Speeches

Landscape Architecture 100th Anniversary

One hundred years ago, a faculty member here was inspired to create a program in landscape architecture at Penn State.  In the century that has passed since that inspirational idea became a reality, the Department of Landscape Architecture has graduated 2,000 practitioners in the profession, the department has gained national prominence, interdisciplinary collaborations have proliferated, and the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture has found a stunning new home in the Stuckeman Family Building. 

Moving from enrolling just a handful of students in 1907, Penn State now has the top-ranked undergraduate program in landscape architecture in the country. We are also one of the largest undergraduate landscape architecture programs and we continue to educate our students to be leaders in the stewardship, planning, and design of our environment. At Penn State, we are proud to produce professionals who are the best at what they do.

 A lot has happened in the 100 years since landscape architecture was founded at our University. This is a dynamic profession that calls for innovative thinking and creative ideas. At Penn State, our students and faculty are at the forefront of designing our built environment and protecting our natural resources. By blending creativity and science, Penn Staters are creating wonderful living spaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also environmentally sound.

Today, Penn State's Department of Landscape Architecture is focused on broadening our students' viewpoints to allow them to construct a world that fosters community, is healthier and safer, and more beautiful. Study abroad and across the United States is a priority for our students, providing them with an opportunity to research and understand a wide variety of perspectives, techniques, emerging practices, and processes. 

Here on campus, they are offered a wealth of experiences in our centers for scholarship and outreach, including the Center for Watershed Stewardship, the Hamer Center for Community Design, the Historic Places Initiative, and the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing.

 According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, landscape architecture is the fastest growing of all the design professions. We would like the most promising of those future professionals to be Penn State educated because we believe a landscape architect who graduates from Penn State is better prepared, more experienced, and more able to enhance our quality of life.

Many of those in this room know exactly what I'm talking about because you are Penn State graduates yourselves.

 I have often mentioned the importance of aesthetics on our campuses. I know there is great value in an environment that is attractive, inviting, and well-maintained. The productivity and attitude of employees and students improves and pride and satisfaction in Penn State swells. I place a high priority on improving the condition of all of our campuses by increasing green space, initiating sustainable designs, and improving our natural and built environments.

 The work that you do in your professions and in the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture makes it easy for me to be an advocate for surroundings that enhance our students' ability to learn, study and succeed, and for an environment that adds immeasurably to our daily lives.

I'm pleased to see the return of so many of our alumni for this celebration. Your continued interest in helping us grow and develop our Department of Landscape Architecture is not only gratifying, it also is a critical component of our success. Without alumni support, our students could not participate in additional opportunities for travel or learning experiences.  Without the help of our alumni, Penn State could not remain on the leading edge of the profession with new curriculum and new facilities. Without our alumni, we could not attract a diverse student body to this five-year program. Through our alumni, Penn State's Department of Landscape Architecture continues to shape our urban, rural and natural landscapes. So to all of the alumni with us today, I offer my deepest thanks. 

This month, as some of you may know, was proclaimed National Landscape Architecture Month by the American Society of Landscape Architects. Landscape architects add beauty to the world that surrounds us. They are problem solvers and planners, and their appreciation for nature and affinity for engineering and environmental sciences are much needed today.

I am proud of all that Penn State's Department of Landscape Architecture has accomplished over the last 100 years. I look forward to what the future holds for both our students and Penn State.  Congratulations on a century of beautifying our world.