BUILDING THE FUTURE
The University of Cincinnati’s graduate architecture students are ready to change the world By Lindsey Himmler The University of Cincinnati’s School of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) is consistently ranked as one of the most prestigious design schools in the country. Its School of Architecture and Interior Design (SAID) produces graduates who don’t just enter the profession—they transform it. Ten architecture graduate students were recently awarded a scholarship grant from Pella of Cincinnati that was designed not only to help the students financially, but to strengthen their professional competencies and prepare them for their future careers. For decades, Pella has partnered with its distributors to offer scholarships to architectural students. UC’s program was a natural fit. “What was unique about UC is that they allow us to be creative,” said Fred Cernetisch, vice president of Pella of Greater Cincinnati. 78 slmag.net
“We get to meet the students. Seeing the future of architectural design in their work, personalities, and ideas–it’s fantastic.” Alex Christoforidis, a practicing architect and professor at UC’s Co-op Program, wanted to ensure the Pella scholarship enhanced the students’ learning. “Part of what these students were doing for the scholarship program was focusing on those areas that are better learned on the job–areas of practice in which they need to be proficient when they obtain licensure.” Learning on the job is a distinguishing factor in UC’s educational approach. Its pioneering cooperative education program is a reason many students choose to attend—an innovation born at the university itself in 1906. While most architectural degree programs focus exclusively on design theory,