Aggie landscape architecture program, educator earn top DesignIntelligence rankings

The Texas A&M landscape architecture program’s longstanding status as one of the nation’s best was reaffirmed in new rankings that also include an acknowledgement of Galen Newman, associate professor in the [Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning] (http://laup.arch.tamu.edu/) , as an exemplary educator.

“The program is one of the College of Architecture’s jewels and we are deeply proud of this acknowledgement,” said Dawn Jourdan, the college’s executive associate dean.

Texas A&M’s [graduate] (https://laup.arch.tamu.edu/academics/graduate/mla/) and [undergraduate] (http://laup.arch.tamu.edu/academics/undergraduate/bla/index.html) landscape architecture programs ranked fourth on a list of “Landscape Architecture Schools Most Hired From by Firms” in a list of similarly sized schools.

The rankings and educator recognitions, based on surveys from design professionals, academic administrators, recent graduates and students, were [published] (https://www.di-rankings.com/) by DesignIntelligence, a company dedicated to the business success of built environment-related firms.

In the rankings, which include design programs from across the nation, Texas A&M’s landscape architecture undergraduate program ranked 11 ^th and its graduate program ranked 15 ^th in DesignIntelligence’s “Most Admired Landscape Architecture Schools” list.

Newman was named to the “Landscape Architecture — Most Admired Educators” list, which honors excellence in design education.

“He is well known for leadership in teaching and research interdisciplinary collaborations and exemplifies the role of teacher-scholar,” said Jourdan.

An associate head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning and head of the [Center for Housing and Urban Development] (http://chud.arch.tamu.edu/) , Newman studies the reuse of vacant properties in cities, land use science, spatial analytics, and community flood resilience.

His award-winning research, funded by many internal and external sources such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health, appears in numerous, peer-reviewed publications including the Journal of the American Planning Association, Landscape Journal, Environment and Planning B, Landscape Research, and Cities.

In addition to the most admired schools and educators lists, DesignIntelligence also publishes lists of programs that excel in design focus areas.

The undergraduate program ranked sixth in interdisciplinary studies, which highlight an awareness of and collaboration with multiple disciplines that impact the built environment. The graduate program ranked eighth in transdisciplinary collaboration with architecture, engineering and construction fields.

The undergraduate program also appeared in the top 10 in the following lists: design technology; design theory and practice; engineering fundamentals; and practice management and research.

The Most Admired Educators list also includes Omar Faruque ’71, head of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Faruque, who is also a widely published author, will be honored as one of six new Outstanding Alumni of the Texas A&M College of Architecture Nov. 14, 2019.

Richard Nira

rnira@arch.tamu.edu