NCI’s Holly Madill guest lectures in MSU School of Planning, Design and Construction classes

NCI's Holly Madill introduced undergraduate students to the four types of placemaking: Standard, tactical, creative and strategic in Urban & Regional Planning’s land use planning course.

Holly Madill guest lecturing in an Urban & Regional Planning methods class.
Holly Madill guest lecturing in an Urban & Regional Planning methods class.

This is the time of year when summer is in the air and graduations abound. University and college students are finished with regular classes and K-12 students eagerly await their chance to refresh their brains during the summer break.

Since the National Charrette Institute came to Michigan State University in 2017, and since being housed in a university we’ve had to adjust a bit to an academic calendar year. With that adjustment, came the opportunity to engage with students during guest lectures.

The School of Planning, Design and Construction at MSU houses four academic units: Construction management, interior design, landscape architecture, and urban & regional planning. The School offers professional degrees to undergraduate, graduate and PhD students. Real-world examples and experiences are highly valued by faculty and students in all four programs.

When NCI came to SPDC, faculty were quick to capitalize on the opportunity to expose their students to topics from new voices. National Charrette Institute’s director Holly Madill, has since guest lectured in several classes on topics ranging from placemaking to the NCI Charrette process, and enjoys the chance to interact with students.

“Our SPDC students are incredibly bright and inquisitive. They have a passion for communities and the built environment, and a strong environmental ethic. They keep me on my toes and I enjoy hearing their fresh perspectives,” said Holly Madill.

In Urban & Regional Planning’s land use planning course, Madill introduced undergraduate students to the four types of placemaking: Standard, tactical, creative and strategic. In Interior Design and Urban & Regional Planning’s methods classes, she talked with graduate students about engaging in communities. In Urban & Regional Planning’s capstone practicum course for graduate and undergraduate students combined, she gave practical tips for working with the public.

“Inviting practitioners into our classes is one way that we expose our students to real world topics and issues. It provides them with a different perspective and further expands their learning. Having NCI within our School is an incredible benefit and Holly is a natural fit into our classroom experience,” said Urban & Regional Planning Professor Zenia Kotval.

The spring semester may have come to a close, but the summer and fall NCI training season is just heating up. For those of us who are governed more by the annual calendar, check out our events calendar to find out when our next training opportunities are available to help keep your skills and knowledge current.

Learn more about the School and the work they are doing at MSU School of Planning, Design and Construction.

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