LandTexture: Message from Program Director (2024)

The academic year of 2023-2024 held special significance for our program as 2023, marking the 125th year anniversary of its founding. Established in 1898, Michigan State University’s Landscape Architecture Program stands as the world’s oldest landscape architecture program. Indeed, our program predates the founding of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) by one year, underscoring its historical significance and longstanding commitment to the field of landscape architecture. Our inaugural graduate, T. Glenn Phillips, was conferred his degree in 1902. Since then, our alumni, students and faculty have been pioneers in shaping our society, taking full responsibility for creating our natural and built environments across the world to healthy, inclusive, safe, sustainable and resilience places.

On October 6th, 2023, our program commemorated its 125th LAnniversary, a milestone not commonly achieved in higher education. However, our celebration was more than just marking 125 years of existence; it was a testament to 125 years of resilience, innovation, and impact. Throughout our history, our program has weathered the storms of historical challenges, from economic volatility to the trials of world wars, and even the recent global pandemic. The 125th LAnniversary was marked by a series of engaging events. Participants enjoyed a campus tour led by Stephen Troost, '82, and Dave Wilber, '97, as well as a sketch crawl guided by Robert 'Bob' Chipman, '81, and Danny Bulemore, '09. The program also featured insightful panel discussions on the past, present, and future of landscape architecture, highlighting the transformative impact of the MSU LA program. Panelists included Tim Britain, '89, Ted Cook, '21, Michael Dul, '73, Alex Fenech, '11, Sandy Fischer, '76, Laurel Harrington, '91, Brandon List, '09, Vicki McGhee, '82, Stephanie Onwenu, '18, Josh Seyfried, '09, Joyce Weise, '85, and Ken Weikal, '81. The event commenced with remarks from Former Interim President Dr. Teresa Woodruff and College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Dean Dr. Kelly Millenbah, followed by a keynote presentation titled “The Landscape of Future History” delivered by LAAAB Distinguished Speaker, David A. Rubin, PLA, FASLA, FAAR, the founding principal of DAVID RUBIN Land Collective, shared insights on socially-purposeful design in landscape architecture, urban design, and planning. The successful celebration could not have been possible without the generous sponsorships from Keynote Sponsors: $3,000 from Landscape Forms, $1,500 from Reception Sponsors: Polycor andHagenbuch Weikal,$1,000 from Lunch Sponsor: Anova Furnishings, and $500 from Breakfast and Break Sponsors: Romex USA, Cheryl Zuellig & Ken Polakowski, VIRIDIS Design Group, Beckett & Reader, SmithGroup, TowerPinkster, Hamilton-Anderson,PEA Group, Michael J. Dul & Associates, Inc., MCSA Group, Inc., Zaremba & Company, and Bill & Dan Wenk.

Our program has successfully renewed its full 6-year accreditation status, approved by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB). The hard work of our faculty and students in preparing our self-evaluation report, coupled with the accreditation review team's site visit, has paid off. On behalf of our program, I extend my appreciation to the and our alumni who played a pivotal role during our accreditation review. Your participation in several meetings with the LAAB review team and your honest opinions about the status of our program were invaluable. Our next accreditation review will be in the spring of 2030.

In February, we hosted the induction ceremony of our 2024 LA Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, William C. Pierce, ASLA, DCA. He shared his lasting career success and insights from his distinguished career at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Following the induction ceremony, our 2024 LA Career Fair, co-chaired by Michaela Rodriguez (LA Senior), and Sam Durgy (LA Junior) was successfully organized with more than 20 firms attending from across the country. In addition, sixteen fifth-year students successfully presented their final projects during the 2023 LA Senior Show, instructed by Dr. Fatemeh Saeidi-Rizi.

Our program enrollment has been increased substantially. Since I joined the program in 2017 fall, the program enrollment has increased by 79%, with over 100 students enrolled during this academic year. Our outstanding students and alumni have achieved numerous accomplishments this academic year. Some highlights are included in this message. Our junior, Sam Durgy received the 2024 Rain Bird Corporation Intelligent Use of Water Scholarship from the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF). Jakobi Johnson, our junior student, won the 2023-2024 LAF Ignite Award for the second cohort of the LAF Ignite Program. Our 2nd year LA student, Ava Yon has been selected as a recipient of the 2024 Michigan Chapter ASLA Foundation Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Scholarship, as well as the ASLA’s 2024 Council of Fellows Scholarship. Ava Yon and Felicia Morey (2nd year) won the Ray W Bausick Green Industry Scholarship. Three LA students (Sam Durgy, Joshua Kuhowski, and Ryan Jessar) participated an interdisciplinary team led by Dr. George Berghorn, Construction Management Program Assistant Professor, and won the 3rd place of the 2024 National Association of Home Builders Student Competition. Our senior, Nick Gattoni was nominated as the 2024 LAF Olmsted Scholar at the University Level.

