01-21-2014

Rolley's leadership of landscape architecture and regional and community planning department to continue

Rolley

Ensuring that her department's programs remain among the best in the nation and make significant contributions to Kansas State University's 2025 plan to be a Top 50 public research university are among the goals Stephanie Rolley has set as she heads K-State's landscape architecture and regional and community planning department for another five years.

Tim de Noble, dean of the College of Architecture, Planning & Design, recently renewed Rolley's appointment to the post. She has served as head of the department since 2009 when she was selected for the job following a national search.

"The review, while mandated, provided us an opportunity to take stock of the many accomplishments that department faculty and staff have achieved under and through Stephanie's leadership," de Noble said. "The findings of the review verified my experiences in working with Stephanie these past five years. She is a steadfast advocate of her department and college. She enables, supports and recognizes excellence in her faculty, staff and students. She is also an impressive and effective representative of our educational programs and professions at the local, regional, national and international levels."

Rolley joined the university in 1987 as an assistant professor of landscape architecture, becoming a full professor in 2003. In addition to department head, she's served as associate department head and director of the department's Master of Landscape Architecture program. She also helped develop the department's nonbaccalaureate master's degree tracks in landscape architecture and regional and community planning, which are among the best in the nation. Rolley also has provided direction for the online Master of Science in community development offered by the Great Plains IDEA consortium.

"My primary goal is to ensure that the landscape architecture and regional and community planning programs are well positioned to build upon and continue the success of our DesignIntelligence rankings and our historic strengths," Rolley said. "Landscape architecture ranks second in the nation and first in the region. Regional and community planning is a regional leader in the discipline. These professions are in high demand as communities retrofit aging infrastructure and address expansion and revitalization with increasing population densities, urban redevelopment and climate change."

An award-winning educator and landscape architecture and planning professional, Rolley is a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and the American Planning Association. She earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Kansas State University and a master's in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also completed the Management Development Program offered through Harvard University's Graduate School of Education.

Rolley, a registered landscape architect, has worked in private practice as a landscape architecture and urban designer in Boston, Dallas and San Antonio.

Among her many honors include serving as the college’s Mary K. Jarvis Chair in Landscape Architecture from 2005-2007 and 2008-2009. She was the co-recipient of the Collaborative Practice Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture in 2000, earned an Urban Parks National Award from the Landscape Architecture Foundation in 1995 and a National Award of Distinction from the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture in 1993. She also has been recognized by the college, Mortar Board honor society and the Office of Student Activities and Services as an outstanding teacher and adviser. Rolley serves on the Landscape Architecture Foundation board of directors, the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board and as a Planning Accreditation Board site visitor.

"We look forward to this next chapter of excellence with Stephanie at the helm of landscape architecture and regional and community planning," de Noble said.

A Note from Dean de Noble:

All students, faculty and staff,

Welcome back to Seaton Hall, to the spring semester and to 2014. I hope everyone had an enjoyable break, full of time with family and friends and as such return to the fold of APDesign energized for a semester of high-level academic activity.

First, let me ask that all of you work to promote an aura of professionalism throughout the semester. This means we must all be dedicated not only to maintaining our physical environment but also to fostering a culture of inclusion, mutual support and respect for others. Please gird against expedient decisions and actions that callously undermine experiences for others. By all means, be safe, be aware of your surroundings, your belongings, and your classmates’ needs. Recycle, stay well-nourished, hydrated and laugh often!

As you work and learn, realize how fortunate you are to be surrounded by so much talent and dedication. As I have said on numerous occasions, our programs are only as good as our least capable graduate. Be unselfish in helping others by sharing your knowledge and passion in working with them to overcome their stumbling blocks. Take it from me and all of our alumni, you will look back on these days longingly so do your utmost to enjoy them now! The camaraderie of this experience is not easily duplicated.

OK, enough proselytizing, I am beginning to sound like Joe Pesci in a Snickers commercial!

The good news for APDesign just keeps coming. Governor Brownback’s budget recommendations included in coordination with his State of the State address this past Wednesday includes an additional $1.5 million in funding for the next fiscal year and $5 million in increased annual funding beginning in the 2016 fiscal year. If this passes through the legislature, and I assure you my administration, the K-State Administration and our alumni are working tirelessly toward this, we will be able to begin construction on our project, perhaps in late 2015. I will be at the Statehouse with alumni numerous days in the coming weeks once again reminding our legislative leaders of the importance of the disciplines housed in APDesign, of our economic mite, our positive impact on quality of life, and of our tradition of excellence.

One of the main points I will stress is the investment our students have made into our future with the increased technology fees. This foresight, coupled with the recent major gifts by our alumni, including the $4 million Regnier Family gift towards our facility, are tangible evidence of our commitment to grow the influence of K-State design and planning leadership at the state, regional and national levels. I can also point to the continued commitment of our faculty and staff towards our future, not only through their commitment to quality education, but through their significant participation in and contributions to the All-University Campaign.

