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FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, December 09, 2009


Design Intelligence recently named the University of Arkansas’ Fay Jones School of Architecture as one of five “hidden gems of architecture education.” It’s the first time the report has made this category distinction.

In the 11th annual rankings published in Design Intelligence, leading practitioners again rated the 20 schools best preparing students for practice in the fields of architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and industrial design. The UA’s program was listed among the top 20 in the 2009 rankings.

The “hidden gems” results, published in the November/December 2009 issue, are for 2010.

The 2010 results of the 20 best architecture programs came from a survey completed by 381 professional firms who hire architecture program graduates, based on hires made in the past five years. James P. Cramer, publisher and founding editor of Design Intelligence, noted that these rankings are “imperfect.” Quality programs might not top the list for many reasons. Because of its small size, the Fay Jones School of Architecture simply turns out fewer graduates each year than some larger schools. Therefore their impact in the professional field is statistically smaller.

“Nevertheless, some of these unranked programs are doing incredible things, pushing the boundaries of education innovation, partnering with private firms in enterprising new ways, and developing the next generation of design thought leaders,” Cramer wrote in the report.

The report states that this subjective category of “hidden gems” is “based solely on the experience and opinions” of the Design Intelligence and Greenway Group staff, who communicate regularly with academic leaders and professionals who hire designers.

Dean Jeff Shannon said this about the school’s inclusion in this issue: “We are, once again, pleased (but not surprised) to be recognized by national peers. The other four schools cited have very strong programs, so we are also honored to be part of that select group. We are also grateful that Design Intelligence has acknowledged the difficulty small programs have in receiving proper recognition.”

Design Intelligence is a bi-monthly report of the Design Futures Council, described in the report as “an interdisciplinary network of design, product and construction leaders exploring global trends, challenges, and opportunities to advance innovation and shape the future of the industry and the environment.” Cramer is also co-chairman of the council and chairman of Greenway Group, a consulting group.

The other four architecture programs noted as “hidden gems” in the 2010 report are at Cooper Union in New York, Montana State University in Bozeman, Tulane University in New Orleans, and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.