School of Planning, Design and Construction

The School of Planning, Design and Construction (SPDC) at Michigan State University finds its strength in the interdisciplinary nature of our four distinct yet interconnected programs including Construction Management, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning. These four accredited programs collectively offered nine degrees to nearly 700 undergraduate and graduate students this academic year. As a unified school, our mission is to advance the knowledge, prepare innovative leaders, and support the practice of planning, design and construction. 

Presently, institutes of higher education are facing a great deal of uncertainty, both at MSU and across the country. However, SPDC remains dedicated to our vision of collaborating to create sustainable and healthy built, natural, and virtual environments, making an exceptional impact on our communities. Our growing enrollment at the school level, which has increased approximately 80% since 2017, as well as our solid job placement rate, reflects our sustained excellence in these fields, as well as the reliability of our plans for the future.

To strengthen SPDC’s spirit of unity, we hosted our first ever joint, SPDC Career Fair in February of 2025, broadening career opportunities for students of all programs. The school’s Residential Competition Team led by our Construction Management Program, increasingly features students from all programs – including Landscape Architecture students, Sam Durgy, Ryan Jessar, and Josh Kuhowski in recent years. This year, the team’s months of hard work culminated in a second-place finish at the 2025 National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Competition. These are just two examples of how the interconnectivity of our programs allows SPDC to produce tomorrow’s leaders and innovators in the built environment disciplines.

A further step the school took this year to enhance our inter-programmatic bonds was for all the faculty from each program to come together and identify four core scholarly areas:

• Climate-Resilient Communities & Adaptation 

• Housing Innovation & Community Development 

• Healthy Environments for Human Well-Being 

• Environmental & Social Impact

Not only does the scope of our Landscape Architecture (LA) program align with these research areas, but LA frequently collaborates with other programs to enhance our school’s goals. For example, our on-going partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources serves as an interdisciplinary, practical learning experience for all students. 

The Landscape Architecture program kicked off the 2024-2025 academic year with a dual-event day in mid-September. In the afternoon alumnus, Robert ‘Bob’ Chipman guided students and alumni on our 2nd annual Student & Alumni Sketch Crawl. The sketch crawl was well attended and positively received by students. Later that evening, we hosted our annual LAAAB Distinguished Speaker Series. Our Landscape Architecture Alumni and Advisory Board (LAAAB) Vice President, Tim Britain moderated a panel consisting of; Nicole Horst, Co-President & Principal at Wenk Associates; Trevor Bosworth, Principal at VIRDIS Design Group; and National ASLA President, SuLin Kotowicz. The panel discussed the revitalization project, "RIVER FOR ALL, Grand Rapids, Michigan," a project aimed at enhancing public use of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids. I deeply appreciate to the dedication and support of the LAAAB, which sponsored the event. 

The LA Spartans had another strong showing at the National ASLA Conference this fall. The semester ended with the 2024 LA Senior Show where students in our Capstone Design Studio presented their final projects. In February, the LA program hosted the induction ceremony of our 2025 LA Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, Michael J. Dul. He shared his lasting career success and insights from his distinguished career as the president and founder of Michael J. Dul & Associates.

Our LA program enrollment has been increased substantially. Since I joined the program in 2017 fall, the LA program enrollment has increased by 133%, with over 100 students enrolled during this academic year. Our outstanding students and alumni have achieved numerous accomplishments this academic year. Coryn Brinks and Angela Dean received the ASLA Student Honor Award, while Claire Brisley and Aaron Carten-Crandell received the ASLA Student Merit Award. 

Two LA Spartans were recognized at the National ASLA Conference in Washington D.C. this year. Alumnus, Stephanie Onwenu was awarded the ASLA Emerging Professional Medal. Student Ava Yon received two scholarships: the ASLA Michigan Chapter’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Scholarship and the ASLA Council of Fellows Scholarship. Our recent graduate, Jordan White, won the Student Honor Award from the Michigan Chapter of ASLA for her work on her thesis project. Students Jakobi Johnson, Grace Densham, and Saida Mazariegos won a Merit Award in Design at the 2024 Michigan ASLA Awards for their work on the group project, “Grand River Renaissance,” which aims to foster restoration, exploration, and inclusion along the Grand River corridor. Alumnus Stephanie Onwenu was also honored by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at MSU with the CANR Alumni Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award.

