESIGN

Please visit our website at design.asu.edu to learn more about the college’s programs and students. You can become involved in the life of the college in a variety of ways. Are you interested in:

Opportunities to support student scholarships and college programs through donations or planned giving?

Contact: Trista Dunagan, Director of Development
480.727.8998 or trista.dunagan@asu.edu

Continuing professional education in design and planning fields?
Contact: Laurel Arndt, Coordinator, Planning and Design Academy
480.727.9819 or laurel.arndt@asu.edu

Participating in the Career Fair as a potential employer for our students or providing internship opportunities for our students?
Contact: Martha Carter, Coordinator, Student Services
480.965.8169 or martha.carter@asu.edu

Participating on the CDE or MRED advisory boards or studio design review panels?

Contact: Sharon Haugen, Development Assistant
480.965.6384 or sharon.haugen@asu.edu

Sponsoring research projects?

Contact: Janet Holston, Coordinator, Herberger Center for Design Research
480.727.0478 or janet.holston@asu.edu

Sponsoring projects at the Phoenix Urban Research Laboratory (PURL)?
Contact: Sara Loughman, Manager, PURL
480.727.9888 or sara.loughman@asu.edu

Media inquiries or receiving information about the college through email or mailings?

Contact: Julie Russ, Communications Manager
480.965.6693 or jruss@asu.edu

PO Box 871905 Tempe AZ 85287-1905
480.965.6384
design.asu.edu

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