"Far Above Cayuga's Waters" is the first verse of the Cornell Alma Mater

Given the short holiday week, I have had some time to catch up on reading some of my favorite magazines, which includes Architectural Record.  This month’s issue provided me with the refreshing news that my alma mater was once again named the number one undergraduate architecture program in the nation.  My Cornell experience represented a really great time in my life and I am thrilled to see that the College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP) is continuing to set the bar high.  Not only was Cornell’s undergraduate program ranked at the top spot for architecture, but the relatively new master’s program in architecture was ranked in the top ten.

I encourage you to review the full results and some of the background information that DesignIntelligence shared with Architectural Record, in the November 2009 issue.  DesignIntelligence has been ranking architecture programs for ten years as of this fall and they are the the foremost leaders in the analysis of design education.  Rankings, while they may seem like a badge of honor for the top ranked schools, they serve an even more important function, assessing opportunities for improvement.  Cornell hasn’t held the #1 rank every year, but rather had to work to maintain a fresh approach to cultivating the next generation of designers.  These rankings help programs assess their strengths and weakness, while they also serve as recruiting tools for prospective students as well as evaluation tools for employers considering architecture graduates from various programs. 

The analysis that DesignIntelligence performs is quite extensive and it includes a wide range surveys from students and faculty about various topics, including; what students do after graduation, how well-prepared students feel for the workforce, skills rankings, etc.  There are also some interesting comments from AR readers at the end of the piece.  Check out the Architectural Record article on-line: http://archrecord.construction.com/features/0911BestArchSchools/0911BestArchSchools-1.asp

In general, I’ve found that DesignIntelligence is a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about design and I recommend their materials for greater insight on education and practice in this industry.  Learn more here: http://www.di.net/

The experience that I have had since graduation in 2006 has led me to believe that there are amazing architects and designers from pretty much any school that you can name, whether they made the list or not.  In the end, your value isn’t based on where you went to school, but rather what you did with the knowledge, experience, tools and resources that you were provided as a student.  In general, from what I’ve understood from my wide range of architectural colleagues, the design school experience is pretty standard wherever you go…it’s rough, you work incredibly hard for five years and you will get your ego busted down on many occasions, but in the end, you are ready for what the world has to offer on so many different levels.  HOK New York recently supported a documentary film called archiCULTURE, where the film makers explore the role that architecture and design play in our daily lives. The film follows five architecture students through their final senior design projects in order to shed light on the critical issues impacting our built environment.  HOK’s own Bill Hellmuth is prominently featured on the archiCULTURE homepage (if you don’t see him right away, hit refresh a few times).  Check out their site:  http://www.archiculturefilm.com/TrailerPremierNYC.shtml  

Back to the topic at hand – I remember the waters of Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, NY quite fondly, minus the crazy snow storms.  It was an honor to attend Cornell and I have made lifelong friendships with so many terrific people from CU, both inside and outside of the architecture studio.  I’ve had the pleasure of working with Cornellians in every position that I have held in the design field.  Currently, I’m working with Kenneth Drucker, who is the Design Director for HOK’s New York office.  Ken went to Cornell for his undergraduate degree and Harvard for his masters (The GSD holds the #1 masters program title this year).  Ken recently spoke to a group of Cornell students who came to visit our office from the AAP studio space in NYC, which happens to be one block away on 17th St.  My most memorable experiences at Cornell include building a giant dragon as a first year student in 2002, working in a vertical studio with graduate students in Real Estate during my third year, spending a semester in Rome during the spring of 2005 and completing my thesis book in 2007.  Check out my class’ dragon here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-199756485050014118#

While my Cornell experience prepared me for the design world, I also took many courses and had many influential experiences outside of AAP, which helped me to learn a lot about my other interests and skills.  By drawing on those experiences, I am now serving HOK in a capacity that is less involved with traditional architecture, but rather, focused on Public Relations and Business Development for the New York office.  Today marks the one month anniversary of my transition and I am genuinely happy with my decision to pursue this unique opportunity.  In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for family, friends and good health, of course, but I am also very grateful for an amazing education and an awesome job.   

Lastly, I would like to congratulate Cornell on another great year…keep up the good work!  Go Big Red! http://aap.cornell.edu/arch/

Happy Thanksgiving to All!