MSU names Jun-Hyun Kim new director for the School of Planning, Design and Construction
Print
EmailKim will replace René Hinojosa, Ph.D., an SPDC professor emeritus in urban and regional planning who has served as interim school director
Jun-Hyun Kim, Ph.D., ASLA, has been named director of the Michigan State University (MSU) School of Planning, Design and Construction (SPDC), which is jointly administered by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the College of Social Science. His five-year appointment as director will begin on June 1, 2024.
"Dr. Kim is an experienced leader, distinguished scholar and award-winning educator. He brings a wealth of experience and talent to the role as the next director of SPDC,” said Brent Donnellan, College of Social Science dean. “The College of Social Science is thrilled to work with Dr. Kim, and we offer our congratulations on his appointment."
Currently, Kim serves as program director of both the Landscape Architecture and Master of Environmental Design programs in SPDC. During his tenure as director of these programs, he raised the landscape architecture program’s ranking to one of the top nine programs in the U.S., increased program enrollment by 79%, renewed the landscape architecture program’s accreditation status for the full six-year period, completed the Master of Environmental Design Program’s 5-year Strategic Program Assessment and secured over $3.6 million in new endowments and gifts for the program.
Kim’s ongoing research focuses on the impacts of environments on human health and community resiliency, which has received multi-million-dollar funding from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Landscape Architecture Foundation, among others.
Kim will replace René Hinojosa, Ph.D., an SPDC professor emeritus in urban and regional planning who has served as interim school director. Hinojosa will return to his position as research director for the Institute for Global Health within the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“I’m so grateful for Dr. Hinojosa’s steady leadership and wise counsel in service to SPDC over this past year,” said Kelly Millenbah, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “Leading this diverse, impressive school requires a top-notch administrator and scholar, and I am confident that Dr. Kim will excel as SPDC director.”
“I am deeply honored and excited to step into the role of director for the School of Planning, Design and Construction to continue the legacy of excellence and innovation at SPDC,” said Kim. “Together with our outstanding faculty, staff and students, we will further strengthen our interdisciplinary and innovative research, outreach activities and educational programs. This will ensure that SPDC remains a leader in addressing the challenges of natural, built and virtual environments, creating a more sustainable, resilient and inclusive world. I look forward to collaborating across the SPDC and MSU communities, as well as with external stakeholders, to advance our institute's mission and vision.”
Kim joined the Landscape Architecture faculty in 2017 as the result of a targeted search after teaching at Texas A&M University and California Polytechnic State University. He has earned eight awards from the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture and an Excellence in Teaching Award from CANR and was a member of the inaugural cohort of the CANR Leadership Development Program. Kim earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in landscape architecture from Sungkyunkwan University and his Ph.D. in urban and regional science from Texas A&M.
