ACSA College of Distinguished Professors

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.

As the academic year draws to a close, I’m honored to offer my final report as Chancellor of the ACSA College of Distinguished Professors. Serving in this role has been a genuine privilege. Over the past year, we’ve made meaningful progress on initiatives aimed at strengthening the visibility, relevance, and impact of the College –efforts that continue to expand our presence within the ACSA community.

One of our signature efforts, relaunching the New Administrators’ Workshop (NAW), continues to gain momentum. We look forward to offering the 2025 edition at the ACSA Administrators Conference in Fayetteville, Arkansas, November 6–8. The workshop remains an essential resource for those stepping into administrative leadership positions. We hope you’ll consider helping us deliver the workshop –your insights and experience are vital to its continued success.

Mentorship remains central to our mission. Through a Special Focus Session at the ACSA Annual Meeting, we introduced a mid-career Mentorship for Leadership initiative to engage faculty as they contemplate moving into leadership roles –in and outside the academy. This summer, we’re excited about launching “De-Mystifying DP” sessions. Patterned the AIA’s “De-Mystifying Fellowship” program, these advisory clinics are intended to guide and support future applicants to the Distinguished Professor Award. We plan to propose a Special Focus Session for the upcoming Annual Meeting, and we’ll host virtual gatherings in late summer and early fall for those preparing their applications (due, this year, on October 8). We invite you to participate and share your perspectives with prospective applicants.

The 2026 ACSA Annual Meeting, titled “Convergence/Divergence: Designing Futures in Architecture and Education,” will be held in Chicago from March 26–28. The Call for Submissions is now open, with a deadline of September 17. Please consider submitting a paper or proposing a Special Focus Session. The voices of Distinguished Professors are crucial in shaping national conversations about the future of architectural education.

I’m pleased to share an update from the ACSA Awards Task Force. The Board has adopted a revised Call for Nominations for the 2026 Distinguished Professors cohort. The changes reflect the evolving nature of the professoriate and reaffirm our commitment to celebrating a wider and more inclusive field of academic excellence. Additionally, the ACSADP Jury may now recommend up to ten new awardees each year to the Board for confirmation.

Under the leadership of incoming Chancellor Tom Fisher, the College’s Faculty Mentorship Program— developed through thoughtful conversations over the past two years—has been formally approved by the ACSA Board and will begin implementation in the coming year. The program aims to support faculty across all stages of their careers and is an exciting next step in expanding the impact of the College.

Past Chancellor Marleen Davis has continued to advance College initiatives to preserve past Topaz Medallion presentations and to encourage philanthropic support. Both efforts have strengthened the College’s resources and legacy. We hope you’ll join us in continuing to sustain our work through annual contributions to the College.

In collaboration with the ACSA Board, the College awarded competitive travel grants to support faculty attending the Administrators Conference in Denver (4 grants) and the Annual Meeting in New Orleans (6 grants). Members of the College also reviewed and conferred Best Paper and Best Project Awards at the ACSA Annual Meeting –contributions that served to highlight the College’s presence and continuing impact.

With many thanks for your votes of affirmation, I’m delighted to announce that Joanna Lombard, Professor of Architecture at the University of Miami, will join the Executive Committee as the new Secretary of the College. I’m grateful for Joanna’s commitment to architecture education confident in the leadership she will bring over the next four years.

We’re grateful to the ACSA Board of Directors, led this year by President Cathi Ho Schar, for inviting the College to take an active role in both the Administrators Conference and the Annual Meeting. We’re especially pleased that Cathi joined our College’s Annual Meeting this month to share updates on the Board’s priorities. Her partnership has helped deepen the connection between the College and the larger ACSA community. We are also incredibly indebted to Michael Monti, Eric Ellis, Kendall Nicholson, and the entire ACSA staff, for the support that has made our work possible.

Finally, I want to extend my warm appreciation to outgoing Past Chancellor Marleen Davis, for her ongoing contributions and leadership. It’s a special pleasure to welcome Tom Fisher, our newest Topaz Laureate, as incoming Chancellor and Renée Cheng as Vice Chancellor. Together with Joanna Lombard, our leadership team is poised to guide the College forward.

Thank you again for the privilege of serving as Chancellor. It has been an inspiration to work alongside you this past year and an honor to support our shared commitment to excellence in architectural education.

With warmest regards,

Marilys R. Nepomechie, FAIA, 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.