1. ACSA and Faculty
ACSA is the primary organization that represents architecture faculty in the US and Canada. As such it must support faculty in the development and recognition of teaching, research, scholarship, creative work, and service activities.
Current Status
Many schools are placing increased emphasis on hiring faculty with doctorate degrees and stronger publication profiles than in the past. At the same time, the core focus on the design studio, characteristic of most (if not all) schools of architecture, has reinforced the value of faculty with a solid grounding in architectural practice, with the professional license being the relevant credential. ACSA is committed to providing guidance in evaluating the accomplishments of architectural faculty and to recognizing the best work in the field through awards and publication.
One of ACSA’s core responsibilities is to provide leadership and guidance on the questions of what academic background is necessary for a career in architectural education. The academy struggles to offer a deepening core knowledge of architecture with broadening specializations in related fields such as urban design and historic preservation. Theory-only instruction is being replaced by more grounded pedagogical practices aimed at addressing difficult social and environmental issues, including learner-centered approaches, electronic and distance learning, community-based projects, design-build experience, and case study methods.
Objectives
Promote Teaching
- Hold teaching workshops at scholarly meetings and incorporate regular paper sessions on pedagogy into all scholarly meetings.
- Identify and disseminate effective teaching practices to students, faculty, administrators in architecture and other disciplines.
- Support development of the scholarship of teaching
- Advance new models of teaching, such as collaborative practice and building information modeling.
Support Scholarship and Creative Work - Develop new ways evaluating creative work, in addition to traditional peer review processes.
- Act as a clearinghouse for opportunities to publish scholarship and creative work.
- Identify gaps in opportunities for publishing creative work
- Fill the gaps
- Increase access to, and value of, ACSA conference proceedings by registering them with indices such as Avery
Advance Research - Promote new and existing models for architectural research.
- Build strategic alliances with professional, government and industry entities to magnify impact of research.
Support Service - Recognize service through awards, citations, and publications.
- Establish Academy of ACSA Distinguished Professors
2. ACSA and Schools
ACSA is a resource for the improvement of the quality of architecture education by networking faculty, professional staff and administrators to information and resources . ACSA will assist member schools in enhancing the quality of pedagogy, program structure, and research, and in raising profiles before their host institutions, local communities, higher education community, and the public at large.
Current Status
Universities are emulating private companies in their reliance on quantitative measurements to track the performance of schools and colleges, departments, faculty, and students. As universities demand a stronger record of funded research and refereed publication—the benchmarks of institutional competitiveness—there remains some uncertainty about how schools of architecture should respond. There is considerable diversity in the program structure of ACSA member schools and their capacity to award degrees from the B.Arch to the D.Arch.
ACSA recognizes its responsibility to help schools develop their research capabilities and to provide outlets for peer-reviewed publication. ACSA also has a duty to help educate the universities in which schools of architecture are located about other forums in which intellectual, creative, and professional work might be counted, such as competitions, exhibitions, and public service.
Traditional practice is being transformed through innovations in construction, emphasis on sustainability, reinvention across interdisciplinary lines, computerization, expanding services, and a more diverse body of students and professionals. The academy struggles to offer deepening core knowledge of architecture with broadening specializations in related fields such as urban design and historic preservation. Public-private collaborations are increasing. Finally, in response to these changes, academics and practitioners must rethink their relationship to each other (recognizing that many of us are both).
Objectives
Assist member schools in enhancing quality
- Launch data collection effort to help prospective students make more informed choices, and to help programs get better comparative data (for benchmarking)
- Create peer-reviewed journal on architecture pedagogy
- Support effort to create "certified teaching firms" with links to universities
- Explore opportunities for online studio instruction
Assist member schools in raising profiles of programs - Build strategic alliances and research agendas with collaterals and with public and private agencies
- Launch data collection effort to help programs get better comparative data for benchmarking
- Develop position papers on subjects of interest to our membership (tenure and promotion guidelines, tuition differentials, studio culture)
- Recruit and involve new affiliate members (pre-architecture, international, liberal arts) to enrich discourse
3. ACSA and the Profession
The ACSA is the principal representative of architecture education to other architecture organizations. The ACSA will influence the collaterals on educational issues and partner effectively with parallel academic, professional, and research entities.