Continuing our momentum is important and actually dependent on a simple formula. Strive for excellence. Make beautiful things, artifacts of design that cause others to marvel in awe of our capacities. Push your research into new levels of inquiry. Be inventive. Advocate. Tell everyone who will listen about the great things we are doing and in turn urge them to tell their representatives in Topeka. When you are recognized for your achievements in research, scholarship, design, planning and/or service, let us know by contacting your department head and Thom Jackson in my office so we can publicize your accomplishments at all appropriate levels.

This is a great place to learn, teach and serve. Our world is abuzz with all you have accomplished in the past few years, adding to our long history of excellence. Now we are on the cusp of great changes and our sphere of influence is expanding. Isn’t it marvelous to know you are a part of it?

Wishing you all the best,

Tim

Please note the following dates, times and titles for the 2014 PhD Spring Colloquia.

All presentations are in Seaton Hall Room 104

Tulu Toros

“Restorative Urban Design: A Design Methodology for Mitigating Major Impacts on Nature through Urban Redevelopment”

February 4, 2014 at 4:00pm

Philip Omunga

"Planning tool for supporting urban adaptation to changing climate and extreme events across scales"

February 11, 2014 at 4:00pm

Kevin Rooney

“Categorical Emotional Responses for Central and Peripheral Vision"
February 18, 2014 at 4:00pm

Katie Burke

“Measuring Gully Erosion in Two Disturbed Kansas Landscapes”

February 25, 2014 at 4:00pm

Calayde Davey

“Productive Urban Landscapes: The Relationship Between Urban Agriculture and Neighborhood Property Values”

March 4, 2014 at 4:00pm

Nancy Mahaney

TO BE ANNOUNCED

March 11, 2014 at 4:00pm

2014 Hult Prize

Applications Now Being Accepted For The 2014 Hult Prize'

Click here for more info

Third Floor Tidbits

Weigel Library

Welcome to Spring Semester 2014!

Remember Weigel Library is on 3^rd floor Seaton with wireless printing, free scanning, computers, a print station, a photocopier, group and individual study space, a collaboration workstation, a white board and comfortable seating. We have lots of books and periodicals too.

Hours for Weigel Library are:

Monday through Thursday 8 am to 10 pm;

Friday 8 am to 5 pm;

Saturday 1 pm to 5 pm; and

Sunday 2 pm to 10 pm.

Up-to-date hours can always be found at http://www.lib.k-state.edu/architecture-library-hours

Recipient of Friends’ generosity

display

Two custom-made display cases were delivered to Weigel Library during the fall semester, a gift from the Friends’ of the K-State Libraries.

This organization makes annual gifts to K-State Libraries with funds raised through membership and their annual Gala.

The Friends' long-range planning committee makes project recommendations to the Friends’ Board of Directors based on ideas submitted by Dean of Libraries, Lori Goetsch. A major endeavor that previously received financial assistance from the Friends’ was the murals in Hale Library’s Great Room. Other projects this group has funded in the past include Special Collections, refurbishing the Hemi Room, and digital collections for the Sesquicentennial. The display cases are the first project for a campus branch library.

The vertical design of the new cases highlights library resources on display in a smaller footprint. Weigel Library is pleased to be the recipient of such generosity and thanks the Friends’ of the K-State Libraries for this useful gift.

Members of the Friends’ of the K-State Libraries’ Executive Board will have the opportunity to see the new cases in Weigel on Wednesday, January 29. This group is holding their quarterly business meeting in Seaton following a tour of Weigel Library hosted by Dean de Noble.

Summer Design Scholars Applications

Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company isaccepting applications for its class of 2014 Summer Design Scholars. This is a juried selection, open to upper-level undergraduates and graduate students in architecture, urban design, landscape architecture, and interior design.

We hope you will distribute this link to your students, friends and school acquaintances. The submission deadline is midnight Monday, FEBRUARY 17. Selection will be made by March 4. If you are not the person who should receive this information, we would appreciate your assistance in getting it into the right hands. You can learn more about our program (and applicants can apply) at this link:

www.hewv.com/scholar

This is the 12th year of the program, and our scholars have reported their experiences to be rewarding and life-changing. Scholars, including international students, have come fromthe Savannah College of Art + Design, McGill, Universidad de Monterrey,UPenn, Yale, Carnegie Mellon,Tulane, Virginia Tech, UVA, Clemson, Penn State, Ohio State, Kansas State, Iowa State, Georgia Tech, University of Cincinnati, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Hampton University. Several Summer Scholar “alumni” have accepted full-time positions with our firm.

If you have other questions, please contact Nick Vlattas, nvlattas@hewv.com, or 757-321-9608 or me, contact information below.

We look forward to another exciting year!

