Philadelphia University Name Change

As of July 1, 2017, Thomas Jefferson University and Philadelphia University officially completed an institutional merger following receipt of all required regulatory, accrediting and other third-party approvals.  The name for the combined institution, which will be the fifth largest in Philadelphia, is Thomas Jefferson University and will be referred to as Jefferson in common usage.  The combination will not alter our programs which continue to expand.  The College of Architecture and the Built Environment is excited about exploring new opportunities, including ways to investigate issues of health care and the built environment.

Asst. Prof. Jeff Kansler and Professor James Doerfler supervised the Merge art installation designed by architecture students to reflect the merger of Philadelphia University and Thomas Jefferson University. The large glass art installation was built by students from Jefferson and the Finishing Trades Institute and displayed on the center city campus during the Design Philadelphia festival in October 2018.  

Several faculty were awarded term chairs by the college. These include: James Doerfler, Professor and Director, The Cheryl Smith, AIA Chair for Architecture; David Kratzer, Assoc. Prof., The RHJ Associates PC Term Chair; Dr. Kihong R. Ku, Assoc. Prof., The Volpe Family Term Chair for Architectural Innovation; and Donald Dunham, Assoc. Professor, The Amanda Weko Family Chair for Architecture

Assoc. Prof. Chris Harnish recently returned from work on his Fulbright Teaching Scholar Fellowship, “Equity, Sustainability and Resilience: Architecture as a Social Force in Humanitarian Development”. The fellowship sponsored his teaching at the University of Malawi Polytechnic where he brought this topic to Malawian architecture students.

Chris also has contributed a chapter to the ebook Sustainable Urban Development and Globalization

Two faculty have recently published books.  Assoc. Prof. Suzanne Singletary has written “James MacNeil Whistler and France; A Dialogue in Paint, Poetry and Music”.  And Prof. Edgar Stach has written “Mies van der Rohe; Space–Material–Detail”

Assoc. Prof. Craig Griffen hosted an AIA Housing Knowledge Community Webinar entitled The Challenge of Incorporating Passive Energy Strategies into Developer Single-Family Suburban Housing

The program welcomes our new faculty member, Asst. Prof. Andrew Hart, who will focus his teaching on the visualization curriculum.  Andrew recently served on the NCARB Think Tank in 2016-17.