LA Spartans dominated the 2023 Michigan Chapter Annual Conference of Landscape Architecture at Bay City in Michigan with nearly 40 student attendees and two LA students teams winning the Michigan Chapter of ASLA (MiASLA) Student Awards: Student Design Honor Award (Jordan White and Matthew Bayer with their project titled “Revive the Isle”), and Student Planning & Design Merit Award (Andreea Bodea with her project titled “Reimagining Detroit’s Industrial History throughout the Restoration of Brownfields”). In addition, four LA students were recognized with their ASLA student awards: ASLA Honor Award (Hannah Prins and Jordan White), and ASLA Merit Award (Quentin Bortmas and Max DeLeau).

With the generous support from the LA Innovation and LAAAB Travel scholarship, more than 20 LA students attended the 2023 National ASLA Annual Conference of Landscape Architecture at Minneapolis in Minnesota. The highlight of the Conference was our program receiving the First Prize for the Best School Spirit Award at the ASLA LABash Block Party. This marks the second consecutive year our program has won this award. You can witness our Spartan spirit in action in this video post.

We're pleased to share that our alumni and faculty's exceptional contributions are being acknowledged through prestigious awards and leadership appointments within esteemed national and international organizations. This recognition underscores their dedication and the high caliber of their work. Abigail Reimel, ’18 received the prestigious National ASLA Emerging Professional Medal for 2023. Stephani Onwenu, ’18, and Charles Cross, one of the LAAAB members, won the 2023 MiASLA Professional Honor Award in Research and Communication with their research titled “Their Untold Stories: Black Landscape Architects Michigan Connection”. Arianna Zannetti, ’17, received the MiASLA Emerging Professional of the Year Award. Dr. Wonmin Sohn, assistant professor, received the prestigious 2024 Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA)’s Excellence in Research or Creative Work Award. Wonmin has also been appointed as the state of Michigan Board Member-at-large to the Sigma Lambda Alpha Honor Society Executive Committee. During the 2024 CELA Annual Conference in St. Lous in Missouri, the excellence of our program was on full display. Our faculty and students delivered more than 10 oral and poster presentations based on their recent scholarly activities. Dr. Fatemeh Saeidi-Rizi and Dr. Wonmin Sohn, LA assistant Professors, are serving to CELA as a co-track chair of the Landscape Architecture for Health Track and Urban Design Track respectively. Dr. Jun-Hyun Kim began his tenure as CELA President. Finally, Dr. Wonmin Sohn and Dr. Jun-Hyun Kim received over $800K in federal funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which supports the development of 12 acres of wet meadow and oxbow wetlands in an abandoned golf course at Flint, Michigan.

At the program level, we are thrilled with the great news that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has designated landscape architecture a STEM degree program. In addition, our school’s partnership with Department of Natural Resources, led by several LA faculty over the past 12 years, was recognized by the National Association of State Park Directors by receiving the 2023 President’s Award for this collaboration, which introduced service-learning project opportunities in our students’ learning.

While our talented faculty members continue to provide students with a solid foundation for academic and professional growth, financial barriers may hinder some from fully engaging in all that we offer. Our program’s ongoing goal is to offer diverse enriching experiences to our students, including attendance at professional conferences, workshops, visits to prominent project sites and professional offices, research opportunities, and access to essential graphic software and digital resources. These experiences are essential in preparing our students for building successful careers and greater contributions to our discipline and communities. For this goal, we need support from our alumni, friends, and donors to ensure that all students have equitable access to invaluable learning experiences. Our Alumni and Advisory Board (LAAAB) plays a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of our program and supporting our students' learning through diverse activities, including fundraising efforts. Each LAAAB member represents national, regional and local private practices, government service and academia. On behalf of the program, I deeply appreciate their tireless dedication and commitment. Their invaluable contributions continue to make a significant impact on our students' educational experiences and the overall success of our program. With the generous support of our alumni, friends, and donors, our program awarded nearly $300,000 in LA scholarships to our students during the academic year of 2023-2024. Below is a list of recipients who received at least one of our program scholarships. In addition, the John E. Chipman Endowment Scholarship supported our third-year students who safely traveled to the UK and Spain for their study abroad program, led by Dr. Xiaowei Li and Dr. Fatemeh Saeidi-Rizi. Our students and faculty are incredibly grateful for your generous support, which enables them to pursue their academic and professional goals.

