CAPPA dean visits with Dallas Women in Architecture

The AIA Dallas Women in Architecture network had the privilege earlier this year of getting first-hand knowledge about the newly combined College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs (CAPPA) at the University of Texas at Arlington from its founding dean, Dr. Nan Ellin.

Dr. Ellin was brought to UTA in order to unify the existing School of Architecture with the School of Urban Affairs. The university saw that by unifying these two schools, they could better meet the needs of the current industry. The college has added a degree program in architectural engineering and new certificate programs in urban design, urban farming, and historic preservation.

Dr. Ellin shared the philosophy she used when developing this new program. She stated that by taking knowledge and skills and mixing them with experience and intuition will bring innovation. She further remarked that from there comes wisdom.

One idea that came from this philosophy is the CAPPA Café and Gallery Competition. The new cafe, which the college hopes to open next year, would create a social gathering space in the college that opens up to its iconic courtyard. In addition, The café is intended to be Farm to Table, serving food from UTA’s own farm that will be designed by, you guessed it, students of the CAPPA program.

It was really exciting to hear Dr. Ellin speak about these new changes at UTA. It was most inspiring to hear how she collaborated with the school, using the extensive knowledge she has from working in higher education, to create an innovative and forward-thinking program for the students.

CAPPA had an official launch party on Oct. 9. This innovative program is sure to be a model that will turn heads toward UTA in the coming years.