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| Contact: Roger Schluntz 277-2879 August 4, 2004 UNM SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING ESTABLISHES ENDOWED CHAIR IN CULTURAL LANDSCAPE Roger Schluntz, dean of the University of New Mexico's School of Architecture and Planning recently announced establishment of the J.B. Jackson Chair in Cultural Landscape Studies, made possible with funds from Jackson's estate and $500,000 from SB 14. The permanently endowed chair will augment programs already established in the school, Schluntz said. “By permanently endowing the position we can provide travel, administrative and program support as well as graduate assistant support to the program,” Schluntz said. He said the position gives greater recognition to the school's mission and programs and improves the ability to recruit faculty and graduate students. “Establishing a named-chair position, by its nature, is prestigious and is viewed by those in academia as a unique position intended to enhance programs and raise visibility of the programs nationally and internationally,” Schluntz said. John Brinckerhoff Jackson, who died in 1996, is credited with creating the field of landscape studies. He elevated vernacular architecture and landscapes to a level of study once reserved for architect-designed buildings. He founded, published and edited Landscape, a magazine dedicated to cultural landscape. Chris Wilson, J.B. Jackson Professor of Cultural Landscape Studies, a 20-year friend and colleague of Jackson's, has been selected to hold the endowed chair position. Wilson recently established a graduate certificate program in historic preservation and regionalism, bringing forth many of Jackson's methods and ideas, including interdisciplinary study. Jackson's generosity to the School of Architecture and Planning was borne of his belief in the school and its programs. “Ours is the only school of its kind in New Mexico. J.B. Jackson, in his wisdom, gave his money for the betterment of the school and to help preserve the heritage of the state,” Schluntz said. The New Mexico State Senate passed SB 14 in 2002 to create endowed chairs, professorships and faculty development programs to attract and retain the highest quality faculty at the state's higher education institutions. # # # Comments to: |