2024 has been an eventful year for the UGA College of Environment and Design. The year began with our 351 students returning to campus in January where 241 of these students are undergraduates in landscape architecture.

In January, the undergraduate (BLA) and Masters (MLA) students participated in a portfolio review at Creature Comforts Brewery with professionals from the Georgia ASLA Chapter. The "speed dating" format enabled the students to hear various perspectives on how to better position themselves for entering the job market.

The annual Landscape Architecture Short Course was in February. Students in Donnie Longenecker's professional practice class attended the Buck Jones Nurseries Social Hour and were required to schedule an informational interview with one of the landscape architects in attendance.

Just a week later, 65 landscape architecture, engineering, and design-build companies descended on Athens for the annual Career Fair. All our students were encouraged to attend this half-day event - especially third-year students seeking internships and fourth-year students looking to secure that first job after graduation. Proceeds from the career fair are used to help landscape architecture students attend the ASLA conference and LABASH.

 

In March, Professors Cari Goetcheus, James Reap, and Liz Sargent, PLA, FASLA, Principal, HLA led a panel discussion on Goetcheus' new book, "The Routledge Handbook of Cultural Landscape Practice." It is a valuable resource for Landscape Architects on how to inventory, document, and preserve historically significant site features.

Spring semester also marks the eleventh year of Shadow Days. Landscape architecture students travel to firms throughout the southeastern US to see what a day in the life of a landscape architect is really like. This year, many out-of-town firms provided overnight stays.

MLA Student, Olivia Rothstein Keeffe was one of three students chosen to participate in the TEDxUGA conference in April. Olivia's talk was about how her work creating a small memorial for victims of COVID in her hometown led her to pursue a degree in landscape architecture.

Critique Week featured professionals from Atlanta who traveled to Athens to review and comment on spring semester final project presentations. Projects reviewed included Two International Design Competitions, The Chattanooga Parks and Outdoor Plan (POP) Park Plans, A Design Concept for the UGA Innovation District Headquarters, and a review of GIS Story Maps created for a variety of design projects in a Masters of Landscape Architecture Studio. Other projects of note for the spring semester were plans for repurposing a hospital site in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia; an assessment of housing development in Gwinnett County, Georgia; and a case study of how a coastal community in Georgia can better prepare for the challenges of climate change.

Another great event during critique week was the annual Landscape Architecture Shark Tank. Student Teams in the professional practice class pitch their firm ideas and three-year financials to a group of Alumni "Sharks." The winning team received a partial travel scholarship to the ASLA conference.

Critique week wrapped up with the annual Honors Banquet. At this event, students are awarded close to $300,000 in scholarships to help them pursue their degree or participate in one of UGA's many study abroad programs.

The semester ended with over 80% of the graduating class securing jobs in landscape architecture.

Many of our students use the summer months to participate in one of our many Study Abroad programs. This past year, students traveled to Croatia and Cortona Italy for courses in historic preservation and landscape architecture. Lecturer, James Schulte also leads a group of undergraduate students on a tour of West Coast firms and historically significant landscapes.

The highlight of the fall semester for many of our students is attending the annual ASLA Conference. This year, thanks to proceeds from our career fair and grants from the UGA Parents and Families Foundation, almost 50 UGA students attended the conference in Washington, DC.