Kansas State Board of Technical Professions NEWSLETTER

The Kansas State Board of Technical Professions has posted the NEWSLETTER for January 2014. Newsletter articles include disciplinary actions and lists of new licensees.

Click here for the JANUARY 2014 KSBTP NEWSLETTER:

http://ksbtp.ks.gov/docs/default-source/newsletters-2014/january-2014.pdf?sfvrsn=2

The Fifth International Conference on Sport and Society

Click here for more info

CHANG GALLERY NOTES

Rotary Peace Fellows Exhibit

The “Fellowship for Peace” exhibition will feature photographs and text highlighting the experiences of our local Rotary Peace Fellows: David Kozar (2009-2010), Summer Lewis (2011-2012), Katrina Lewis (Summer 2012), and Vibha Jani (Summer 2013).

Student Photo Exhibit to Close

Students that participated in the 2013 Student Photo Competition may collect their work in room 214 this week between 9am and 5pm Tuesday – Friday.

Faculty Exhibit

Those faculty members with work to be exhibited should contact Thom Jackson, 532-1090 as soon as possible. The Faculty Exhibit opens February 10 and is open through February 28, 2014

STUDENTS

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

January 22 – 3^rd Year Student Meeting, 5:30 pm S063

January 29 – Graduate School Applications Due for 3^rd Year Students

January 30 – Departmental Information Meetings for 1^st Year Students: 5:30 RCP 6:00 LA 6:30 IAPD 7:00 ARCH

February 3 – Academic Progress Review Applications Due for 1^st Year Students

February 6 – 4^th Year Option Intention Forms and Study Abroad Applications Due

February 7 – Graduation Application Materials Due for 5^th Year Students

Research by design: APDesign students participate in research symposium

MANHATTAN -- Graduate students from Kansas State University's College of Architecture, Planning & Design, or APDesign, got the chance to show off their research skills at the recent 2013 APDesign Research Symposium.

A first-time event for the college, the symposium gave the participating students the opportunity to learn how to develop an abstract, make a research presentation and to understand the amount of work it takes to put together a strong presentation.

"We wanted this to be a learning opportunity," said Wendy Ornelas, associate dean of the college. "Not something that was stressful or overwhelming, but an event that could give the students quality feedback on their research."

Students had their choice of making oral presentations in two categories, ecology and use and narratives and impact, or they could choose one of three categories for a poster presentation, technology, ecology and use, or narratives and impact. Students covered a wide range of topics within the categories.

"The students did extremely well," Ornelas said. "Next year we hope to get more students and faculty involved not only with presenting, but with coming and listening to what research is being developed in our college."

Howard Hahn, assistant professor of landscape architecture and regional and community planning, also gave a presentation on his research, "Photo-based Terrain Data Acquisition and 3-D Modeling."

The symposium’s keynote speaker was Linda Sorrento, executive director of the Academy of Environmental Design, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. During her visit she gave two talks. The first was "The Actionable Research Revolution." The second was "Integrative Research Frontiers in Environmental Design."

College of Architecture, Planning & Design students -- all master's students unless otherwise indicated -- who made poster or oral presentations at the 2013 Research Symposium and their presentations include:

Karissa Pankratz, landscape architecture, Argonia, poster presentation, "Experiential Learning Through the Affordances of the Playground Environment"; Dana Williamson, architecture, Bennington, poster presentation, "Sustainable Inter-Generational Living: Well-Being for All Ages Using Color and Light"; Casey Gorrell, landscape architecture,Brookville, poster presentation, "Correlation Between Street Width and Pedestrian Safety," and oral presentation, "Effect of Fountains on Piazza Usage";Rachael Mayhill, interior architecture and product design, Council Grove, poster presentation, "Indoor Air Quality in Office Design"; Hannah Polys, interior architecture and product design,Edwardsville, poster presentation, "Changing Times, Changing Needs: Privacy and Hierarchy in the Workplace."

From Greater Kansas City: Elizabeth Decker, landscape architecture, Leawood, poster presentation, "Urban Design Approach to Planning for Adults with Autism"; Katelyn Nigus, interior architecture and product design, Olathe, poster presentation, "How Ergonomics Contributes to the Health and Well-being of Corporate Employees"; and Lauren Patterson, landscape architecture, oral presentation, "Walkability in Suburbia -- A Feasibility Study for Multiuse Trail Systems in Kansas City," andMatthew Spaniol, interior architecture and product design, poster presentation, "The Benefits of Implementing Technology within Museum Interactives," both from Overland Park.

Jordan Albers, architecture, Oakley, poster presentation, "Enhancing Intergenerational Living Through the Design of Outdoor Spaces"; Sarah Swaim, interior architecture and product design, Tonganoxie, poster presentation, "Changing Times, Changing Needs: The Future of Effective Wayfinding in the Workplace"; Gretchen Gravenstein, landscape architecture, Topeka, oral presentation, "Discovering Spatial Relationships of Fountains in Roman Piazzas"; and Katie Burke, doctoral student in environmental design, Wamego, oral presentation, "Measuring Gully Erosion in Two Disturbed Kanas Landscapes."

