The University of Nebraska–Lincoln has announced three finalists for the College of Architecture dean position. Selected through a national search, the candidates will visit campus between Sept. 28 and Oct. 11.
The candidates will participate in multiple-day interviews with the college’s faculty, staff and students and a variety of stakeholders. A public presentation that begins at 4 p.m. in the Sheldon Museum's Ethel S. Abbott Auditorium will be offered in-person and virtually via Zoom.
The finalists, listed by public presentation date, are:
Sept. 29 — Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg is Julie Neupert Stott Chair in Design, associate dean for research at the College of Design, director for the School of Architecture and Environment, and professor of architecture at the University of Oregon (Eugene, Oregon) | Zoom link
Oct. 4 — Karl Daubmann is dean of the College of Architecture and Design and professor of architecture at Lawrence Technological University (Southfield, Michigan) | Zoom link
Oct. 11 — Ming-Han Li is director and professor in the School of Planning, Design and Construction at Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan) | Zoom link
Additional candidate information, including Zoom links for virtual public presentations, curriculum vitae, and candidate evaluation forms, is available on the College of Architecture dean search website: go.unl.edu/archdean.
The College of Architecture is home to the university’s architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and community and regional planning programs.
The dean is the chief academic and administrative officer of the college and will lead the strategic, programmatic, financial, fundraising, and management operations that support the mission and vision of the college. The dean serves as the college's public voice, developing its reputation on the national and international stages, and within the profession. The dean reports directly to the executive vice chancellor and works with fellow deans and campus leaders in collaboration, support and commitment to the university.
Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg
Interview dates: Sept. 28-29
Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg is Julie Neupert Stott Chair in Design, associate dean for research at the College of Design, director for the School of Architecture and Environment, and professor of architecture at the University of Oregon. He previously served as interim head for the Department of Architecture.
He founded and directs the Institute for Health in the Built Environment, directs the Biology and the Built Environment Center, and directs the Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory in the cities of Portland and Eugene. Prior to Oregon, he was a professor at University of Idaho Boise where he founded the Integrated Design Lab.
Van Den Wymelenberg's research and creative practice seeks to facilitate integration amongst a broad network of researchers and practitioners on issues concerning health, comfort, and sustainability in the human ecosystem in order to support human, community, and planetary health. Since 2004, he has secured over $40 million in research funding related to indoor environmental quality from organizations such as the United States Economic Development Administration, National Science Foundation, United States Environment Protection Agency, United States Department of Energy, United States Department of Agriculture, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Business Oregon, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, Nike, Microsoft, Siemens, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and several other private companies. He has published three books and over 100 peer-reviewed articles and he has made nearly 300 invited lectures.
Van Den Wymelenberg holds a Bachelor of Science in architectural studies with a minor in art history from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He received his Master of Architecture and doctorate in built environments from the University of Washington.
Karl Daubmann
Interview dates: Oct. 3-4
Karl Daubmann is dean of the College of Architecture and Design and professor of architecture at Lawrence Technological University. Prior to LTU, he was associate dean and professor at the University of Michigan for 17 years. He has held visiting appointments at Roger Williams University, the University of Cincinnati, and at Boston Architectural College as Sasaki Distinguished Visiting Professor. His teaching areas include design, digital design, robotic fabrication, construction, leadership, and multidisciplinary design.
Daubmann is a registered architect with a record of distinguished projects inspired and driven by his broad interests in design. As a former partner of PLY Architecture, he co-authored a broad range of work exploring design and digital fabrication with a local focus in Michigan. The work of PLY has been published nationally and internationally and received awards for both built and speculative projects. From 2010 to 2013 he served as the vice president of design and creative director for Blu Homes. In this capacity, he oversaw site specific projects and led a creative and multidisciplinary product development team that created modern, green, prefab houses that folded for shipping across North America.
He received his Bachelor of Architecture from Roger Williams University and a Master of Science in architectural studies from Massachusetts Institute of Technology where his concentration was in design computing. He is a fellow of the American Academy in Rome. His research while in residence in Rome was focused on construction geometry related to the Baroque.
Ming-Han Li
Interview dates: Oct. 10-11
Ming-Han Li is director and professor in the School of Planning, Design and Construction at Michigan State University. He overseas four professional programs — construction management, interior design, landscape architecture, and urban and regional planning — a doctoral program, and the National Charrette Institute, which is an outreach and engagement unit.
Interdisciplinary background is Li’s unique strength. He is a professional landscape architect, certified planner of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and professional engineer. Serving the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture has been Li’s career highlight, including president, president-elect, past president, vice president for research, second vice president, and track chair. Currently, he is a member of the Landscape and Environmental Design Committee under Transportation Research Board of the National Academies.
Li’s research and practical experience covers stormwater management, low impact development, and watershed planning and management. His teaching encompasses built environment, sustainable water management, low impact development, and landscape architecture construction with emphasis on experiential learning.
In 2017, Li was named as a top 25 Most Admired Educators by DesignIntelligence and was inducted to the Academy of Fellows by CELA. Because of his contribution to knowledge discovery, Li was inducted to the Council of Fellows by the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2019. Li is one of the five fellows of Michigan State’s cohort for the 2022-23 Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program.
Li holds a Bachelor of Science in agricultural engineering from the National Taiwan University and a Master of Science in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He also holds a Master of Landscape Architecture and doctorate in urban and regional science from Texas A&M University.
