SPDC Director Honored with Prestigous Award
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EmailDr. Ming-Han Li is being honored this year with an award Texas A&M University's School of Architecture bestows on less than one percent of their alumni.
Dr. Ming-Han Li, director of MSU’s School of Planning, Design and Construction, is being honored this year with one of his alma maters’ most prestigious awards. Dr. Li earned his MLA in 1998 and his Ph.D. in 2002 from the College of Architecture (now known as the School of Architecture) at Texas A&M University (TAMU) and has now been chosen as one of the school’s 2023 Outstanding Alumni. TAMU’s School of Architecture created the Outstanding Alumni Award in 1997 to recognize extraordinary professional achievement. The school grants this award to less than one percent of alumni, making it the highest honor their former students can receive.
Upon completion of his Ph.D., Dr. Li taught at TAMU as an Assistant Professor starting in 2003, eventually earning full professorship as well as serving as Associate Department Head and BLA Program Director for over six years. Dr. Li’s research experience and background covers stormwater management, Low Impact Development, watershed planning and management, soil erosion and roadside vegetation management. His teaching has focused on sustainable water management, low impact development and landscape architecture construction. Dr. Li’s work has also involved transportation environment through research projects with TAMU’s Transportation Institute, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, and the Texas Department of Transportation.
Dr. Li has also served the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) in various positions, including president, past president, president-elect, vice president for research, 2nd vice president and track chair. He is also a member of the Transportation Research Board Committee AKD40 Landscape and Environmental Design.
With over a decade of academic and professional experience, Dr. Li left TAMU to serve as school director at MSU’s School of Planning, Design and Construction (SPDC). Dr. Li joined SPDC in 2018 and has built upon the many strengths of the school during his time as director. As director, Dr. Li oversaw four professional programs (construction management, interior design, landscape architecture, and urban & regional planning), a Ph.D. program and the National Charrette Institute. Dr. Li’s administrative responsibilities encompassed the overall teaching, research, and outreach missions of the school, including fiscal resources, personnel, infrastructure, program accreditation, development and stakeholder relations. 2022-2023 will be Dr. Li’s final year as SPDC director as he has accepted a new position with the University of Texas – Arlington as the dean of the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs effective August 1, 2023.
Dr. Li’s efforts as SPDC director have bolstered student enrollment, enhanced interdisciplinary research, magnified contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion, inspired more engagement with alumni and industry, and led to critical investments in SPDC’s learning spaces. Dr. Li has guided the school’s strategic planning process and implemented many of the tactics identified in the plan. SPDC is deeply grateful for Dr. Li’s work and leadership and extremely proud of his most recent honor as a TAMU School of Architecture 2023 Outstanding Alumni Award recipient.
Read more about Dr. Li's award HERE