From out of state:

From Missouri: Sarah Hartman, architecture, California, poster presentation, "Interstitial Spaces to Promote Social Health in Intergenerational Communities"; Kevin Rooney, doctoral student in environmental design, Kansas City, oral presentation, "Categorical Emotional Responses for Central and Peripheral Vision: Peripheral Architecture as Mood"; Leah Edwards, landscape architecture, poster presentation, "Identity for Nicodemus, Kan.: Exposing History Through Experience of Public Art," and Caleb Melchior, landscape architecture, oral presentation, "Planted Narratives in the Now and Future Botanic Garden: A Critical Enquiry into the Role of the Botanic Garden in the 21st Century," both from Perryville; Aaron Bisch, interior architecture and product design, poster presentation, "Changing Workplace: Designing Success for the Corporate Environment," andDeanne Petersen, regional and community planning, poster presentation, "Food Truck Fever: A Spatial-Political Analysis of Food Truck Locations in Kansas,"both from St. Louis; and Abigail Zohner, interior architecture and product design, Wildwood, oral presentation, "The Impact of Lighting on Employees in a Changing Workplace."

Jeremy Merril, doctoral student in environmental design, Pendleton, Ore., oral presentation, "Creativity in Design Students: The Results of a Semester-long Intervention"; Lauren Garrott, regional and community planning, Lorton, Va., poster presentation, "Opportunities for Physical Activity in Parks: A Study for African-American Women."

From out of country:

Yuankun Yu, architecture, China, poster presentation, "Intergenerational Gardening Creates Better Community for Living"; Nadav Bittan, architecture, Israel, poster presentation, "Venetian Canal System-Typologies of Edge Conditions; Philip Omunga, doctoral student in environmental design, Kenya, oral presentation, "Tool for Evaluating Adaption to Changing Climate and Extreme Events in the Urban Context"; and Calayde Davey, doctoral student in environmental design and planning, South Africa, poster presentation, "The Relationship Between Urban Agriculture to Property Values in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn."

In addition, students in the studio of Michael Gibson, assistant professor of architecture, gave the oral presentation "Cool Skins: Evaluating the Performative Qualities of Ventilated Rain Claddings."

Project to revitalize northeast Kansas City area earns students honor from American Institute of Architects chapter

Friday, Dec. 20, 2013

MANHATTAN -- A design study project to revitalize the Independence Avenue area of northeast Kansas City, Mo., has earned several Kansas State University students a distinguished recognition from the Kansas City chapter of the American Institutes of Architects.

"Independence Avenue Urban Vision Study" by the urban design studio at the Kansas City Design Center, or KCDC, recently received an Honor Award from the American Institutes of Architects chapter. The students' project won the award in an open category, competing against professional work that included built projects.

The design center is a nationally recognized service learning program that is a joint academic partnership between Kansas State University's College of Architecture, Planning & Design, or APDesign, and the School of Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Kansas.

"The project was driven by the realization that absent of the demand for high-density development, the state of progressive vacancy and fragmentation of urban fabric will continue," said Vladimir Krstic, professor of architecture at Kansas State University and the director of the Kansas City Design Center. "Rather than dreaming up a complete city, the students' design focus was shifted toward confronting the unyielding reality of the place and devising strategies to convert the problematic conditions into positive attributes creating the possibilities for urban transformation that is true to its own circumstances.

"I think this award also a recognition of the sustained importance of our mission to promote relevance of urban design on both professional and academic levels," Krstic said. "I am extremely proud of the past generation of the KCDC students who produced the project, as well as previous generations who have been a part of our efforts to build excellence of the program."

The project was funded and done in collaboration with the Kansas City, Mo., planning department, the Mid-America Regional Council and the North East Alliance Together neighborhood association, all who formed the primary stakeholder group in the project.

Kansas State University students involved in the study include:

J.J. Nicolas, senior in architecture, Garnett; Kayla Hales, senior in interior architecture and product design, Overland Park; Kurt Heinen, May 2013 Master of Architecture graduate, Seneca; and Chloe Lewis, May 2013 Master of Interior Architecture and Product Design graduate, Wichita.

From out of state:

Carissa Loehr, May 2013 Master of Interior Architecture and Product Design graduate,Eagan, Minn.

From Missouri: Amanda Barker, senior in interior architecture and product design,California; Theron Bronson, May 2013 Master of Architecture graduate, Grandview; Danny Kliewer, May 2013 Master of Architecture graduate, Moberly; and Eric Wencel, May 2013 Master of Regional and Community Planning graduate, St. Louis.