The Board of Trustees and State Institutions of Higher Learning, has appointed James L. West as dean of the school of architecture. West, who formerly served the Architecture school both as interim head of the school of architecture and as associate dean, succeeds John McRae who recently took a position with a private firm in Maryland. “I think the university made an excellent decision in appointing Mr. West as dean of the school of architecture, and I expect that he will do extremely well in his new position,” Hollye Raines, sophomore landscape architecture major, said.
West has a definite vision of where he would like the program to go during his tenure as dean of the school of architecture.
“The MSU school of architecture has had a good reputation for a number of years; I want to see what I can do to enhance that reputation,” West said. “In the past, the school has received national recognition, not only for the quality of its students’ work, but for the innovative and contemporary methods it uses to instruct undergraduate student.”
“I want to not only maintain these quality standards, but I also want to see our students continue to receive national recognition for the ingenuity of their design-work,” West said. “I also want to continue to develop the concept of design-build, which is a moving force within architecture right now.”
“Dean West is very personal and easy to talk to,” Wade Harder, junior architecture major, said. “He is always looking out for us (architecture students).”
“He understands that architecture requires and demands incredible amounts of time not only in the studio, but sometimes, more importantly, college life,” Greg Willis, senior architecture major, said.
During his time at MSU, West has taught courses in interior design construction, architectural design and furniture design. West is integral to the implementation of the school’s annual design discovery program. The program, which West both coordinates and directs, offers high school students a brief, eight-day course in architectural design and the studio experience.
“I am extremely pleased that the faculty and upper level university personnel deemed me qualified to fill this position,” West said. “When I came to MSU after 18 years at the University of Florida, three things attracted me to the program here: the level and quality of the students’ work, the energy and expertise of the faculty and the program’s emphasis on research.”
At the time, I never dreamed I would be asked to become dean of the school”
West attended the University of Florida where he attained bachelor’s degrees in both interior design and architecture. He continued his studies to achieve a master’s in architecture and later went on to teach interior design courses at the University of Florida where he was named teacher of the year for the 1997-1998 school year.
Within Mississippi, the MSU school of architecture is the only program that provides students with a professional education in architecture.
“Dean West is a man of principle and knows that architecture students know there’s more to life than just a drafting board or computer,” Willis, said. “He knows how to joke with a professional attitude.”<</p>