Dean's Welcome

We all know how ritualized ceremonies can turn into formulaic affairs. Perhaps the summer respite has something to do with it, but our annual Welcome Celebration is far from formulaic. The grand affair has come to represent the camaraderie and energy that defines the School of Architecture and Planning. It’s also just plain fun. Last year we dumped ice on the school’s leadership for the Ice Bucket Challenge. This year it was marimba jazz and Frisbee. Every year we come together with an eager enthusiasm for another year.

We have reason to smile. Things are good for the School of Architecture and Planning, as they are for UB and Buffalo. We’re headed back to a fully restored and renovated Hayes Hall in just a few months. Our architecture program has just been accredited through 2023, the longest interval awarded by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. We’ve launched a new real estate development specialization with impressive first-year enrollment. And we’re at the forefront of UB’s $25 million investment in interdisciplinary research, which links architecture and planning to global health equity and advanced manufacturing, construction and robotics.

Read on to learn more. We hope to leave you smiling and inspired to join us in the exciting endeavors ahead.