Fay Jones School Dean Candidates to Present to Campus April 27, 29 and 30

Three dean candidates for the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design - James C. Stevens, Kristi Cheramie and C.L. Bohannon - will hold open forums for the campus community April 27, 29 and 30 at 3:30 p.m. in the Shollmier Auditorium in Vol Walker Hall (WALK 250). Each presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

During their presentation, each candidate will provide an overview of their academic, professional and administrative background that is relevant to the position. Candidates are asked to highlight key experiences, achievements and skills that have prepared them for this role.

Additionally, candidates will articulate their vision for the future of architecture and design education, both within the context of the school and the broader field. They will also discuss their approach to leadership and how they would foster a collaborative and innovative environment within the school and across the university.

The campus community is invited to attend each presentation. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. The campus community can access evaluation forms to provide feedback on the candidates on the dean search website. A recording of each presentation will also be available for those unable to attend. Individuals will need to enter their university credentials to access the recordings. More information on how to view the recorded presentations will be provided on the dean search website and Arkansas News once they become available.

James C. Stevens (Presenting April 27)

Stevens is a professor at the School of Architecture at Clemson University, where he served as the school director from 2020 to 2025. Prior to his appointment at Clemson University in 2020, Stevens was chair of the Department of Architecture at Lawrence Technological University, where he was the founding director of makeLab, the university's digital fabrication laboratory. Stevens is also co-author of the book Digital Vernacular, Architectural Principles, Tools, and Processes (Routledge, 2015) and has authored multiple peer-reviewed papers and book chapters.

He is a licensed architect and certified by the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB) and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA). He is the recipient of the AIA Henry Adams Medal for Excellence in the Study of Architecture and was a 2016 Fulbright Scholar in Albania and a 2025 Fulbright Specialist in Peru.

He holds a Ph.D. in architecture from the University of Ferrara in Italy, where he conducted his residency and research at Polis University in Tirana, Albania. He also holds a Master of Architecture from North Carolina State University and a bachelor's degree in historic preservation from The Savannah College of Art and Design. For more information on Stevens, view his curriculum vitae.

Kristi Cheramie (Presenting April 29)

Cheramie is a professor and the head of landscape architecture at The Ohio State University's Knowlton School. She has served as the head of the department since 2020 and was recently reappointed for a second term in August 2024. In this role, she oversees nationally recognized accredited programs consisting of more than 200 students and 18 full-time faculty within the school's landscape architecture program, which is the only landscape architecture program located within a college of engineering in the nation. Cheramie has also served as the chair of undergraduate studies in landscape architecture at the Knowlton School. 

Prior to joining the Knowlton School, Cheramie was an associate professor in the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture at Louisiana State University, where she held the Suzanne L. Turner Associate Professorship. Additionally, she served as a visiting professor at the Sam Fox School of Design at Washington University in St. Louis in 2012.

Cheramie's research explores how design and building respond to environmental fluctuation, cultural systems and long-term landscape transformation. She is the author of Through Time and the City: Notes on Rome (Routledge, 2020). She is also the founding director of the Knowlton School's Midwest Landscape Lab, a research and teaching initiative that examines the ecological, material and cultural histories that shape the Midwest. 

Cheramie holds a Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Virginia. For more information on Cheramie, view her curriculum vitae.

C.L. Bohannon (Presenting April 30)

U of A alumnus C.L. Bohannon is an associate professor in the Landscape Architecture Department and senior associate dean of faculty affairs and community engagement in the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Prior to joining the University of Virginia in 2022, Bohannon was an associate professor of landscape architecture and interim director in the School of Architecture + Design, housed in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He was also director of the Community Engagement Lab and a faculty principal since 2018 at the Leadership and Social Change Residential College at Virginia Tech, living and working alongside students.

As founder and director of the Community Engagement Lab, Bohannon works with communities throughout the Southwest Virginia region of Appalachia, focused on food insecurity, community histories and narratives, and urban vacancy. As part of this work, he has crafted a model for community engagement guided by an inclusive approach to design and leadership practice.

Bohannon received his doctorate in architecture and design research and a Master of Landscape Architecture from Virginia Tech. He received his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the U of A. For more information on Bohannon, view his curriculum vitae.

The dean search for the Fay Jones School of Architecture is chaired by Jeff Edwards, dean of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

"Each of these three candidates had a wide breadth of experience in academia, practice and community engagement," Edwards said. "The search committee and I are pleased to present these candidates to campus and are confident that any of these finalists would prove to be an exceptional leader for the Fay Jones School."

For more information on the dean candidates and the search process, please visit the Fay Jones School for Architecture and Design dean search website.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.