Hundred of staff, students and alumni were at Lawrence Hall on Friday to celebrate the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts’ centennial anniversary. This grand day could have only been celebrated one way: with lunch and cake. Wilson W. Smith III, an alum and a designer at Nike, described his emotions as “coming back to my favorite time of my life, and every spot is sacred on some level, it’s this ‘remember when’ effect.” He then asked “Is it gold?” referring to the party hat being placed on his head by another alum.
This fun, but professional luncheon allowed for students and alumni to network and simply talk about experiences while at “triple A” (School of Architecture and Allied Arts). “The school here prepares you as a critical thinker to really solve problems,” said Alan Bright, an alum working at HOK as a design principal. “In my career, I stayed and continued in architecture, and the critical thinking I learned here allowed for me to do all theses different things and solve all these different problems.”
Alumni and students alike expressed the great opportunities triple A offers, and in the case of Cheryl Fuji Zahniser, it was to combine something else. “[Frank Okada — an art professor for the school from 1969-1999] told me I should go into advertising, and I asked ‘what about my fine art painting?’” Cheryl did end up going with advertising, but still kept her art background and is now the vice president of brand creative at Nordstrom.
Brook Muller, a former student and professor at triple A, is now the dean for the School of Architecture and Allied Arts, was at the event talking it up with alumni and cutting the three-foot lemon cake. “It’s the most meaningful thing [seeing] professionals and alum networking with students just making connection, sharing passions and open up paths for people,” said Muller.
Current students, like everyone else at the celebration, were having a lot of fun — “It was really nice to have professors, alumni and students all together,” said Miró Merill a junior minoring in art. “[My three years] have been great. Not a lot of sleep, but the community is great. It’s the reason we stay in this. If we didn’t have anyone in studio with you, you would go insane,” said James Chrisman, a junior majoring in architecture.
Dean Muller went on to add, “Faculty are really dedicated to student, mentoring them critiquing them, helping them make connections to the real. If you have that deep contact… just that depth of engagement makes people feel like they’re really connected to something important.” Ultimately, Muller believes the same community-like engagement that has been going on 100 years will be the same thing that helps the School of Architecture and Allied Arts produce great alumni and interest students for the next 100 years.