Jeff Schnabel, Director
School of Architecture
Portland State University

I am pleased to be sharing my thoughts with my professional colleagues. Too often there seems to be this strange line between academia and the profession. For me it is a very faint line, if it exists at all. I came to Portland State University after practicing decades in architecture and landscape architecture firms in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Portland. For many years I straddled the fence between practice and adjunct teaching. I see what we are doing in the University as part of a continuous stream of activities to educate future architects. At PSU we are blessed with a design community that engages with our students at every level of their education. But, in the spirit of blurring that line even further, I offer the following information in hopes of a deep and meaningful dialogue.

It is long overdue that those of us in higher education own the fact that we are a major, if not THE major, barrier to diversity within the profession of architecture. It is late, but I am pleased to say that the Portland State University School of Architecture is enthusiastically working to break down these barriers. We are doing so with the architecture profession as our partner. I would like to acknowledge that the following proposals build upon the thoughtful work of Professor Andrew Santa Lucia and Professor Anna Goodman who are leading diversity and inclusion initiatives for both the School and the College.

Our initiatives currently fall into three broad categories:

1. Increasing awareness of architecture as a profession for students of color.

2. Removing financial barriers for students of color to attend a professional architecture program.

3. Creating an environment within the School of Architecture where students of color can thrive.

Increasing awareness of architecture as a profession for students of color.

The Architecture Foundation of Oregon does a spectacular job getting young students excited about design and planning. Unfortunately, as students get older the prospects of attending college cool this excitement. Starting the summer of 2021, PSU Architecture will offer a free summer immersion program for high school students. Initially we will be working with counselors from local high schools to identify and encourage potential students. The program will be led by Professor Santa Lucia, but will be taught by graduate students from within the program. We want to reignite these students’ interest in architecture, connect them with students that are already enrolled, and normalize the campus experience. By reaching out to architecture firms, I have received excellent recommendations on how to conduct outreach and to ensure participation. I have also been given generous offers from practitioners of color to participate in the program as mentors and evidence for these students that a career in architecture is indeed possible.

Removing financial barriers for students of color to attend a professional architecture program.

This is going to be a significant challenge, but one we must confront head on. Currently the 4 plus 2 professional architecture degree we offer at Portland State has in-state tuition and fees costs of around $70,000 (we are on the inexpensive end of the spectrum). This does not include housing, transportation, or supplies. Yes, student loans are available and we do offer some scholarships, but these tend to be in the $2,000 range. The current scholarships do indeed make an impact on students, but if we are going to get serious about diversifying our student body, we need to think in terms of full scholarships for students. On the University side, we need to reduce costs and bolster tuition remissions. We can also make choices that ensure a student gets a quality education in timely matter. On the community side, we need to raise funds for scholarships. None of us has the resources for funding full scholarships, but if we all contribute a little, we can bundle the contributions to create a funded pathway for deserving students.

Creating an environment within the School of Architecture where students of color can thrive.

For students of color who join our program we can and must do a better job of creating an environment where they feel a sense of belonging and their forms of expression are heard and appreciated. To that end, we are committed to the following:

Creating peer and professional mentor groups that simultaneously create community and offer advice on navigating the architecture curriculum as a student of color.
Providing clear, safe lines of communications with faculty, advisors, and administrators to give voice to students about what is working and what is creating hardship within the program. This must be followed with thoughtful responses and actions.
Enhancing the diversity of full time and adjunct faculty.
Diversifying review panels to better reflect the diversity of our students.
Updating our course precedents to reflect architecture work from all over the world, not just Europe and North America.
Offering studios that engage a full spectrum of communities and project types.
Featuring the work and voices of architects of color in our courses, symposia, and lecture series.

The truth is that by embracing actions to serve the underserved and underrepresented, we are actually making our program richer and more meaningful for all who teach and attend. By extension, it will do the same for the profession. I am deeply grateful to the firms who have spoken with me about these initiatives. Your insights continue to be incredibly valuable and necessary. I look forward to expanding these conversations with practice and partnering to make these ideas our new reality.

I will be participating in the 9/25 AIA Oregon Virtual Happy Hour to discuss all this and I encourage you to join me. Click on the following link to register.