The University of New Mexico

NEWS RELEASE

 


Contact: Carolyn Gonzales 277-5920
cgonzal@unm.edu

March 2, 2006

Accreditation Team to Visit UNM Architecture Program

An accreditation team is coming this week to assess the architecture program in the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning. They will be on campus from Saturday, March 4 through Wednesday, March 8.

The group will tour the school's facilities, including the libraries and the fine arts wood shops, and pore over the material gathered in the “evidence rooms,” studio rooms where student work is displayed. “The team will review the work to see if student performance criteria or competencies are evidenced in their projects. Student work is a huge portion of accreditation,” said Geraldine Forbes, director of the school's architecture program.

Additionally, the team will look at the finances of the architecture program; its relationship to the profession and the greater community; its physical resources – including what will be available in the new building; and information systems.

“It is a broad spectrum accreditation,” Forbes said.

The architecture program received a six-year accreditation previously and strives to acquire the same this time around.

“It presents a good opportunity for us to look at the work done over the past six years and see where we are now, where we want to go and what changes we may want to make,” said Forbes, who, as a relative newcomer to the program – she arrived in August – said that the process has brought her closer to students and faculty.

“In order for architecture graduates to be license in most states, they must graduate from an accredited program,” said Forbes. “The entire architecture academic community will be engaged in meetings with the accreditors in different venues to talk to students, faculty, staff and administrators.”

Forbes sees the strength of UNM's program being in its community engagement, environment, sustainability and accessibility. “Over the next six years, we will be engaged in projects on a much greater scale, in response to Albuquerque 's growth, but we will remain sensitive to the climate, region and culture of New Mexico ,” she said.

Architecture is a profession with its own accrediting board, the National Architecture Accrediting Board. The accrediting team consists of five professionals representing the American Institute of Architects, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, American Institute of Architects Students and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and one faculty observer from Florida International University .

Forbes said that the American Institute of Architects office, located on the ground floor of the school's building on the southwest corner of Central and Stanford, features an exhibit of faculty posters, portfolios and publications to showcase faculty work to the accreditation team and the community. The exhibit will be up through March.

 


The University of New Mexico is the state's largest university, serving more than 32,000 students. UNM is home to the state's only schools of law, medicine, pharmacy and architecture and operates New Mexico's only academic health center. UNM is noted for comprehensive undergraduate programs and research that benefits the state and the nation.

www.unm.edu