School of Planning, Design and Construction

As we look back on the past academic year, we are reminded of the challenges and difficulties that we have faced as a community. The tragic shooting incident that took place on our campus shook us to the core and left us all reeling with shock and grief. However, amidst this difficult time, our students and faculty have demonstrated an incredible resilience and determination to learn, grow, and improve the quality of our program with significant achievements. In this year's newsletter, I celebrate the accomplishments of our students, alumni and faculty as a community. I am very proud of the progress that we have made, and are excited to continue our journey towards excellence in the coming year. 

Our program maintains its strong regulation as the top 9th landscape architecture program in the US, and the best landscape architecture research program among the 77 accredited landscape architecture programs in Canada and the US. Our program’s student enrollment reached nearly 100, which is a significant increase (more than 64%) since my arrival to Michigan State University (MSU) in 2017. Our students represent diverse groups in terms of biological gender (54% of female) and ethnicity (33% of non-white), and reports nearly 100% job placement. 

Over the past academic year, we hosted a series of program events that were a great success. Donald M. Fox, ’67 delivered his MSU LA Distinguished Alumni Induction Lecture, titled “Olmsted’s 1865 Yosemite Report and a Personal Reflection” which inspired more than 90 attendees joining the event in person. Our program's annual career fair was also a success, as it allowed our students to reconnect with alumni, professionals, and friends. Our student career fair co-chairs, Dustin Krise (LA 5th year and LA/MED dual degree candidate) and Michaela Rodriguez (LA junior) demonstrated their leadership by organizing this hybrid event, which was attended by over 60 students and 25 firms attending from across the country. In addition, ten of our talented fifth-year students successfully delivered their final projects during the 2022 LA Senior Show and completed their degree from our program. 

Among the numerous accomplishments of our students, alumni, and faculty over the past year, we have significantly increased our impact on community and scholarly activities. Unfortunately, due to limited space, I can only highlight a few of them in this program update. I am thrilled to share that Naomi Bailey, who graduated from our program in the fall of 2022, received three distinguished student awards: the 2022 Dr. Charles Fountain Scholar award from the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA), the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Council of Fellows Scholarship from the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF), and the Diversey, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Scholarship from the Michigan Chapter of ASLA (MiASLA). Our recent graduate, Dylan Smith also received the 2022 DEI Scholarship from MiASLA. Our 3rd year student, Nick Gattoni became the recipient of the MiALSA 2023 DEI Scholarship. Jacobi Johnson, 2nd year student, received the 2023 Landscape Forms DEI Scholarship from LAF. Three LA students (Sydney Bess, Nate Higley, and Dan Onofrio) with the other MSU students attended the 47th Annual National Collegiate Landscape Competition at Mississippi State University, and won 5th place with the overall competition score, which was one spot higher than the previous year. Our senior and LA/MED dual degree student, Jordan White was named as the 2023 LAF Olmsted Scholar at the University Level. Andreea Bodea, LA 5th year and LA/MED dual degree candidate, won a research grant from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Undergraduate Research Program. 

We are proud to announce that our alumni and faculty continue to receive recognition for their outstanding creativity and hard work, with several individuals receiving prestigious awards and/or appointed in leadership positions from esteemed national and international organizations. Our alumna, Kim Dietzel at PEA Group received the 2022 MiASLA President’s Award for the Emerging Professional of the Year Category. Our School Director, Dr. Ming-Han Li won the 2023 CELA Outstanding Administrator Award, and Dr. Jun-Hyun Kim (LA Associate Professor and Program Director) received the 2023 College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) Excellence in Teaching Award at the Established Teacher Category. Professor Yun Cao (LA Instructor) received the 2023 School of Planning, Design and Construction (SPDC) Outstanding Instructor Award. 

Our faculty members are not only dedicated educators, but also active participants and leaders in various professional organizations. Their service and leadership roles not only enhance their own professional development, but also contribute to the growth and success of their respective fields. LA assistant Professors, Dr. Fatemeh Saeidi-Rizi and Dr. Wonmin Sohn 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 has been elected President of CELA with a three-year term. 

Our students have been actively engaged in various enrichment activities, including attending national conferences in their respective fields. These conferences provide valuable opportunities for our students to connect with other professionals, learn about the latest research and trends in their fields, and gain exposure to diverse perspectives and ideas. Over 70 LA students, a record-breaking number, attended the 2022 MiASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture. In addition, more than 20 LA students attended the 2022 National ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture and alumni reception. The highlight of the National Conference was that our MSU LA Spartans won the First Prize of the Best School Spirit Award during the ASLA LABash Block Party (formerly known as the ASLA Alumni Tailgate). 

