The three-year search for a dean of the UB School of Architecture and Urban Planning has ended with the hiring of Brian Carter, a professor of architecture from the University of Michigan. Carter's appointment is effective Jan. 1.
According to Provost Elizabeth Capaldi, Carter brings several years of experience as the chair of the architecture program at Michigan and is the ideal candidate for whom the university was searching.
"It is important to find the perfect person, no matter how long that takes," said Capaldi. "We were looking for both characteristics - strong architect with administrative experience - so he is perfect."
Carter said Buffalo is a "great place to live and to study architecture and urban planning" and that he is equally excited about the architecture and planning program at UB.
"The school has a distinguished history and a fine record of research and design that sets it apart from many schools in North America," Carter said. "These are splendid foundations to build on."
Steven Watchorn, a third-year architecture student, said that while he has been pleased with the performance of Interim Dean Kenneth Levy, he is glad the school found a permanent dean and welcomes what Carter can provide the school.
"There's a lot that a full time dean can do as far as improvement of facilities, community outreach and promoting the school," Watchorn said.
Professor of Architecture Lynda Schneekloth welcomed the stable leadership and had ideas about what Carter will need to do to improve the school.
"The dean needs to build on our strengths . but also bring something of his own," she said.
One of the hardest and most important jobs for the new dean, she said, is to raise money for the school.
Carter received a master's degree in architecture from the University of Toronto and went on to the Nottingham School of Architecture in the United Kingdom, where he received a diploma in architecture.
A member of the Royal Institute of British Architecture and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Carter designs and curates exhibits in the field of architecture and planning that have been displayed worldwide. He has also lectured all over the globe, from Australia to Nigeria.
His work has been published in various journals, including Documents in Canadian Architecture, Institut Francais d'Architecture and Architectural Review.
For Carter, architecture is not simply a profession - architecture has the ability to change lives.
"Architecture and urban planning are social arts that can help to build and improve communities," he said.
Carter has worked extensively with Arups in London, participating in numerous design projects, including the IBM Administrative Headquarters in London. He is currently in London working on a design project with a group of his students and said he expects his experiences overseas to benefit the program at UB.
"I hope that (these experiences) will be useful in advancing the school, and also that it will help to build connections to enable students and faculty at UB to develop new fields of work with other disciplines both the university and beyond," Carter said.
