Contact: Maridith Geuder
Mississippi State University's School of Architecture is receiving one of three special tributes from the head of the American Institute of Architects.
AIA President Ronald Altoon recently presented the school with a citation recognizing the 25th anniversary of the state's only professional training program in architecture.
Made at the discretion of the organization's leader, AIA Presidential Citations honor both organizations and individuals "that have enhanced the quality of life of their professional colleagues, neighbors or the community."
In commending Mississippi State, Altoon cited "the school's commitment of students and faculty to technology as a tool to extend the architect's reach and the excellence of a program that celebrates the collaborative nature of architecture." He also praised "the record of outstanding service to the citizens of the state" by the school's Small Town Center.
With headquarters in Washington, D.C., the AIA has a membership of 62,000 spread among some 300 local chapters. Presidential Citations for 1998 also went to Jane Jacobs of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and, posthumously, Marion Mahony, the first woman in America to receive an architectural license.
Established by the Legislature in 1973, MSU's architecture school enrolls some 250 students taught by approximately 30 full- and part-time faculty members. Several years ago, it became the first in the nation requiring laptop computers as a part of the curriculum and among the first using computer-based virtual reality training in the classroom.
The Small Town Center was founded in 1979 to provide research and design expertise to the state's municipalities. It also serves as an arena for teaching town planning and design.
In competition earlier this year, Mississippi State received three of six top awards given by the American Institute of Architecture Students. Two of the awards recognized the work of the Small Town Center.