University of Utah College of Architecture and Planning - College History

College History

The Department of Architecture was organized in 1949 within the College of Fine Arts, and authorized to grant the Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees. The program received initial NAAB accreditation in 1954, and has been accredited continuously since. Roger Bailey, FAIA, developed the program and served as head of the department from 1949-63. Bailey brought a variety of young faculty members to Utah, including Charles Moore, Gordon Heck, and James Acland.

In 1963, Robert L. Bliss, FAIA, was appointed head, and then served as dean from 1974-86. In 1967, in the forefront of many schools of architecture nationally, the school chose to offer the (three year +) Master of Architecture as the primary professional degree. The Bachelor of Architecture degree was discontinued in 1972 and no undergraduate major in architecture was offered. In 1974 the Department of Architecture became a separate academic unit, the Graduate School of Architecture (GSA), operating as a college within the university system.

In 1970 the GSA moved into its new building, a fine example of "brutalist" architecture by the local firm of Edwards and Daniels Architects. This facility continues to successfully house the program. In 1969, through the joint sponsorship of the school and the Utah Society of the American Institute of Architects, ASSIST, Inc., an independent, non-profit community design center was founded. In the early 1970s the school installed its first data processing unit, under the directorship of emeritus professor Edward “Ted” Smith, FAIA, making it among the first schools in the country to begin experimenting with computer applications in architecture.

In 1986, Carl Inoway, AIA, was appointed dean, and served until 1992. During this period, the school re-examined its degree offerings, due in part to the length of time it took to complete the program, lack of flexibility for differing student interests, and decreasing enrollments. The decision was made to seek approval to offer an undergraduate pre-professional degree, creating a 4+2 professional degree program to be offered in addition to the existing 3+ professional degree program.

William C. Miller, FAIA, was named dean in 1992. The School experienced a significant increase in student numbers from 1990 to 2000, at which time the enrollment was stabilized in both its undergraduate and graduate programs, with pre-professional and graduate majors limited to about 180 students total. Dean Miller also stabilized the funding of the school, in part by successfully instituting differential tuition and program fees, and in part through increases in the firm-sponsored scholarship program. The successful design-build program began in 1999. Dean Miller offered the architecture school a national presence through his activities with ACSA, AIA, NAAB and NCARB.

Current dean, Brenda Case Scheer, AIA, AICP, was appointed in 2002 following a national search. Her tenure has been marked by significant change in the college. Most obvious is the addition of the urban planning program and the subsequent change in name from the Graduate School of Architecture to the College of Architecture + Planning. Coupled with the retirement of several key design faculty members, and the addition of nine new faculty (five in design), this change has had significant impact on the offerings and emphasis in the architecture program and its visibility in the region.

As of July 1, 2008 the College will departmentalize, housing the School of Architecture and the Department of City and Metropolitan Planning. The College has three research centers, the interdisciplinary Center for Representation of Multi-dimensional Information (CROMDI) begun in 1999, the Center for Integrated Design and Construction (established in 2005), and a new center, the Metropolitan Research Center. In addition, the Utah State Board of Regents has given preliminary approval for the establishment of a Doctor of Architecture professional degree, which is intended to seek NAAB approval as a new degree.