School of Planning, Design and Construction

OVERVIEW

Nearly 200 people participated in and contributed to our "LAnniversary" event, celebrating the 125th anniversary of Michigan State University’s Landscape Architecture Program, the longest-running program in the country, on October 6, 2023. The full-day celebration was an informative, fun-filled day of activities across MSU’s East Lansing Campus, in the MSU Student Union Building, and at the nearby home of the School of Planning, Design and Construction (SPDC), the Human Ecology Building. The day provided opportunities for students, alumni, and faculty to interact formally and informally.

ACTIVITIES INCLUDED:

• Sketch Crawl led by alumni Bob Chipman and Danny Bulemore
• Campus Tour hosted by alumni Steve Troost and Dave Wilber from MSU Infrastructure Planning and Facilities
• Two Alumni Panel Discussions
  
• Displays of student and alumni projects (included sketches completed day-of on the Sketch Crawl)
• Student ASLA Club presentations
• Program updates from the University, College, and School
• Messages from acting University President, Theresa Woodruff, and Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kelly Millenbah
  
• Keynote presentation by David A. Rubin, PLA, FASLA, FAAR of Land Collective 
• Dinner and Social Hour

Early in the day, visitors and students gathered at the school where work of alumni and students was on display. The Board collected over 150 projects from alumni illustrating the variety of work being done locally and internationally. These projects were printed and displayed in the hallways and classrooms of SPDC and projected on-screen during discussions and events. The work was saved as a digital library for students to reference. You can review the PowerPoint PDF here: Alumni Work.

Two campus walking tours were sponsored. Alumni Steve Troost and Dave Wilbur led a fascinating tour of the campus and discussed Campus Master Planning. The process was underway and the document and strategies that will guide enhancement of the campus is now complete.

Alumni Bob Chipman and Danny Bulemore led a Campus Sketch Crawl where students and professionals were challenged to sketch campus icons in handmade sketch books provided by Bob. You can view some photo highlights of the event and pictures of the work created on the Sketch Crawl here: LAnniversary Sketch Crawl

Following an Alumni Student Mixer for lunch sponsored by Anova Furnishings, participants gathered in the Student Union to hear presentations from alumni as well as the school and program directors.

Alumni and students participated in two panel discussions. Board Member Josh Seyfried facilitated the first panel with alumni Alex Fenech, Laurel Harrington, Brandon List, Vicki McGhee, and Joyce Weise, who discussed the, "Past, Present, and Future of Landscape Architecture," as a profession. The second panel discussed the, "Changes & Impact of the MSU LA Program on the Landscape Architecture Discipline," and was facilitated by LAAAB President Sandra Fischer between LA alumni Tim Britain, Ted Cook, Michael Dul, Stephanie Onwenu, and Kenneth Weikal.

The evening program included remarks and updates from University, College, School, and Program leadership. We were fortunate to have the university's Interim President, Dr. Theresa Woodruff, attend. The Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Kelly Millenbah, was also able to send a recorded message. The Interim School Director, Dr. Rene Hinojosa, and the Landscape Architecture Program Director, Dr. Jun-Hyun Kim, discussed the current program and its accomplishments in further detail. Of particular interest were the statistics bench-marking our program's prestige and growth over the past five years under the leadership of Dr. Kim and Dr. Hinojosa as well as the previous School Director, Dr. Ming-Han Li (2018-2023).

The night culminated with dinner and a keynote speech titled “The Landscape of Future History” by David A. Rubin, PLA, FASLA, FAAR. Rubin is a nationally renowned landscape architect and the founding Principal of Land Collective, a landscape architecture, urban design, and planning studio with offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Indianapolis, Indiana. The firm practices with an emphasis on socially purposeful design strategies. The studio is dedicated to crafting landscapes that create positive change through the synthesis of art, technology, and the social sciences to create human centered works. Rubin’s talk addressed a wide range of issues from sustainability and aesthetics to the Anthropocene and our on-going climate crisis. Learn more about Rubin's work here: https://land-collective.com/. A video of his presentation can be viewed here: 125th LAnniversary Keynote Presentation.

Attendance to all of the 125th LAnniversary events were free of charge to all guests due to the generous support and sponsorship of many people and firms. Reservations for the evening dinner and reception for 150 were full 3 weeks prior to the event indicating growing interest and support of the program.

MSU and the LAAAB appreciates the generous support of all of the sponsors including:

Event Planning & Support
Landscape Architecture Alumni Advisory Board
MSU Landscape Architecture Program
MSU School of Planning Design and Construction

Keynote Sponsor
Landscape Forms, https://www.landscapeforms.com

Reception Sponsors
Polycor, https://www.polycor.com/stones/
KW-LA, Ken Weikal, http://www.kw-la.com/

Lunch Sponsor
Anova, www.anovafurnishings.com

Breakfast and Break Sponsors
Beckett and Raeder Inc., Beckett & Raeder, Inc. (bria2.com)
HAA (Hamilton Anderson Associates), Hamilton Anderson Associates (hamilton-anderson.com)
Romex , https://romex.us/
Ken Polakowski and Cheryl Zuellig, Past President LAAAB
Smith Group, SmithGroup | Design a Better Future
VIRIDIS Design Group, www.virdg.com
Tower Pinkster, TowerPinkster + Architecture, Engineering, and Interiors
Pea Group,  Https:///peagroup.com/
Michael J. Dul & Associates, Michael J. Dul & Associates, Inc. (mjdul.com)
MCSA Group Landscape Architects and Planners , MCSA Group - Home Page
Zaremba & Company, http://www.zarembaandco.com
Dan Wenk, Current LAAAB Member
Bill Wenk, Founder Wenk Associates, Home :: Wenk (wenkla.com)

If you, your firm or suppliers are interested in sponsorship of our Fall 2024 lecture series please contact our Treasurer at Address. Also please consider donating to The LA Innovation Fund that was established through the Landscape Architecture Alumni & Advisory Board (LAAAB) with an initial gift from Robert ‘Bob’ Chipman (’81). The fund supports MSU Landscape Architecture students’ scholarly development through experiential learning opportunities such as attending state and national landscape architecture conferences, site visits, field trips, hosting professional lectures and supporting technology advancements to ensure that students are being prepared for professional practice by staying at the forefront of the current field.

To Donate Click HERE & Use Allocation Code: A136913