LOS ANGELES, April 11, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) today announced that the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) designated Hsinming Fung, SCI-Arc's Director of Academic Affairs, as president-elect of the prestigious organization representing accredited architecture colleges nationwide. The appointment recognizes Fung's leadership and forward-thinking vision in today's rapidly shifting political and economic context that has brought about profound changes in architecture education.
"It is time to re-tune the expectations of our programs," says Fung. "As the practice of architecture transforms, and it will, it is the schools and their programs which must look ahead to exploit the opportunities of new, practical and effective roles for the profession."
Fung will serve on the ACSA Board for a three-year term, beginning on July 1, 2013, with the first year served as Vice-President, the second as President, and the third as Past President. In her role, she will be part of a variety of ACSA committees, including Finance and Publications, will head the committees for Scholarly Meetings and Planning, and will nominate the chairs of ACSA conferences to be held during her term as President.
Committed to architectural education for nearly thirty years, Fung was appointed Director of Academic Affairs at SCI-Arc in 2010, after eight years of teaching and serving as the school's Director of Graduate Programs. Previously, she has taught at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, for 16 years, with stints at Yale University as the Eero Saarinen Professor in 1995 and 2000, and at Ohio State University as Herbert Baumber Professor in 1996.
An AIA registered architect, Fung is principal and Director of Design for the renowned Los Angeles-based architecture firm Hodgetts+Fung (H+F). Since founding H+F in 1984 with partner Craig Hodgetts, FAIA, she has overseen the design of distinguished projects such as the renovated Hollywood Bowl, the Menlo-Atherton Performing Arts Center, the Wild Beast Pavilion at California Institute of the Arts, and a host of other influential designs. Current projects include renovation of the historic Robert Frost Auditorium in Culver City, the Rosa Parks Metro station, a mixed-use development in West Hollywood, the Chapel of the North American Martyrs at Jesuit High School in Sacramento, and the Diamond Head Theatre in O'Ahu.
Fung's studio has also earned a reputation for high-caliber exhibition design through such installations as the Library of Congress/Ira Gershwin Gallery at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the landmark exhibitions Blueprints for Modern Living: History and Legacy of the Case Study Houses, The Work of Charles & Ray Eames, and most recently at LACMA, California Design, 1930-1965: "Living in a Modern Way." The firm also received numerous prestigious awards, including the Fellowship Architecture Award, the Gold Medal from the AIA/LA, the AIA California Council Firm of the Year Award, the GSA Design Excellence Award, and most recently, the R+D Award for their innovative fiberglass roof design for LAUSD modular classrooms.
About ACSA
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, membership association founded in 1912 to advance the quality of architectural education. The school membership in ACSA has grown from 10 charter members to over 250 schools in several membership categories. These include full membership for all accredited programs in the U.S. and government-sanctioned schools in Canada, candidate membership for schools seeking accreditation, and affiliate membership for schools for two-year and international programs. Through these schools, over 5,000 architecture faculty are represented. In addition, over 500 supporting members composed of architecture firms, product associations and individuals add to the breadth of interest and support of ACSA goals. Unique in its representative role for schools of architecture, ACSA provides a forum for ideas on the leading edge of architectural thought. Issues that will affect the architectural profession in the future are being examined today in ACSA member schools. The association maintains a variety of activities that influence, communicate, and record important issues. Such endeavors include scholarly meetings, workshops, publications, awards and competition programs, support for architectural research, policy development, and liaison with allied organizations. www.ACSA-arch.org">www.ACSA-arch.org
About SCI-Arc
Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) is dedicated to educating architects who will imagine and shape the future. It is an independent, accredited degree-granting institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs in architecture. Located in a quarter-mile-long former freight depot in the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles, the school is distinguished by its vibrant studio culture and emphasis on process. SCI-Arc's approximately 500 students and 80 faculty members, most of whom are practicing architects, work together to re-examine assumptions, create, explore and test the limits of architecture. SCI-Arc faculty and leadership have garnered more than 500 national and international design awards and recognitions, including Progressive Architecture awards, American Institute of Architects (AIA) awards, and the prestigious Jencks and Pritzker architecture prizes. SCI-Arc is ranked 1st in computer applications and 2nd in design in the 2013 America's Best Architecture Schools survey from DesignIntelligence, and #1 graduate and undergraduate architecture school in Western U.S. SCI-Arc is located at 960 E. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013. www.sciarc.edu">www.sciarc.edu
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