2019 MSU Landscape Architecture Alumni and Advisory Board president’s message for LandTEXTURE
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EmailIt has been a great term for me [Scott Reinholt] as the president of the Landscape Architecture Alumni and Advisory Board, and it is with mixed emotions that I hand over the gavel.
It has been a great term for me as the president of the Landscape Architecture Alumni and Advisory Board, and it is with mixed emotions that I hand over the gavel. There has been so much progress, enthusiasm and focus by the new program leadership that it will be hard to give up this role.
However, our incoming president Michael Rein will be an excellent leader; he has a lot of experience in this type of position, and has been essential to the growth of the board.
Fortunately, I still have the opportunity to work with everyone in the role as past-president for another year. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone by and how much success I have witnessed from our team. I want to thank them all for their efforts.
I mentioned in my letter last year, the university filled three top positions affecting the Landscape Architecture program in the last 24 months.
Ronald Hendrick became the dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Ming-Han Li, PhD, became the director of the School of Planning, Design and Construction. In addition, Jun-Hyun Kim, PhD, became the program director of the Landscape Architecture program.
This is a lot of change, but it has been very well-received. Their focus has been student success and enrollment growth.
The program also received re-accreditation in 2018, and it was our 120th anniversary, making us the oldest undergraduate landscape architecture program in the country.
We celebrated this milestone with a fantastic “LAnniversary” event, attended by more than 100 guests from around the U.S. The 2018-2019 DesignIntellegence Survey was released and we ranked 10th in the nation. This is an improvement by four spots from last year, a good indicator of all the faculty and staff efforts.
Student professional involvement has also increased with many attending the National American Society of Landscape Architects Conference in Philadelphia, PA, and the state-based conference in Kalamazoo.
Also at the state level, four students won Michigan American Society of Landscape Architects awards, three merit-based and one research-based. Needless to say, the students are excited about the profession.
The board kicked off its first fund raising campaign this year and so far have been able to provide $5,000 for student enrichment, such as attendance at American Society of Landscape Architects functions and other non-scholarship activities.
This past fall, Associate Professor Kim, along with members of the alumni board, reestablished the student mentorship program, which was one of our targeted goals from last year’s strategic plan. The goal focuses on engagement between students and alumni, making students better prepared for beginning their professional careers.
If you are interested in participating, whether it be financial, or as a volunteer, we encourage you to do so. Please contact Michael Rein, the incoming board president at reinm@umich.edu.
The Michigan State University Landscape Architecture program is growing, but we still need your help, so it continues to deliver top-tier graduate landscape architects.
Go Green!
