LSU’s landscape architecture program came out near the top in a recent ranking of the top design schools in the nation by research firm Design and Intelligence.
The landscape design undergraduate program ranked fifth, and the graduate program ranked fourth. The overall landscape program was also the highest ranked in the South.
The University was one of only two in the nation to have a graduate and undergraduate program ranked in the top five. The University of Georgia also earned the distinction. Students and faculty agree that the programs’ successes stem from the work of the founder, new leadership, the diversity of the faculty and the method of teaching.
Robert Reich — whom students and faculty affectionately refer to as “Doc” — founded the school in 1945. Reich, now 92 years old, daily walks at his own slow but confident pace through the halls of the Design Building — even though he retired in 1984.
Bernie Hampton, landscape architecture junior, said Reich has a unique vision for how the program should run. Reich remains a daily part of the school and its constant development by interacting with students and faculty and helping shape the curriculum, he said.
Reich said the programs’ successes come from the emphasis on creativity.
Hampton agreed. “Doc’s foundation and vision, combined with the new vision of [Director] Elizabeth Mossop will take us successfully into the future,” he said. “You can explore and learn for yourself and increase your skills. There’s no right or wrong answers — that makes it different from other programs.”
Mossop’s new vision began when she became the director of the landscape architecture department. She said students’ activities abroad account for the success of the program. Students in their fifth year designed a project in Mexico last semester. Mossop said this project gives them the opportunity to be exposed to the newest technology.
The diversity of the faculty is another key element in the programs’ distinctions, landscape architecture Professor Max Conrad said. The department recently hired two new professors in an attempt to combine their knowledge of new technology and ideas with the acquired wisdom of the current faculty, Conrad said.
Conrad added that students are taught a design process that makes them successful not only in the design world, but also in all areas of business.
“We teach students how to think creatively to solve problems that have to do with the environment,” Conrad said.