• Hamilton Anderson Scholarship: Isaiah Ramsey & Alice Finlan
• June Knostman Scholarship: Anna Barry & Grace Densham
• Tomas K. and Sheila T. Moore Scholarship: Ellie Fichtner & Max DeLeau
• Kenneth and Shirley Polakowski Scholarship: Max DeLeau & Anhad Viswanath
• Jack A. Anderson Scholarship: Claire Brisley & Nate Higley
• LAAAB Golf Outing Scholarship: Coryn Brinks

• Michigan Chapter ASLA Scholarship: Deil Fernandez & Nick Gattoni

• LA Endowment Scholarship: Sarah Arnold, Nahian Chowdhury & Angela Dean
• John Campbell Scholarship: Quenton Bortmas, Valentina Gjocaj, Rachael Rye & Jordan White
• William C. and Kathryn Burgess Stenquist Scholarship (1st year): Brooks Funke, Jillian Geisel, Adian McDermott, Reagan Millard, Emmet O’Brien & Alexander Pekurovsky
• William C. and Kathryn Burgess Stenquist Scholarship (2nd year): Tim Bohan, Macy Garcia, Adam Hershner, Felecia Morey, Christopher Nosek, Ryan Patterson, Isaiah Ramsey, Kaitlyn Ridner, Ava Rotman & Sydney Zachos
• William C. and Kathryn Burgess Stenquist Scholarship (3rd year): Anna Barry, John Benedetto, Syd Bess, Macy Compson, Grace Densham, Sam Durgy, Jack Hill, Steven Jarecki, Ryan Jessar, Jakobi Johnson, Joshua Kuhowski, Jessica Li, Saida Mazariegos, Noah Miller & Kathryn Willard
• William C. and Kathryn Burgess Stenquist Scholarship (4th year): Sarah Arnold, James Brillhart, Coryn Brinks, Claire Brisley, Evan Cameron, Aaron Carten-Crandell, David Charron, Nahian Chowdhury, Angela Dean, Deil Fernandez, Ellie Fichtner, Alice Finlan, Nick Gattoni, Lucas Maino, Andrew Nord, Fiona Roth, Andy Song & Alison Swanson
• William C. and Kathryn Burgess Stenquist Scholarship (5th year): Matthew Bayer, Quenton Bortmas, Jackson Catchot, Max DeLeau, Valentina Gjocaj, Stella Harding, Nathan Higley, Dan Onofrio, Hannah Prins, Rachael Rye, Anhad Viswanath & Jordan White

I'd like to highlight some significant transitions within our program. Firstly, Dr. René Hinojosa has joined SPDC as Interim School Director. We deeply appreciate his tireless dedication to our school throughout this academic year. Secondly, our program welcomes a new tenure-stream assistant professor, Dr. Xiaowei Li, whose teaching and research contributions are already making a positive impact on our students and program. We are also excited to welcome two student advisors, Marcus Martin and Hannah Brodhead. Many of our recent graduates are already familiar with Hannah, and we are delighted to have her back at school advising our students. We also had a huge transition. After an impressive 39 years of his career at MSU, Professor Paul Nieratko has retired this May. Throughout his tenure, he has served as a steady source of wisdom, guidance, and inspiration for numerous students, colleagues, and staff members. His dedication to teaching has significantly influenced our program, leaving a lasting impact on the lives and careers of those he has taught. As he moves into retirement, we extend our gratitude and best wishes for the future.

As we wrap up another academic year, it's clear that our program has remained resilient and adaptive in the face of adversity. The accomplishments highlighted in my program update are a testament to the exceptional caliber of our program and the dedication of our students, faculty, and alumni. We encourage you to share your own achievements and stories with us as we continue to celebrate our successes together. Stay connected with us on our official Facebook page (@MSULandscapeArchitecture) for the latest updates, events, and news. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported and contributed to our program's ongoing success.

Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to inform you that this will be my last program update as the Landscape Architecture Program Director. I have recently accepted the Director position at the MSU School of Planning, Design, and Construction, effective June 1st, 2024. It has been a true honor to serve this world-class landscape architecture program over the past seven years. While I will be transitioning to a new role at MSU, I remain deeply committed to supporting and contributing to the continued success of the landscape architecture program.

Go Green!