What began as a single class taught by Robert “Doc” Reich in 1941 has developed into a complete curriculum with the top-ranked undergraduate program in the nation. A recent study by industry magazine DesignIntelligence named the School of Landscape Architecture’s undergraduate program as the one that produces graduates “best prepared for real-world practice.” In a similar category for graduate programs, the school was ranked fifth. It is an accomplishment decades in the making. Reich, the 93-year-old former director of the program, said the goal was to make it among the best in the country. “The school has historically been very strong in design and the emphasis on the use of plants and plant materials,” said Elizabeth Mossop, current director of the school. This strength is directly linked to Reich’s influence. Reich was first introduced to the field through his undergraduate studies at Cornell. While studying ornamental horticulture there, he was required to take a course in landscape architecture. Reich said his interest in the subject began at Cornell and gradually grew. Reich said at the time he began teaching landscape architecture, the University did not understand the subject well. “I suppose the first 10 years it was more a matter of teaching the public and the administration landscape architecture than it was teaching students,” Reich said. Reich’s first landscape architecture course was part of the Department of Horticulture in the College of Agriculture. In 1960 the program was accredited by the American Society of Landscape Architects, and four years later it became an independent department in the College of Agriculture. The next year the department was transferred to the newly- formed School of Environmental Design, which was reorganized in 1980 as the College of Design. Today the School of Landscape Architecture remains one of the four branches of the College of Art and Design. David Cronrath, dean of the College of Art and Design, said Reich’s influence in the program has major positive effects on the graduates of the School of Landscape Architecture. “When I go around the country and speak to our alumni from the landscape architecture program, they all have very strong feelings for what a great faculty member and leader Doc Reich was,” Cronrath said. “He’s inspired generations of graduates here, and they have real strong affection both for him and for LSU and the education they got at LSU.” Reich served as director of the program from its inception in 1964 until stepping down in 1981. He continued to teach throughout this time, and though he officially retired in 1983 he can still be seen walking the halls of the Design Building. Reich’s knowledge of plant materials was integral in many classes he taught, and his background in horticulture translated into one of the defining strengths of the school. He said plant materials are important for their unique qualities. “They tend to give life to the landscape,” Reich said. “They provide a certain spiritual value which the other materials don’t.” Reich said one of the most critical things he could communicate to students is the importance of thinking and listening to others. “It’s important that landscape architects realize that they’re important to society, and everything they do helps to make people live better than they would otherwise live,” Reich said. “People live a fuller life because of what you have done to the environment.” Reich said he is happy with the recent ranking of the school. He said he feels like he has fulfilled a mission, but he was not alone. “Without the talented and dedicated faculty, we couldn’t have accomplished all this,” Reich said. It is a mission to which Reich is still dedicated. Despite being more than two decades retired, he continues to teach a seminar course at the University. According to Mossop, such dedication is completely characteristic of Reich. She said he has always worked hard to give students opportunities. “He’s practiced [professional design] all of his life,” Mossop said. “But I think that his legacy is as an educator of designers.”
—–Contact Daniel McBride at [email protected]