Ahead of the fall 2025 academic semester, The Architect’s Newspaper asked architecture school deans from across the U.S. to respond to a timeless question: What challenge/topic are you looking forward to engaging with at your school during the fall semester?
The results varied, although climate and social justice remain at the forefront. Read on to see what deans at the University of New Mexico, City College of New York, UCLA, and other architecture programs are thinking about.
“I’m eager to keep us focused on what matters most: confronting climate change and advancing social justice in the built environment. The current wave of political posturing—meant to distract—will pass. What endures is our educational mission, rooted in equity, sustainability, and resilience. The classroom is a powerful place to teach transformation. By holding fast to these values, we give students the clarity and courage to lead with vision and purpose, even in uncertain times.”
—Robert Alexander González, School of Architecture and Planning at the University of New Mexico
“Here’s what we’re optimistic about at Spitzer. Yes, challenges are all around us, but we’re thriving uptown. Enrollment is robust—the studios are full—and we’re building community and fostering wellness to retain students. City Labs are up and running at Spitzer, with the brand-new, state-of-the-art Robotics Lab being the crown jewel of the research ensemble. The Atrium Gallery reopens on September 15, featuring Work in Progress, a faculty exhibit curated by professors Nandini Bagchee and Pedro Cruz Cruz. And I am cohosting rePURPOSE, the Sciame Lecture Series, with Adi ShamirBaron, which starts on September 11.”
—Marta Gutman, Spitzer School of Architecture, City College of New York
“Urban Design at UCLA, bringing together research and design is part of our DNA. This synthesis is foundational to what drives us as an institution. As we begin a new academic year, I’m excited for the discoveries—and the questions—that will emerge from our work, from yearlong research studios on climate, technology, and housing to the bold policy innovations from UCLA cityLAB. I am profoundly inspired and optimistic about the ways we, as designers and academics, bring together diverse knowledge and ideas to reveal new possibilities for a better future.”
—Mariana Ibańez, UCLA Architecture and Urban Design
“I am optimistic about our fantastic new faculty hires, who will enrich the expertise, backgrounds, and pedagogies of our school. We are excited to critically engage AI with our newly appointed Kavita and Krishna Bharat Professor, a position focused on AI and design. (Stay tuned to see who we hired!) Two other hires, Rayshad Dorsey and Alaa Suliman Hamid, will also introduce our students to alternative ways to work with communities and think about spatial justice. ”
—Aki Ishida, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, Washington University in St. Louis
“Among the most enduring aspects of Mies van der Rohe’s legacy at IIT is our critical engagement with building technology as a central focus of the design curriculum. This fall, we are excited about inaugurating a new, sustainability-based, technology research enterprise (located in our 14,000-square-foot, 50-foot-high fabrication center) that we believe can transform IIT’s programs as much as our home, S. R. Crown Hall, did when it opened 69 years ago.”
—Reed Kroloff, IIT College of Architecture
“TSOA is exploring partnerships with a constellation of places rooted in communal and creative experimentation, taking the form of interactive workshops, course collaborations, and design-build initiatives. I am most excited to see how these projects can generate fresh critical perspectives on architectural knowledge as a reflection of its social, economic, and environmental infrastructures, helping us imagine transformative responses to the unprecedented pressures they face at this moment.”
—Stephanie Lin, The School of Architecture
“In a time of increased divisions, I am most excited about finding ways to open our doors—both literally and figuratively—to the public and to the world. Our academic programs, exhibitions, and events are not just for our students and faculty; they are invitations for dialogue with the broader community. By engaging diverse audiences in these discussions, we can elevate our disciplinary discourse while making architecture more responsive, inclusive, and impactful.”
—Igor Marjanović, Rice School of Architecture
“Over the past four years, Taubman College has successfully launched a new bachelor of science degree in urban technology and an undergraduate minor in real estate. Now we are scoping a new graduate degree and evolving our academic offerings to reflect emergent needs and opportunities at a time of accelerating change. ”
—Jonathan Massey, University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
“The Pratt Institute School of Architecture celebrated its 70th anniversary this past academic year with events and two exhibitions: one about recent student work and the other about our history. This coming year, we are building on the excitement around this work to host programs that look at the role of our fields in shaping the public sphere and to support faculty and students as they continue to tackle the challenges communities are facing, such as dealing with the climate and housing crises.”
—Quilian Riano, Pratt Institute School of Architecture
“Architects and academics both traffic in futures—a future world and future graduates who will impact our world. We constantly prototype our way to a better future by debating, designing, and drawing it up. We do so creatively, critically, and collectively. While we live in challenging times—unprecedented, unfathomable times—architects and academics remain committed to pointing forward. September is a time for new students, new classes, new notebooks, new pens, and hope.”
—Sarah M. Whiting, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
“With several building and infrastructure projects underway, I’m looking forward to engaging in conversations about our physical environment. How do we recognize and honor our beautiful, historic buildings while projecting a forward vision for teaching and studio environments? How do our spaces prioritize community and collaboration? What is our contribution and relationship to the larger University of Texas campus landscape and to the greater city of Austin?”
—Heather Woofter, University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture
“I’m optimistic that our faculty and students will continue to be change agents for the built environment— expanding knowledge and inquiry in ways that surprise, astonish, and meaningfully address environmental, social, and cultural challenges…in the present and the future.”
—Meejin Yoon, College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University
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