Peter MacKeith Named Among Design Futures Council's 2020 Senior Fellows

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Peter MacKeith, dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, has been named a 2020 Senior Fellow by the Design Futures Council.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Peter MacKeith, dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, has been named a 2020 Senior Fellow by the Design Futures Council, a built-environment industry leadership consortium.

The council announced the newest cohort of inductees to its exclusive Senior Fellows program on Wednesday, Nov. 11, during the first of a two-day online event, Leadership Summit on the Business of Design.

The Senior Fellows program, which now includes some 200 distinguished leaders, honors its members’ significant contributions to the built-environment industry disciplines, in architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, engineering and construction.

“I am so happy to see that Peter is being recognized for being one of the leading minds in his field by the Design Futures Council,” said Charles Robinson, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic and student affairs. “The University of Arkansas is truly fortunate to have him working daily as a scholar, teacher and administrator on our campus.”

Senior Fellows of the Design Futures Council are recognized for significant contributions toward the understanding of changing trends, new research, or applied knowledge leading to innovative design models that improve the built environment and the human condition.

To be inducted as Senior Fellows, candidates must have “a consistent and successful career in built environment industry professions extending a minimum of 20 years; achieve indisputable leadership in business, design, education, technology and/or innovation that has raised the performance of the organizations these professionals have led; and be recognized by peers at the Design Futures Council as bringing their whole selves to the council’s community, offering insights and opinions that count, sharing presentations that move the community and interpersonal conversations not lost upon the whole.”

The council’s Senior Fellowship includes noted architects, designers and educators, as well as thought leaders from other disciplines and practices, among them architects David Adjaye, Neri Oxman, Steven Holl, Frank Gehry and Glenn Murcutt, designers Maya Lin, Bruce Mau, John Maeda, and Milton Glaser, urban designer Jan Gehl, and environmentalist and public servant Al Gore.

Dean MacKeith is joined in the 2020 cohort of inductees by, among others, Jim Anderson, principal and chair, Dialog Design; Fiske Crowell, principal architect, Sasaki; Don Davies, president, Magnusson Klemencic Associates; Peter Devereaux, chief executive officer, HED (Harley Ellis Devereaux); Ted Hyman, managing partner, ZGF Architects; Rob Miller, director, School of Architecture, University of Arizona; Adrian Parr, dean, College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs, University of Texas, Arlington; Bradford Perkins, chief executive officer, Perkins Eastman; Scott Poole, dean, College of Architecture and Design, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Ignacio Reyes, vice president and chief development officer, Leo A Daly; and Angela Watkins, principal, Shepley Bulfinch.

MacKeith, a nationally recognized design educator and administrator, was appointed as the fifth dean of the Fay Jones School in 2014 and was reappointed in 2019. He has been recognized twice by Design Intelligence as a “design educator of the year” (in 2017 and 2019) and twice by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture with national awards for “creative achievement in design education,” for his design studio teaching and curatorial work.

MacKeith serves as chair of the advisory committee for the Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program, a regional initiative of the Walton Family Foundation, and is a member of the editorial board of Places Journal for architecture, landscape architecture and urbanism. He also serves as Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Campus Architecture and Design at the U of A. He is currently overseeing the design and construction of the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation at the university, a regional center for research and development of new wood products and new approaches in sustainable construction materials.

Curator of the Nordic Pavilion exhibition in architecture at the 2012 Venice Biennale, MacKeith is recognized internationally for his work as a liaison between design cultures of the Nordic nations, particularly Finland, and the United States. In 2014, he was awarded the distinction of Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland for his contributions to Finnish culture.

“By so meaningfully raising the bar, these leaders secure others in their work, inspire them in their craft, and empower them to collectively make the world a better place,” the DFC’s press release states. “Through virtual and in-person spaces, the DFC creates context in which leaders from member firms can work with one another – as well as with leading thinkers from outside industries – to tackle complex challenges and opportunities across the industry. By convening summits on central issues, including sustainability, education, and business leadership, the Council promotes collaboration across multiple disciplines. Together, its members and senior fellows uncover insights that move the built environment industry toward social and environmental wholeness.”

The Design Futures Council is an independent and interdisciplinary network of design, product, construction and real estate leaders who explore trends, challenges, and opportunities to advance innovation and shape the future of the architecture, engineering and construction industry and environment. The council integrates the latest research to benefit the built environment, improve the way things are designed and built, and strengthen member organizations. The organization challenges conventions and limiting beliefs, offering fresh intelligence, innovation, and strategic optimism to enable the design, product, construction and real estate industry to improve the human condition. The council was co-founded in 1994 by Dr. Jonas Salk and James P. Cramer.

About the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design: The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas houses professional design programs of architecture, landscape architecture and interior design together with liberal studies programs. All of these programs combine studio design education with innovative teaching in history, theory, technology and urban design. A broad range of course offerings equips graduates with the knowledge and critical agility required to meet the challenges of designing for a changing world. Their training prepares students with critical frameworks for design thinking that also equip them to assume leadership roles in the profession and in their communities. The DesignIntelligence 2019 School Rankings Survey listed the school among the most hired from architecture, landscape architecture and interior design schools, ranking 10th, 14th and eighth, respectively, as well as 28th among most admired architecture schools.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs.