Washington, D.C., June 6, 2014 – The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) is partnering with Howard University, School of Architecture and Design with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, School of Architecture to lead a public-interest design education and service-learning project in Petite-Rivière-de-Nippes, Haiti. With support from the Fetzer Institute, the 2014 Haiti Summer Studio is the continuation of the “2011 Haiti Idea Challenge” where students were asked to design permanent solutions to rebuild the infrastructure, cities, and neighborhoods affected by the 2010 earthquake. The challenges include designing and building a media resource center in an area without running water or electricity and using designs that can be built by local residents themselves.

Ten students and six advisors from the U.S. will join Howard University’s partner, Mercy Outreach Ministry International, and Haiti’s University GOC on a design project that will help Petite-Rivière-de-Nippes residents develop the capacity to improve their daily lives through architectural design solutions. The group will spend two weeks in Haiti, where the students will practice the principles of compassionate and participatory design. The outcomes of the studio, including a documentary video chronicling the experience, will be published by the ACSA as a model for other schools to use service-learning to implement collaborative and participatory design processes that empower local citizens and foster community resilience.

The studio will be coordinated by Professor Lynne M. Dearborn of University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), School of Architecture and the project led by the partnership of Professors Edward Dunson, Victor Dzidzienyo and Bradford Grant of Howard University (HU) School of Architecture and Design along with Michael Monti and Eric Ellis of the ACSA.

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About ACSA
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, membership association founded in 1912 to advance the quality of architectural education. The school membership in ACSA has grown from 10 charter members to over 250 schools in several membership categories. These include full membership for all accredited programs in the United States and government-sanctioned schools in Canada, candidate membership for schools seeking accreditation, and affiliate membership for schools for two-year and international programs. Through these schools, over 5,000 architecture faculty are represented. In addition, over 500 supporting members composed of architecture firms, product associations and individuals add to the breadth of interest and support of ACSA goals. The association maintains a variety of activities that influence, communicate, and record important issues. Such endeavors include scholarly meetings, workshops, publications, awards and competition programs, support for architectural research, policy development, and liaison with allied organizations. www.acsa-arch.org

ABOUT HOWARD UNIVERSITY AND THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The School of Architecture and Design has a tradition of activist community service in design that advances collaborative scholarship, research, teaching and learning in the global context. Howard has produced more African American and Black architects than any other institution in the world. www.howard.edu

ABOUT THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
The Illinois School of Architecture is one of the oldest and largest schools of architecture in the country. Since the initiation of its architectural curriculum in 1867, the University of Illinois has consistently broken new ground in the education of architects in the United States. www.arch.uiuc.edu

ABOUT MERCY OUTREACH MINISTRY INTERNATIONAL, INC
MOM the international outreach mission of the Full Gospel Church of the Lord’s Missions International, Inc. It is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the transmission of appropriate technology for sustainable community and economic growth in developing countries. MOM has targeted the dispossessed and suffering in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. It is listed among the poorest of all countries in the developing world. MOM is particularly dedicated to the rural communities that are isolated and without modern sanitation, food, water, and educational and medical facilities. www.mercyoutreachministry.org

ABOUT FETZER INSTITUTE
The Fetzer Institute is a nonprofit, private operating foundation based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Established by broadcast pioneer John E. Fetzer (1901-1991), the Institute uses its philanthropic resources to create programs that foster awareness of the power that love, forgiveness, and compassion can have in our world. Visit Fetzer Institutes Website at www.fetzer.org