Editor's Note: As the U of A strives to become an employer of choice, the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design is highlighting the faculty and staff who help the school excel. 

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Katie Dunn, teaching assistant professor, joined the landscape architecture faculty in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design in 2023. Dunn has a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the Fay Jones School and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania's Stuart Weitzman School of Design, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Although originally enrolled as an architecture student, Dunn said she switched to landscape architecture after hearing the department head at the time talk about the human aspect of design and how it plays such an important role in the environment and how people interact with the landscape.

"I see design as a tool for helping people and making places enjoyable and meaningful for people," Dunn said. "I know people have such strong memories attached to place, and that is exciting to be able to do something like that."

Although landscape architecture is a small and underrepresented profession, Dunn said a nice aspect of the discipline is that she knows people everywhere, doing different types of work.

"I get to talk to these people who are working everywhere, doing everything, but we have that shared connection of what we do and why we do it, which is very rewarding," Dunn said.

Even though she spent copious time outdoors as a kid, Dunn said she thinks she originally landed on architecture because it is more well-known than other design fields. Once she learned about landscape architecture, she realized how well-suited it was to her personality and to what she wanted to do.

Dunn said a big strength of the Department of Landscape Architecture in the Fay Jones School is that each faculty member is excited about different areas of the field. This allows students to see different aspects and expand their own views.

"I think a lot of students come in with a very limited view of what landscape architecture is," Dunn said. "It is cool to see how they open up and find themselves in the world of design."

Landscape architecture requires a level of humility. Dunn said that while landscape architects are designers, they are never in complete control.

"You are working with ecological systems and processes that you need to be able to work with in your environment," Dunn said. "Even from a practical point of view, everything is trying to get back to what it wants to be."

As a newer faculty member, Dunn said she is learning how to relate to the students and how to share her knowledge and experiences in landscape architecture.

"There is a lot of information to cover, and I think some students can get a little overwhelmed," Dunn said. "Sometimes some students are not super design-orientated, which is great because there's so much opportunity for other aspects of the profession. Sometimes instruction needs to be uniform in a way, but at the same time, allowing for a lot of exploration."

Coming directly to teaching from professional practice, Dunn said she is also learning to understand that there are simply things that students don't know yet. While other professionals have a shared understanding that comes from years spent working in the field, she said she has to remind herself that students are only beginning to learn the topic.

One way that she helps them connect with the field is by limiting her use of jargon. While it can enhance communication across the design disciplines, she tries to keep it accessible for students by stating the technical term and then defining it and explaining what it means.

After just two years of teaching university students, Dunn feels that she has grown and developed her skills — and looks forward to continuing to thrive.

"I think I am a good teacher, and I wouldn't be in the position that I am without the faculty that I have here," Dunn said. "Some of my colleagues were my professors, and the colleagues I haven't worked with have been so gracious and allowed me to find my footing with a perfect amount of support."

Dunn said that people have described her as courageous because she's lived in so many places. But she was proud and thrilled to return to Northwest Arkansas for this chapter of her life.

"This is one of about three places where I never felt like I didn't belong," she said. "I've loved a lot of places that I've lived, and I love to visit them. But being back here is where I am most comfortable, and I hope I never take it for granted."

Read the full Q&A with Katie Dunn.