Registration now open for CAAD summer camps

cem123 — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 22:40:36 +0000

Registration now open for CAAD summer camps cem123 Thursday, April 20, 2023 - 5:40 pm

School of Architecture to host Design Leadership Foundation Professional Horizons Workshop

cem123 — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 14:53:45 +0000

School of Architecture to host Design Leadership Foundation Professional Horizons Workshop cem123 Wednesday, September 1, 2021 - 9:53 am

CAAD, ��Ƶ to offer more summer classes online at reduced rate

cem123 — Tue, 12 May 2020 16:59:42 +0000

CAAD, ��Ƶ to offer more summer classes online at reduced rate cem123 Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 11:59 am

Architecture & Interior Design Career Expo

cem123 — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 18:38:47 +0000

Architecture & Interior Design Career Expo CAAD cem123 Friday, July 18, 2025 - 1:38 pm Yes2026-02-12T12:00:00-0600 2026-02-12T12:00:00-0600 Giles Hall, campus

Event details coming; save the date!

S|ARC, July 2025

cem123 — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 16:30:04 +0000

S|ARC, July 2025 cem123 Wednesday, July 16, 2025 - 11:30 am

Greetings from ��Ƶ School of Architecture!

It is a sign that it has been a busy year when the first newsletter of 2025 arrives in July! Not only have we been attending to the usual architectural endeavors in a program that has grown to nearly 300 students, but we hosted a NAAB visiting team for our continuing accreditation and invited 10 faculty candidates to campus. We didn’t stop our regular spring events of the Design Leadership Workshop, the Career Expo, and the Harrison Lecture Series, and even added a few more, like hosting a speaker from the National Science Foundation and a ��Ƶ Spring Preview Day, as well as our typical Spring Advisory Board meeting, the Mississippi State Board of Architects meeting, and the ��Ƶ School of Architecture Alumni Design Awards. Weeks with only two events seemed slow!

As we prepare for the 2025-2026 academic year, we’re excited to welcome Dr. Sepideh Korsavi and Dr. Mojtaba Parsaee to our faculty. Dr. Korsavi will teach in our environmental building systems courses and studio and welcome her to Starkville from her post-doctoral position at Penn State and her prior doctoral work in the UK. Dr. Parsaee will join as a joint appointment in the School of Architecture and the Data Science program, and we welcome him from his faculty position at Indiana State University. Our own Associate Professor Jacob Gines has accepted a joint appointment as well—he’ll be an Endowed Professor in the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, leading research in that department while teaching studio at the School of Architecture. Finally, for faculty changes, I will be moving to faculty, and I’m thrilled to have David Buege stepping in as Visiting Professor and Director of the Jackson Center and Professor Jassen Callender stepping in as Interim Director. Jassen’s history in the program and his connection to the state, not to mention his perspective on education in architecture, makes him a wonderful fit for leading the school. Please help me welcome him and wish him the best in these next years of his service!

All the best,

Karen Cordes Spence, Ph.D., AIA, LEED AP

Director and F.L. Crane Professor

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Alumni Design Awards

The quality of work accomplished by our graduates makes for an extremely competitive design awards program. The jury, consisting of representatives from Tau Sigma Delta, sorted through an array of outstanding projects to reach consensus on giving seven awards. Alumni from 1981 through 2021 were recognized.

View the award recipients.

Recognition Day

On Thursday, May 15, 2025, the School of Architecture held its annual Recognition Day to honor the class of 2025 and other students, staff and faculty for their outstanding work. The class of 2025 consisted of 45 students, who have accepted positions in firms that range from Salt Lake City, Utah to Jackson, Mississippi. A few are even continuing with graduate work, with plans to study at the University of Oregon at Portland, University of Pennsylvania and Mississippi State University.

Recognition Day 2025.

Career Expo

The 2025 Career Expo connected over 50 firms with more than 200 architecture and interior design students. Summer internships, co-ops and employment after graduation were discussed throughout Giles on Thursday, February 13, 2025. We’ve set Thursday, February 12, 2026 as the date for our next Architecture & Interior Design Expo in the Barn! Please mark your calendars and be sure to watch for registration this fall!

Check out photos of the event here.

Alumni Reception at AIA National

We were thrilled to host a reception at the 2025 AIA National Conference in Boston! With reports of attendance ranging between 35-50 alumni, it was a wonderful opportunity to meet up with old friends and make some new connections. While we failed to capture any photos of the event, that doesn’t deter us from making plans for another reception at the 2026 AIA National Conference in San Diego. See you there!

Student Spotlight
Grace Owens – Metropolis Future100

Congratulations to Grace Owens in her selection for the Metropolis Future100! Grace is one of only 20 students chosen from an undergraduate program for 2025 to be honored by Metropolis. She is also the third student from ��Ƶ to be recognized in this way, following Elisa Castaneda in 2024 and Alysia Williams in 2023.

Read the full story.

Alumni Spotlight
Stephen Allen

After graduating from the School of Architecture in 1996, Stephen Allen worked for a time in Mississippi before joining Williams Blackstock Architects in Birmingham, Alabama. He became a partner in 2010, and president of the firm in 2022. With extensive experience in higher education, commercial, residential, and civic and urban planning work, Stephen has elevated the firm’s profile by leading the production of thoughtful, contemporary design solutions for clients and their communities. Serving as a member of the ��Ƶ School of Architecture Advisory Board is only one of the ways in which he gives back while moving the profession forward.

As the speaker at Recognition Day 2025, Stephen shared memorable insights, including that design matters, listening is a design tool, and continuing to learn, ask questions, and draw are critical items of a graduate’s to-do list. “I am honored to have gained unique perspective at the School of Architecture at Mississippi State University. It has affected my life and career approach in positive and profound ways,” said Stephen. “I hope throughout your career, wherever it takes you, that you can celebrate how you have been taught to view the world, and by all means, make it your own and make it meaningful to you. The places and communities you will work in need people focused on design. There is enormous value in what you have learned, and what you will continue to learn. I truly believe the unique lens of design that you see the world through is your secret weapon—your superpower. It is needed in the world, and we all look forward to seeing how each of you use your superpower.”

Jim West

cem123 — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 13:59:53 +0000

Jim West cem123 Monday, July 14, 2025 - 8:59 am

Dean and Professor Emeritus

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Darlene Gardner

cem123 — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 19:45:31 +0000

Darlene Gardner cem123 Friday, July 11, 2025 - 2:45 pm

Sr. Fiscal Operations Business Manager

dgardner@caad.msstate.edu662-325-3422

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Taylor Jane Taggart

cem123 — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 20:23:04 +0000

Taylor Jane Taggart cem123 Monday, June 30, 2025 - 3:23 pm

Administrative Assistant II

ttaggart@caad.msstate.edu662-325-5150

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Christie McNeal

cem123 — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 17:45:47 +0000

Christie McNeal cem123 Monday, June 30, 2025 - 12:45 pm

Communications Specialist

cmcneal@caad.msstate.edu662-325-5150

Christie McNeal is the communications specialist for the ��Ƶ at Mississippi State University. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing communications. Christie has worked at Journal, Inc. in Tupelo and at Southern Progress Corporation in Birmingham, Alabama. She currently resides in Columbia with her husband, L.V., principal at Columbia High School; their son, Vaughn; and their daughter, Annie.

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