About the College of Design
Who We Are
The University of Kentucky College of Design is a vibrant academic community and a dynamic hub for regional, national, and global conversations about design. Shaped by the distinctive character of our region, the breadth of our disciplines, and the various backgrounds of our students, faculty, and staff, we are supported by the resources and infrastructure of a leading Research-1, land-grant university.
We value design as a human-centered, inherently optimistic activity and embrace the unique strengths of our disciplines while collaborating in a transdisciplinary environment. Our programs balance theoretical foundations, conceptual design thinking, technical understanding, and the act of making as crucial elements of an iterative process leading to impactful design.
Learning, teaching, and research in the College of Design explore the interconnected relationships between human experience, built and natural environments, and designed objects and systems. Our areas of research specialization include history, theory, and criticism; digital fabrication and simulation; materials innovation; community resiliency; sustainability and preservation; and design for health and well-being.
2025-2030 Strategic Plan
The College of Design Strategic Plan is the result of a year-long collaborative process. Beginning with three college-wide workshops, all faculty and staff were invited to share input on the college’s mission, culture, and values. Building on themes that emerged from those initial workshops, a workgroup was formed to translate those ideas into specific goals and objectives. These priorities did not emerge from the top down, but were shaped through collective dialogue, capturing the energy, aspirations, and experiences of the people who make this college what it is. As such, this plan serves as both a guide for the future and a reflection of who we already are.
Our Values
Community
We believe in cultivating a student-centered, supportive space for growth and shared discovery, empowering inquiry and experimentation.
Collaboration
We believe in working together and embracing unique perspectives to expand understanding, challenge assumptions, and support a dynamic, engaging educational environment.
Academic Excellence
We believe that critical thinking, rigorous research, creative process, and thoughtful reflection form the foundations for lifelong learning, ethical responsibility, and lasting design impact.
Stewardship
We believe in a culture of service, respect, responsibility, and care — for each other, for our surroundings, and for our planet. Through intentional design and thoughtful action, we commit to creating a sustainable and humane world.
Innovation
We believe that pushing boundaries, investigating new ideas and technologies, and learning through the act of making are integral to innovative and forward-thinking design.
College History
The School of Architecture is the oldest program in the college, with its origins in the 1920s as an architectural option in the College of Engineering. Professor Charles P. Graves joined the Civil Engineering faculty in 1958, charged with converting the architectural option to a professional degree program. The curriculum changed from a mathematical and applied science concentration to courses in the arts, science, humanities, architectural design and history.
The School of Architecture was established in 1965 with Professor Graves as Dean. The school was located in Pence Hall, the former physics building on UK's campus. That year, the program also received its first accreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). The School became a college in 1967.
In 1971, Professor Graves resigned, and Professor Anthony Eardley became the second Dean in 1972. Prior to coming to UK, Dean Eardley served as a professor at the Architectural Association, London, England; Princeton; and The Cooper Union. By 1971, the College had grown to over four hundred students; to accommodate this growth, space in Miller Hall was given to the college and a selective admission policy was adopted.
In the early 1970s, Richard Rankin – the most noted interior design educator in the United States – was hired by the Dean of Home Economics to establish a professional degree in interior design. UK’s professional program was put in place in 1975, with the first graduating class in 1979. The program was then able to go for accreditation, which was awarded in the spring of 1981 by the Foundation of Interior Design Education and Research (now the Council of Interior Design Accreditation or CIDA).
In 1986, Professor Jose’ R. Oubrerie became the third Dean. Dean Oubrerie previously worked as an associate of Le Corbusier and as a professor at Columbia University.
David B. Mohney became the fourth Dean in 1994. He had served as Associate Director of Education, IAUS, as a visiting critic at Harvard University.
In 1994, under Dean Mohney's leadership, the program for historic preservation was established in the School of Architecture, and the Master of Historic Preservation degree was first offered in 1996.
In 2002, the School of Architecture merged with the School of Interiors and the Historic Preservation Program to become the College of Design. Additional space for the new programs was allocated to the College in Funkhouser Building and Bowman Hall.
In 2007, David Biagi was appointed as the Interim Dean for the College.
In 2008, Michael Speaks became the first appointed Dean for the College of Design. Dean Speaks is former director of the Graduate Program and founding director of the Metropolitan Research and Design Postgraduate Program at the Southern California Institute of Architecture.
In 2012, Ann Whiteside-Dickson, former director of the University of Kentucky School of Interior Design, was appointed Interim Dean of the College of Design.
In Fall 2015, Mitzi R. Vernon became the Dean of the College of Design.
In Fall 2020, the College of Design launched an undergraduate degree in product design — the first program of its kind in Kentucky.
In Spring 2022, the College announced plans for the renovation and revitalization of the Reynolds Building — a former tobacco warehouse — into a vibrant new space for the College of Design, thanks in large part to a transformative gift of $5.25 million from Gray, Inc. Construction on the Gray Design Building began in August 2022.
In Fall 2022, Ned Crankshaw became the Acting Dean of the College of Design. He was appointed as Dean in July 2024.
In Spring 2024, the Gray Design Building was completed. Students, faculty and staff moved in over Spring Break, marking the first time that all programs in the College of Design were housed in the same builidng. The official ribbon-cutting for the building was held in September 2024.
The College of Design is currently home to over 500 students, offering undergraduate degrees in Architecture, Interiors and Product Design; graduate degrees in Architecture, Historic Preservation and Interiors; and certificates in Design-Build, Historic Preservation and Urban & Environmental Design.