Diversity by Design In May 2014, Nicole Hilton was notified that she had passed the Architect Registration Examination (ARE), making her the first African American female graduate of the LSU School of Architecture to become a licensed architect. This achievement may sound a bit shocking (after all, it’s the 21st century!), but the truth is there just aren’t that many African American architects, especially female African American architects, registered in the U.S. According to the Directory of African American Architects (blackarch.uc.edu), Nicole is the 315th African American woman and the 1,931st African American in the country to obtain licensure. The most recent information provided by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) estimates that there are 105,847 licensed architects in the country, which means African Americans represent less than 1.8 percent and female African American architects less than 0.3 percent of licensed professionals. All 50 states require individuals to be licensed and registered before they can call themselves architects or contract to provide architectural services. Those in the profession know how hard it is to achieve licensure, but for those who don’t—it’s hard. It’s a three-step process that starts with an education from an accredited school, then requires one to work as an intern under a licensed architect for a minimum of three years until he or she has earned enough Internship Development Program (IDP) credits to attempt, often more than once, to pass the ARE. The June 2014 NCARB by the Numbers reports the average age of those who do obtain licensure is 35. Many who earn degrees in architecture never take the test, choosing to work in affiliated fields instead. Minorities are underrepresented in the profession in general, not just regarding licensure. The American Institute of Architects website states that ethnic minority members make up 10 percent of their total membership, and only 17 percent of AIA members are female. While these numbers are increasing, encouraging diversity in the profession must remain a priority.
A PROACTIVE APPROACH
In 2013–14, ethnic minorities represented 26 percent of undergraduate students studying architecture at LSU, and currently, almost half of the students studying architecture are female. These figures are impressive when compared to the
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NARI WARD DIVERSITY BY DESIGN
national average and a direct result of the school’s concentrated efforts to increase diversity. In 2000, the School of Architecture hired Dana Mitchell as recruiting and administrative advisor, and Professor and Director Jori Erdman has been instrumental in hiring a more gender diverse faculty—now almost half of the school’s faculty members are women. But the school has no intention of becoming complacent. In spring 2014, the school established a diversity committee dedicated to teaching, recruiting, and supporting minority, international, and firstgeneration students. Assistant Professor Catherine Bonier, chair of the committee, said the committee’s main goal is to recruit and retain a student body that reflects the diversity of Louisiana, with a focus on firstgeneration college students and underrepresented minorities. As a first step, the committee turned to Dereck Rovaris Sr., LSU’s new vice provost for diversity. Rovaris has a special affinity for architecture students. He was good at art and drafting in high school and thought Michael
UNDERGRADUATE AFRICAN AMERICANS
UNDERGRADUATE ETHNIC MINORITIES
GRADUATE AFRICAN AMERICANS
GRADUATE ETHNIC MINORITIES
30%
20%
10%
0%
2009–10
2010–11
2011–12
2012–13
In 2013–14, the LSU School of Architecture saw a rise in the undergraduate minority population and African American undergraduate and graduate students while the total percentage of ethnic minority graduate students declined.
2013–14