Current Status
Changes in the profession and the practice of architecture have focused renewed attention on the importance of education to the success of the field as a whole. The construction industry is developing new project delivery approaches that increase competition for work traditionally preserved for licensed architects. Engineers, interior designers, management consultants, and other related professionals are increasingly involved in decisions about building design. The trend towards large corporate practice is changing the nature of the architectural office and is a driving force in global practice. Computers and electronic communication technologies require new investment in the infrastructure foreducation. Business-driven approaches to practice are forcing “generalist” architects into the role of specialists in areas such as medical architecture, architecture for education, housing, and other specific areas of building, design, and office management.
Currently, most growth in architectural practice is through the addition of “upstream” and “downstream” services, including programming, facilities management, strategic planning, and project development. As resources become scarce, an increased emphasis on sustainability is changing the way in which architects consider building materials and energy usage in building design. These factors alter the changing practice environment to which education must respond.
Objectives
Lead the collaterals on educational issues
- Write and disseminate position papers on issues facing the professions education.
- Maintain pro active NAAB task force
- Help develop new models of internship
- Assist in development of certified teaching firms and practice academies
- Launch collateral task forces on issues facing education and the profession, such as sustainability, continuing education, etc.
- Increase efforts to develop international relationships in the profession
Partner effectively with related organizations - Sustain cooperative research agendas with collateral organizations in the US and Canada.
- Facilitate the transportability of academic credentials (for students and professionals) across international borders
- Start faculty fellows program with AIA and RAIC
- Encourage development of a consortium of design accreditation boards
- Develop nimble ACSA SWAT teams that can quickly respond to urgent issues
- Work with collaterals to improve diversity within the profession at educational, internship, and practice levels.
4. ACSA and Society
ACSA is the principal representative of architecture education to the government, other national higher education organizations, learned societies. The ACSA shall increase the visibility, diversity, and active presence of architecture schools, faculty, and students beyond the boundaries of architectural education programs. The means for this will be existing or new ACSA programs, strategic partnerships, or efforts to support and celebrate work happening at ACSA member schools.
Current Status
The ACSA recognizes that architectural education has an obligation to address the significant social, environmental, political, and economic problems that confront us. As a social art, architecture can provide leadership in assuring a sustainable environment for future generations. To address these broader social and environmental problems, architects will require skills beyond those offered by the traditional curriculum. Tomorrow’s students will need to be adept at resource conservation, sustainable building practices and technology, community participation, and collaborative problem solving. ACSA can serve as an important resource to member schools that are revising their curricula to address these emerging areas of concern. ACSA is committed to supporting architecture schools in their mission to provide their students with the tools they need to practice architecture, with a set of skills that are transferable to other related careers, and with an intellectual foundation that enables them to comprehend and engage the events of the day.
Objectives
Develop strategic partnerships
- Explore partnerships and avenues to advocacy with government agencies, corporations, foundations, and education and other associations
- Increase ACSA’s visibility through service, such as partnerships with service organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.
Support and celebrate work at ACSA schools - Strengthen ACSA’s media relations capability
- Increase breadth of ACSA publications
- Highlight the value of architectural education for students in a wide range of career areas.
5. ACSA Organization
The ACSA’s will improve its operational efficiency, strengthen member services, and manage financial resources.
Current Status
ACSA currently requires approximately $1.5 million annually to provide members’ services, implement programs, maintain the national office, and provide the schools’ share of support for the NAAB. Membership dues comprise approximately two thirds of the ACSA’s annual income. Conference registration fees, sponsorships, publication sales, advertising, and gifts make up the remaining one third. The largest expense is for salaries and benefits for the ACSA’s 7 FTE staff members.
Objectives
Operational efficiency
- Revisit ACSA board initiatives to determine whether they should be revived or new ones added
- Review and improve policy and orientation materials for ACSA board, committees, and other organizational groups
Strengthen member services - Ensure ACSA staffing and financial resources are able to meet strategic plan initiatives over the short term.
- Evaluate ACSA’s Supporting and Affiliate membership categories to determine value to potential members.
- Establish integrated website and database for better management of program and individual information. Aim for website to be a central source for acquisition of timely information on architectural education. Extend Web presence so that ACSA’s website is the central source for acquisition and dissemination of information and resources for architectural educators.
- Establish feedback process to ensure member programs and services meet the needs of members at all levels (e.g., full-time vs. part-time faculty, design vs. classroom faculty).
Manage financial resources - Effectively manage financial resources to replenish operating reserves to the equivalent of six months of operating expenses by the end of FY08-09 and to maintain appropriate investment income
- Investigate options for creating funds and attracting contributions to funds
- Implement comprehensive fundraising program to support programs develop a campaign to attract more Supporting members.