College of Built Environments at the University of Washington.
Message from Interim Dean John Schaufelberger
Friends, colleagues, coworkers, and alumni, greetings.
The short days of winter are giving way to the promise of spring, and students and faculty alike are looking forward to the end of Winter Quarter and making plans for Spring Break. This is a busy time for the departments as they process the many admission applications and select those to whom to offer admission. The college plans to gradually increase enrollment across the disciplines without reducing the quality of students admitted. A highlight of the quarter was the Dean's Distinguished Lecture in early January when the college welcomed one of its alumni, Dow Constantine, King County Executive. The lecture was well attended, and Mr. Constantine did a superb job of engaging the audience in a discussion of urban planning issues.
Last December, Dean Daniel Friedman announced that he would relinquish the deanship of the college on June 15, 2013. The Provost has appointed a search committee to identify candidates for the position and hired a search firm to assist the college in finding outstanding candidates for this important position. The search committee and the search firm have established an aggressive schedule for the submission of dean candidates to the Provost. Until a new dean arrives, I have been asked to continue to serve as Interim Dean.
During Autumn Quarter, the Department of Architecture conducted a very unique graduate studio led by Assistant Professor Elizabeth Golden and Robert Hull, a founding partner in the Miller Hull Partnership. Architecture students looked at the challenge of constructing a girls school in Afghanistan. The Janet Wright Ketcham Foundation, the organization funding the project, suggested that students use it as a case study focusing on real development issues. The students had to consider the country's cold winters and scorching summers in envisaging a school that would rely on natural ventilation, require minimal electricity, and be constructed with local materials. At the end of the quarter, the students presented their ideas to Janet Ketcham and the architect who will be designing the school in Afghanistan. The opportunity to engage in such a challenging project provided a unique learning experience for the students in the studio.
Two members of the college faculty received national recognition recently. Assistant Professor Rob Corser was named by DesignIntelligence as one of the 30 Most Admired Educators for 2013 and Associate Professor Carrie Dossick was named by Engineering News Record as one of the Top 20 in the construction industry under the age of 40 in the Northwest. Both of these recognitions are well deserved and demonstrate the professional esteem in which our faculty are held nationally.
CBE students recently organized a Student Council to serve as a conduit to bring student perspectives to issues facing the college. They are meeting with student groups to identify their concerns and then plan to meet periodically with the college leaders to discuss these issues. The college's enrollment numbers are slightly down this year, and our tuition revenue will be less as a result. Developing a sustainable funding model continues to be a challenge across the university. Construction Management will have its department re-accreditation review in March, and the Master of Science in Real Estate program will have an academic review in May. In April, the Integrated Design Lab's much anticipated move into the Bullitt Foundation's new Bullitt Center building will take place. The move to the "greenest commercial building in the world" provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase the lab's important work.
Despite recent challenges, these are positive times for the college. Our creative students and talented faculty are producing remarkable projects and research that tangibly impact our society. Happily, employment opportunities for our graduates are reemerging as the region slowly recovers from the economic downturn. As a college, we will continue to work collaboratively with our community partners to seek out opportunities to direct the skills and intellect of our students and faculty to help create a better world. As always, I would welcome your perspectives.
John Schaufelberger