Landscape Architecture at Cal Poly – Landscape …

Items of Note Associate Professor David Watts Named Interim Department Chair

Associate Professor David J. Watts has been named Landscape Architecture department Interim Chair for the 2014-15 academic year. "David's wealth of academic and professional experience will benefit our students. I look forward to working with him as a member of the college's administrative leadership team," said Christine Theodoropoulos, CAED dean. "I would also like to extend my great appreciation to Joseph Ragsdale for his excellent work as department head and for the many contributions he has made to the mission of the college." Ragsdale rejoins the faculty, teaching during Fall term and then going on sabbatical for the balance of the academic year.

Watts came to Cal Poly in 2007, teaching a variety of classes including the senior capstone series, design theory, and implementation strategies. He also served as one of the universitys first service learning fellows and received the Presidents Community Service Award in 2014.

His area of research is childrens play environments, their impact on child development, and their role in reconnecting children to nature.His interest in social justice and accessibility within the landscape has influenced his professional practice and teaching. As part of a service learning class, Watts led a class to South Africa, where the students designed and constructed playgrounds and vegetablegardens for underprivileged children. The students also worked at AIDS orphanages in urban townships and rural public schools.

Watts earned bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a registered landscape architect and member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

Landscape architecture professor emeritus and former CAED associate dean K. Richard Zweifel has been elected president of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Zweifel was sworn in as president at the 2014 annual meeting in Denver, becoming the 70th president since ASLA's founding in 1899. Zweifel was also named one of the 30 most admired educators in architecture and design programs by the 2014 DesignIntelligence survey. He was cited in the survey for "his consistency and vision [which] have kept Cal Poly SLO among the best education programs in multidisciplinary design professions." To read the Cal Poly new release, click here.

Zweifel also received the 2014 Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) Presidents Award for his work in advancing a strong and mutually supportive relationship between CELA and ASLA.

Programs accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) are required to provide reliable information to the public. Programs must report on accreditation status and its performance. This information is to help potential students make informed application decisions. To review this information, click here.

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Landscape Architecture at Cal Poly - Landscape ...