Principal of Gensler, world's largest architecture and design firm, to address Class of 2019

The Class of 2019, representing more than 200 future architects, urban planners and real estate developers, will walk the stage Friday, May 17, 2019, 5 pm, at UB’s Center for the Arts, North Campus.

An accomplished architect and project leader, Burke-Vigeland’s portfolio includes a number of high-profile collaborative projects. Most recently she served as project director for Gensler’s renovation of the iconic Ford Foundation, now the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice.

She’s the principal-in-charge of the expansion project for the Museum of Modern Art and served in a similar capacity for The Clark Art Institute, the New Museum in NYC and the Vagelos Graduate and Medical Education Center at Columbia University. Partnering firms and architects include Tadao Ando, Selldorf Architects, SANAA, and Diller Scofidio+Renfro. She holds a Bachelor's in Architecture from the Pratt Institute.

A native of Buffalo and chair of the School of Architecture and Planning’s Dean’s Council, Burke-Vigeland is a champion for the city and UB.

“The work of the students at the School of Architecture and Planning is incredibly impactful,” she said. “The school’s city-as-lab philosophy has significantly propelled Buffalo's resurgence and at the same time trained cohorts of design thinkers to be fully engaged in their communities - truly inspiring!”

Dean Robert Shibley will also present Burke-Vigeland with this year’s Dean’s Medal, the highest award bestowed by the school, in honor of her inspirational practice and outstanding contributions to the profession of architecture.

“Maddy is an inspiring and dedicated leader for Gensler and the profession of architecture and design overall,” said Shibley. “She brings the same level of acuity and passion as chair of the School of Architecture and Planning’s Dean’s Council. Her counsel and partnership has been integral to our efforts to raise the profile of the school on the global stage.”

Burke-Vigeland served as convener for the school’s “See It Through Buffalo” film screening at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice in New York City earlier this spring. The event, which drew nearly 200 distinguished guests, featured a panel conversation among Dean Shibley and leaders of the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Yale School of Architecture on the role of architecture and planning programs in regenerating the cities around them.

Past recipients of the Dean's Medal include such notable figures as architect-scholars Buckminster Fuller and Magda Cordell McHale, environmental leader Bill McKibben, artist and landscape architect Walter Hood, and Buffalo developer and former New York State economic development leader Howard Zemsky.  

Among the Class of 2019 are nearly 70 graduates earning nationally accredited master’s degrees in architecture or urban planning, 10 graduates of the school’s MS in Real Estate Development program, and three doctorates in urban planning. Nearly 90 students will earn their bachelor’s degree from the school, including the pre-professional Architecture BS and the BA in Environmental Design. Three students will receive their graduate certificates in historic preservation.

Provost Charles Zukoski will confer degrees. Serving as this year's honorary marshal is Associate Dean Bruce Majkowski (M Ed ‘13, MS ’89; MArch ’86, BPS ‘84), who will receive his doctorate in higher education from UB’s Graduate School of Education next week.