In a letter published on MIT's School of Architecture and Planning’s website, 16 deans from prominent architecture schools in the U.S, explain their position to stop participating in the annual survey that ranks universities. "Design education is not a popularity contest. Although generally our schools have been highly ranked in past DesignIntelligence reports and benefitted from the attention, we believe that it is time to stop participating", declares the statement signed by scholars, deans, and department chairs of MIT, Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, Yale, Rice, and UCLA, to name a few.
Stating clearly their position to boycott future ranking, the decision came after two years of informal discussions where the methodologies used behind these academic surveys were questioned, as well as their consequences. In fact, the letter adds that "however well-intentioned they may be, we believe that the DI rankings have the potential to create a disservice to the public".
Identifying key points to back up their decision, the signees, some of which represent schools that have ranked very high on this assessment previously, agreed that this survey “lacks rigor”, “hurts smaller schools” and “lacks evidence-based purpose”, condemning the system of rating. Read the full statement of the committee, and discover below the complete list of the 16 supporting scholars and schools.
Deborah Berke, FAIA, LEED AP
Dean and J.M. Hoppin Professor of Architecture
Yale School of Architecture
Carmon Colangelo
Ralph J. Nagel Dean
E. Desmond Lee Professor for Collaboration in the Arts
Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
Washington University in St. Louis
Renee Y. Chow
William W. Wurster Dean
College of Environmental Design
University of California, Berkeley
Rodolphe el-Khoury
Dean
School of Architecture
University of Miami
Robert Alexander González, AIA
Dean and Professor of Architecture
School of Architecture + Planning
University of New Mexico
Marta Gutman
Dean and Professor of Architecture, Spitzer School of Architecture, City College of New York | CUNY
Professor of Art History and Earth and Environmental Sciences, Graduate Center | CUNY
Igor Marjanović
William Ward Watkin Dean and Professor
Rice Architecture
Jonathan Massey
Dean and Professor of Architecture
Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning
University of Michigan
Mónica Ponce de León
Dean and Professor
School of Architecture
Princeton University
Florencia Rodriguez
Director and Associate Professor
School of Architecture
University of Illinois in Chicago
Hashim Sarkis
Dean and Professor of Urban Planning
School of Architecture and Planning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Brett Steele
Dean
UCLA School of the Arts & Architecture
Frederick Steiner, FASLA, SITES AP
Dean and Paley Professor
Stuart Weitzman School of Design
University of Pennsylvania
Sarah M. Whiting, Assoc. AIA
Dean and Josep Lluís Sert Professor of Architecture
Graduate School of Design
Harvard University
Weiping Wu
Professor and Interim Dean
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Columbia University
J. Meejin Yoon, AIA
Gale and Ira Drukier Dean
College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
Cornell University
