Last Spring 2011, The School of Architecture (S|ARC) funded its first Eminent Architect of Practice visiting studio faculty program. Larry Scarpa, FAIA (2010 AIA Firm of the Year), was selected for the inaugural appointment; he taught in the capstone 4th year studio with Assistant Professor Hans C. Herrmann, AIA and Professor Michael Berk, AIA (Director of the School of Architecture).  Herrmann and Berk also received a $10,000 grant from the Richard Adkerson fund to run a design competition (in that capstone studio) for the master planning, programming, and design of a proposed ‘Alumni and Distinguished Guest House’ facility on the campus.   

Jim West, AIA, (Dean of the College of Architecture, Art + Design) was elected president of the national board for the Architecture + Construction Alliance (A+CA) for this academic year. The mission of the A+CA is to foster collaboration among schools that are committed to interdisciplinary educational and research efforts between the fields of architecture and construction, and to engage leading professionals and educators in support of these efforts. 

Director of the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio (GCCDS) Associate Professor David Perkes, AIA, was awarded the 2011 Latrobe Prize ($100,000) from the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects. The Institute awarded the prize to Prof. Perkes and other members of a research team for their proposal: “Public Interest Practices in Architecture.” The team will investigate the needs addressed by public interest practices and the variety of ways that public interest practices are operating. The grant, named for architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, is awarded biennially for research leading to significant advances in the architecture profession. Perkes was also honored at the White House as a “Champion of Change” on Tuesday, July 19 for his work to strengthen the local economy, create jobs and help the Gulf Coast recover from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The White House Champions of Change initiative profiles Americans from all walks of life who are helping the country rise to the challenges of the 21st century.

Jane Greenwood, AIA, Associate Professor, was awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture and perform research at Yerevan State University of Architecture and Construction in Yerevan, Armenia during the 2010-2011 academic year with a recent extension through the Fall 2011 semester.

Dr. Rachel McCann, Professor, received the single top teaching honor that MSU bestows upon it faculty: 2010 Grisham Master Teacher Award (with $10k prize). Dr. McCann also received the MSU Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Award the previous year.