Frederick Steiner has been named the new dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Design (Penn Design). Effective July 1, the appointment comes after Steiner announced his departure from the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, which, according to The Texas Tribune, was partially due to the school's new gun law that will allow students to carry concealed firearms.
"I am excited and honored to return to Penn as dean of Penn Design,” Steiner said. “This is an exciting time for students, scholars and practitioners in architecture, city and regional planning, preservation, landscape architecture and the fine arts. As a Penn Design alumnus and a research scholar at the Penn Institute for Urban Research, I have a particular appreciation for the talented community of faculty, staff, students and alumni that is Penn Design. I look forward to working with all members of the Penn Design community, and with colleagues across campus and around the nation and the world, to bring Penn Design to even greater heights of success.”
“Fritz Steiner has a long and distinguished track record as a scholar, teacher and administrator,” Penn President Amy Gutmann said. “His work crosses traditional disciplinary and professional boundaries.
“Because of his deep and abiding connection to Penn Design, his appreciation of the School’s impressive history and his excitement to contribute to its bright and compelling future, we look forward to working with him as he collaborates with faculty, staff, students, overseers and alumni to build on Penn Design’s incredibly strong foundation.”
“Our selection of Fritz Steiner as the next dean of Penn Design successfully concludes a comprehensive global search to identify a successor to Marilyn Jordan Taylor, who is stepping down after serving as dean since 2008,” Penn Provost Vincent Price said. “Under Marilyn’s leadership, Penn Design’s faculty and student body grew more interdisciplinary, eminent and diverse; new interdisciplinary teaching and research initiatives were created, including the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy; and the School’s facilities were modernized and upgraded.”
News via PennDesign, The Texas Tribune
