Four dean candidates for the School of Architecture & Design to give presentations

Editor's note, Feb. 18: The third candidate for dean of the School of Architecture & Design withdrew their name before they were to be announced. Their presentation has been updated below to reflect that the Feb. 21 presentation is canceled.

LAWRENCE – Four candidates will give public presentations in a bid to be the next dean of the University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design. Three presentations will occur on campus, and one will be fully remote. Members of the KU community are encouraged to attend each candidate’s public presentations and provide feedback to the search committee.

The name of each candidate will be announced approximately two business days before their respective campus visits. The first candidate was announced Thursday. Public presentations for each of the candidates are scheduled for the following dates:

• Michael McClure: 3-4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15, The Forum at Marvin Hall
• Candidate 2: 2:45-3:45 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18, The Forum at Marvin Hall
• CANCELED: Candidate 3: 3-4 p.m. Feb. 21, Zoom webinar, details to be shared later
• Candidate 4: 3-4 p.m. Feb. 24, The Forum at Marvin Hall.

The search committee, led by Rick Ginsberg, dean of the School of Education & Human Sciences, asked candidates to describe their approach to leadership, how they emphasize design thinking and to describe the key areas of emphasis for the school over the next five years. Recordings of the presentations will be available to view the following day. Presentations are expected to be 30-45 minutes, with a short question-and-answer session to follow. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to offer their impressions and observations of each candidate online. Feedback will be due by 5 p.m. March 1.

“The search elicited a pool of high-quality candidates from all over the world,” Ginsberg said. “The finalists all bring strong scholarly and applied experiences, and each one emphasizes design thinking that fits with the needs for leading the school into the future.”

The approximately 800 undergraduates, 200 graduate students and 40 faculty who comprise the School of Architecture & Design share a commitment to excellence. The dean will strategically and collaboratively lead the school in its scholarly and educational contributions.

The KU Department of Architecture is internationally known for its high-impact programs in design-build, health and wellness, historic preservation, participatory design, urban design, and experiential learning in immersive study abroad and global professional internship programs. The KU Department of Design has an established legacy of preparing multidisciplinary practitioners to impact the world through a creative, solutions-based and human-centered approach. Experiential, professionally focused programs engage students in the practice of design-thinking and visualization to create beautiful, innovative and responsible solutions that respond to human needs and enhance the quality of everyday life.

Faculty in the school lead and contribute to a multitude of strategic initiatives such as:

• Center for Design Research
• Dotte Agency
• Institute for Health + Wellness
• Institute for Smart Cities
• Think Wrong

More information about the school and the search committee can be found online.