Program's Focus on Urban Issues

Steve Altman, PhD, and President of San Diego, Calif.'s NewSchool of Architecture and Design (NSAD), previously served as president of the University of Central Florida and Texas A&M University, Kingsville; was the provost and vice president of academic affairs at Florida International University; and held various other teaching and administrative positions at FIU and the University of Southern California. During his tenure, he developed the foundation for two new architecture schools and dozens of other new programs. Dr. Altman is the author of 13 books and more than two dozen articles on management, leadership, education, health care, and organization development. He has won several awards for outstanding teaching and professional leadership and has been a neutral arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association.

Enrollment is open for the inaugural quarter of the Master of Landscape Architecture program at NewSchool of Architecture and Design (NSAD). The three-year program, which begins in the fall of 2010, emphasizes contemporary issues such as urban sprawl, demands for clean water and healthy food and coastal developments. It also explores the political and ecological considerations of California and Mexico's shared border.

''NewSchool is filling a long-standing need to further environmental design in one of California's most vibrant landscapes,'' said Dr. Steven Altman, NSAD's president. ''The landscape architecture program builds on the school's commitment to urban sustainability and improving the quality of life in the built and natural environments.''

Altman added that NSAD's location in downtown San Diego provides an ideal design laboratory for experimentation and exploration of urban conditions.

San Diego native Leslie Ryan directs the program. ''Urban issues are like fingers and threads rippling all the way back to the natural environment,'' she explained. ''I am keen to have students get their heads out of books and learn the pragmatics of design and how to see things that will affect change.

''Critical thinking is the ultimate skill our students will gain, but we also will determine where landscape architecture will be in the next 10 to 15 years and what they need to do to be prepared.''

Ryan anticipates that while most students who apply for the Master of Landscape Architecture program will not have backgrounds in landscape architecture or related fields, they will still be eligible to enter the program. However, those who do have work experience in landscape architecture will gain advanced standing in the program, as determined on a case-by-case basis.

An Open House event has been scheduled for Saturday July 17, 2010.

For details about the new Master of Landscape Architecture program and application guidelines, email lryan@newschoolarch.edu, call 1-800-490-7081 or visit www.NewSchoolArch.edu.

About NewSchool of Architecture and Design

NewSchool of Architecture and Design (NSAD), founded in 1980, is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). ACICS is a national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. NSAD offers bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Digital Media Arts, a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management and a Master of Landscape Architecture.

For more information, visit www.NewSchoolArch.edu.