James C. Stevens Named Dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design

James C. Stevens has been named dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, effective Aug. 15. Stevens will succeed Dean Peter MacKeith, who plans to return to the faculty to focus on the school’s expanding initiatives in timber and wood design innovation.

“Dr. Stevens is an accomplished architect and has experience as an administrator in higher education,” said Provost Indrajeet Chaubey. “I’m thrilled to appoint him as dean, and his expertise in digital fabrication and architectural technology will greatly benefit the Fay Jones School, especially as we continue to build upon the great work that Dean MacKeith has started through the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation.”

“To serve as dean of the Fay Jones School — to work on behalf of architecture, landscape architecture, and interior architecture and design — has been an honor and a privilege,” said Dean MacKeith, who concludes 12 years of leadership on June 30. “On behalf of the school’s students, staff, faculty and alumni, I welcome Jim Stevens to the role and to the school and look forward to working with him in the school’s continuing growth and advancement. Jim’s acumen, accomplishments and experience augur well for the school and university.”

Stevens comes to the U of A from Clemson University, where he most recently served as professor at the School of Architecture and was 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. 

“I’m grateful to Provost Chaubey and the campus community for their confidence and trust,” Stevens said. “The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design is highly regarded across the country. I look forward to engaging and collaborating with the school’s faculty and staff and leadership throughout the university to continue to elevate the Fay Jones School on a regional, national and global stage.”

Stevens is a licensed architect and certified by the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. 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. 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 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. 

“I’d like to thank Dean MacKeith for his exceptional leadership over the past 12 years,” Chaubey said. “Under his leadership, the school has gained international prestige, further aligned with the needs of the state and prepared hundreds of graduates who are now making an impact in Arkansas and beyond.”

Chaubey added, “I also want to thank Dean Jeff Edwards for serving as the search chair, as well as the search committee for helping us fill this crucial leadership position.”

Jim Gigantino, senior vice provost for academic affairs, will serve as the acting dean from July 1 until Stevens’ appointment begins on Aug. 15.

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.