Including these two ASLA events, our program and student organization seek more diverse student enrichment opportunities. All students attended both events received a travel scholarship supported by the Landscape Architecture Innovation Fund as well as the Landscape Architecture Alumni & Advisory Board (LAAAB)‘s tireless support to our students and program. The partnership between our program and LAAAB is very robust with a clear goal to improve the quality of our program and offer diverse enrichment opportunities to our learning environment. While our program offers students with a great foundation for their academic and professional growth, financial barriers can prevent some students from fully participating in all that we offer. One of our program’s goals is to provide enriching experiences such as attending professional conferences, hosting workshops, visiting prominent project sites and professional offices, engaging research opportunities, and supporting graphic software and other digital resources, that prepare our students for successful careers and meaningful contributions to our discipline and communities. To accomplish this goal, we rely on the generosity of our alumni, friends, and donors to help fund these experiences for our students. We are grateful for their support and are committed to ensuring that all of our students have access to the transformative opportunities that our program provides. With your support, our program could also award nearly $300,000 of LA scholarships to our students during the academic year of 2022-2023. You can find the long list below who received at least one of our program scholarships. In addition, the John E. Chipman Endowment Scholarship supported our 3rd year students who safely went to Italy and Greece for their study abroad program led by Dr. Trish Machemer. Our students and faculty are incredibly grateful to your generous support. 

• Hamilton Anderson Scholarship: Nahian Chowdhury & Dylan Smith
• June Knostman Scholarship: James Brillhart & Deil Fernandez
• Tomas K. and Sheila T. Moore Scholarship: Nate Higley & Katie Mack 
• Kenneth and Shirley Polakowski Scholarship: Anhad Viswanath & Naomi Bailey
• Jack A. Anderson Scholarship: Syd Bess & Grade Densham
• LAAAB Golf Outing Scholarship: Valentina Gjocaj & Nate Higley
• Michigan Chapter ASLA Scholarship: Andy Song, Angel Cruz & Claire Schleusener
• LA Endowment Scholarship: Nahian Chowdhury, Valentina Gjocaj & Rachael Rye
• John Campbell Scholarship: Andreea Bodea, Angel Cruz, Dustin Krise & Kyle Trautmann
• William C. and Kathryn Burgess Stenquist Scholarship (1st year): Adrian Alvarez, Sophia Arnoldi, Samia Faiza, Christophe Nosek, Ryan Patterson, Ava Rotman & Allyson Smolarek 
• William C. and Kathryn Burgess Stenquist Scholarship (2nd year): Anna Barry, Syd Bess & Grace Densham
• William C. and Kathryn Burgess Stenquist Scholarship (3rd year): Sarah Arnold, James Brillhart, Coryn Brinks, Claire Brisley, Evan Cameron, Aaron Carten-Crandell, Nahian Chowdhury, Angela Dean, Deil Fernandez, Ellie Fichtner, Nick Gattoni, Lucas Maino & Andy Song
• William C. and Kathryn Burgess Stenquist Scholarship (4th year): Jackson Catchot, Max DeLeau, Valentina Gjocaj, Stella Harding, Nathan Higley, Olivia Megge, Hannah Prins, Rachael Rye, Jordan White & Anhad Viswanath
• William C. and Kathryn Burgess Stenquist Scholarship (5th year): Naomi Bailey, Andreea Bodea, Angel Cruz, Dustin Krise, Katie Mack, Claire Scleusener & Dylan Smith

I am thrilled to keep moving forward into the next academic year. This fall, our program will celebrate its 125th Anniversary, which we are calling “LAnniversary” to commemorate our rich history as the oldest landscape architecture program in the US. LAnniversary will take place on October 6th, and more detailed information will be available via our constant contact email communication and program website/social media. Our program is also excited to welcome a new tenure-stream assistant professor, Dr. Xiaowei Li. She received her Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Master of Landscape Architecture degree from Cornell University. She completed her doctoral degree at Clemson University and will be joining our program this August. In addition, our school and program are welcoming two new staff members, Andrew Orlando (SPDC Communication Coordinator) and Jordan Kenyon (SPDC Graduate Program Coordinator). 

Our program has continued to flourish and evolve, despite the obstacles that we have faced. We have introduced new initiatives, collaborated with various stakeholders, and fostered a sense of community that has allowed us to come together and support one another through these challenging times. All achievements reported in this article not only reflect their individual excellence, but also the caliber and quality of our program, which is consistently producing exceptional graduates and thought leaders in our discipline. Please share your accomplishments and stories with us. You can follow our official Facebook page (@MSULandscapeArch) to receive our latest news and updates, events, and achievements. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our program. Go Green!