While our talented faculty members continue to provide students with a solid foundation for academic and professional growth, financial barriers may hinder some from fully engaging in all that we offer. Our program’s ongoing goal is to offer diverse enriching experiences to our students, including attendance at professional conferences, workshops, visits to prominent project sites and professional offices, research opportunities, and access to essential graphic software and digital resources. These experiences are essential in preparing our students for building successful careers and greater contributions to our discipline and communities. With the generous support of our alumni, friends, and donors, our program awarded over $250,000 in LA scholarships to our students during the academic year of 2024-2025. In addition, 15 LA students studying abroad in Japan this semester with the support of the John and Patricia Chipman Endowed International Enrichment Program in Landscape Architecture. Below is a list of recipients who received at least one of our program scholarships. Our students and faculty are incredibly grateful for your generous support, which enables them to pursue their academic and professional goals. 

• Hamilton Anderson Scholarship: Alice Finlan & Jakobi Johnson
• June Knostman Scholarship: Ryan Patterson & Ava Rotman
• Thomas K. and Sheila T. Moore Scholarship: Ellie Fichtner & Isaiah Ramsey
• Kenneth and Shirley Polakowski Scholarship: Nahian Chowdhury & Anhad Viswanath
• Jack A. Anderson Scholarship: Sydney Bess
• LAAAB Golf Outing Scholarship: Nicholas Gattoni 
• Michigan Chapter ASLA Scholarship: Grace Densham & Adam Hershner 
• LA Endowment Scholarship: John Benedetto, Timothy Bohan, Adam Hershner & Ryan Patterson
• John Campbell Scholarship: Coryn Brinks, Claire Brisley, Evan Cameron, Aaron Carten-Crandell, Ellie Fichtner, Alice Finlan, Yeayoung Kim, Lucas Maino & Andrew Nord
• William C. and Kathryn Burgess Stenquist Scholarship: Sarah Arnold, Anna Barry, John Benedetto, Sydney Bess, Timothy Bohan, James Brillhart, Coryn Brinks, Claire Brisley, Evan Cameron, Aaron Carten-Crandell, Nahian Chowdhury, Isabella Crowley, Angela Dean, Grace Densham, Nina Dunigan, Samson Durgy, Samia Faiza, Deil Fernandez, Ellie Fichtner, Alice Finlan, Brooks Funke, Nicholas Gattoni, Jillian Geisel, Lucianna Hall, Adam Hershner, Jack Hill, Steven Jarecki, Ryan Jessar, Jakobi Johnson, Lucas Maino, Saida Mazariegos, Reagan Millard, Noah Miller, Felecia Morey, Lizbeth Munoz-Meija, Andrew Nord, Christopher Nosek, Ryan Patterson, Isaiah Ramsey, Kaitlyn Ridner, Ava Rotman, Andy Song, Alison Swanson, Kathryn Willard, Carson Woods, Ava Yon, Michael Young & Sydney Zachos 

I cannot overstate the importance of our exemplary and dedicated faculty to the success of the students and program. Which is why I am so glad to announce an addition to our MSU LA family. Ted Cook, an alumnus of both our BLA and MED programs, joined the program as a teaching specialist this academic year. In addition to his teaching duties, Ted advises MSU’s student chapter of the ASLA and is a liaison to the LAAAB.

With my first year as Director at SPDC coming to an end, and as I look forward to the next, I am excited for the future of our school and the LA program. Though uncertainty may lie ahead, I am confident in the resilience of our school. The accomplishments and highlights of the past year reflect the excellence of our students, faculty, and alumni. They also serve as a reminder of the community we each will forever be a part of as Landscape Architecture Spartans. We encourage you to share your own achievements and stories with us as we continue to celebrate our successes together. Stay connected with us on our official Facebook page (@MSULandscapeArchitecture) for the latest updates, events, and news. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported and contributed to our program's ongoing success.

Go Green!