Cummings School of Architecture Alumni Help Design and Preserve the School’s Future
With nearly 50 years of training leading practitioners, CSA is harnessing its alumni to take the school to the next level
During his studies, Joseph D’Oria was set on his career path by an internship through the architecture school, and now he is paying that back through a growing initiative of distinguished alumni returning to the Cummings School of Architecture to prepare students for careers in the built environment.
“My internship led me to my first job with Sasaki,” said D’Oria ’12, M’12, who graduated with a B.S. and Master of Architecture and now works as Building Information Modeling Director at design firm Morphosis. “It created the kinds of valuable opportunities and helped build the skills I use in my work and with my students.”
D’Oria and other alumni are part of the Cummings School vision to include its legacy in shaping the school’s present and future. Leaders in the architecture, preservation, and real estate fields, these esteemed practitioners are mentoring the next generation by teaching studios and courses and taking part in critiquing student work and significantly expanded offerings of internships, career fairs, and company visits with leading firms from Boston to New York City.
“Mentorship benefits students and practitioners,” said Stephen White, Dean of the Cummings School of Architecture and member of the American Institute of Architects. “Our alumni are having a global impact, from designing a new building on the RWU campus to supporting environmental mitigation efforts in Rwanda. Now they’re helping our students prepare for what’s next.”
Constructing a Strong Foundation
While there has been a long history of alumni engagement in the architecture school and other RWU schools, this past academic year saw the most ever returning to support CSA students and bring the school to greater heights of excellence. The Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 architecture studios each had more than 50 alumni provide professional reviews of undergraduate and graduate students’ work. Numerous alumni represented their firms at the Cummings School-Center for Career and Professional Development Job Fair in the spring, and more welcomed students to network with them and meet firm leaders during the now-annual Firm Crawls.
Another 11 alumni—leaders in diverse fields across design, planning, and preservation—taught as Teaching Firms in Residence (starting with Eric Weyant ’00, Jeremy Jamilkowski ’09, and Tom Barker ’14, M’16, all Architecture alumni, of Amenta Emma Architects in Fall 2023), as well as graduate studios and courses throughout the year and continuing this Fall 2024. Such high alumni teaching participation is a testament to the quality and impact that the school has achieved in nearly 50 years of teaching, particularly in architecture and preservation.
“Throughout my time in the field, I’ve been excited about bringing students to the work I’m engaged in,” said Aaron Marcavitch ’99, B.S. in Preservation, Director of Economic and Community Development for the City of Enfield, Conn. Marcavitch, who taught the Preservation Building Materials Technology Workshop and whose adjunct teaching is funded by a grant from the Southerneastern New England Educational and Charitable Foundation (SNEC), described historicpreservation as “a dynamic world that requires lots of different disciplines.” He lauded both the architecture school’s commitment to educating the whole student and the faculty who encourage the adoption of multiple philosophies and disciplines from several fields.
Vital Albuquerque ’01, a Bachelor of Architecture alum, is a Senior Associate at the global firm Perkins&Will Boston office, which serves as one of the school’s Teaching Firms in Residence and was also part of the design team for RWU’s Campus Center project on the Bristol campus. In co-teaching with his Perkins&Will colleagues, Albuquerque delivered an experiential learning experience for students on the Campus Center design and planning process.
“One of the best things about the architecture program is it provides a great, well-rounded education,” Albuquerque said. “Professors push you creatively and impart valuable skills you learn and continue to improve throughout your career.”
“Architecture is a practice-based discipline,” White said. “We celebrate the balance of scholarship and practice that helps create exceptional architects.”
D’Oria and Chris Winkler ’13, M’13, an Architecture program alum and senior associate at the firm Sasaki, co-taught the online graduate course Computer Applications for Pro Practice. Both praised the value of a cross-disciplinary educational experience and how it helped them become better professionals and educators.
“I learned about the value of hard work and discipline as a student at RWU and, because I’ve been here, thought I could share a bit of that with other students,” Winkler said.
Shaping the Future
The Cummings School is among a small group of leading universities training the most architects in the northeast, along with practitioners in the preservation and real estate development fields. Starting from day one in their programs, CSA students are invited into “a community that they are part of throughout their studies, internships and in the professions,” White said.
“In 2011, we began inscribing our graduates’ names on plaques in the Alumni Circle,” he said. “They’re permanently part of our history, at the heart of our building.”
Each of the alumni who returned to teach at the school’s invitation continues a tradition and passion to support the institution that set them on their paths.
“We owed it to ӰƵ to come back,” said Chris Hardy ’12, M’16 in Architecture, Design Director for international architecture and design firm MASS Design Group. Hardy, along with wife and colleague Emily Goldenberg ’10, M’12, also an Architecture alum and Design Director for MASS Design Group, taught a section of the Graduate Architecture Design Studio as a Teaching Firm in Spring 2024. “We were able to frame our studio goals based on our experiences at RWU and our work,” Goldenberg said.
Many of the alumni serving as faculty members grow professionally, as much as they give to the students.
“It’s an opportunity to revisit my earlier career with a new, experienced perspective and appreciate what I experienced,” Albuquerque said. “Examining real-world issues with students can lead to creative decision making and help keep my thinking fresh.”
Goldenberg and Hardy, who spent four years in Rwanda on a project that became the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture, spoke of deepened, substantial connections to other communities and greater pride in the work their RWU educations made possible.
“We recognize the value in giving back, providing connections, and helping students see themselves in us,” Hardy said.
A Commitment to Excellence
Each alumni educator brought their work, professional, and educational experiences with them into the classroom.
“My work on net zero carbon design is directly informed by the principles I learned at RWU,” Albuquerque said.
“The Rwanda project showed us that we each have the opportunity to make a difference,” Goldenberg said. “Architects have a big role in shaping the world,” Hardy added.
As communities continue their journeys toward sustainable living, preservationists like Marcavitch and his students can find themselves leading the charge. “[For] many students…the learning they had in this class will allow them to effectively think about preserving and, where necessary, upgrading historic structures,” he said.
Winkler’s work on sustainable projects in Central and South America highlights the value of a diverse set of skills practitioners can continuously improve through their professional development. “I learned about the value of a sustainable approach to this work as a student and continue to learn as a professional,” he said.
Ultimately, the communities being created and supported continue the tradition of excellence that animates their work, their scholarship, and their commitment to CSA and future students and practitioners.
“There is a thriving spirit of community that uplifts our students, faculty, and alumni,” White said. “This spirit contributes to these and other distinguished alumni doing tremendous work in practice, and was part of attracting them back to teach here over this past year. Their example and their being here encourages current and future students to be interested in careers like theirs, and to imagine their own significant futures.”
Students Network, Tour Leading Firms at Annual Firm Crawl
The Cummings School of Architecture brings its students on an annual firm crawl, visiting leading firms from Providence to Boston and New York City. Students tour multiple firms in one day and hear from company leaders and practitioners across architecture and preservation about their career pathways and current projects.
Interested in Providing Internships and Employment?
Companies interested in partnering with ӰƵ University on internships and employment opportunities for students and graduates can contact the at ccpd@rwu.edu or (401) 254-3224.