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When Fraser Hall reopened in the Fall of 2025, it redefined how the University of Minnesota teaches chemistry. Architect and professor at the College of Design, Jennifer Yoos, shares how her team at VJAA transformed the historic building into a collaborative, sustainable space for student learning.

From river corridors and wetlands to city streets and community spaces, students in the Master of Landscape Architecture program are learning to design with empathy and imagination, restoring connections between people, place, and the living systems that sustain us.

A wildly popular product design course at the University of Minnesota College of Design gives students a hands-on learning opportunity that leaves them with real-world experience.

This fall, the University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Design is opening a new chapter in the state’s creative economy with Minnesota’s first Bachelor of Science in User Experience (UX) Design. Born from the success of the college’s popular UX minor, the program gives students four years to explore the intersection of technology, design, and human behavior. Hear from two of our alumni on the formative impact the UX minor has had on their careers. 

Richard Graves, associate professor of architecture and research director at the Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR), has received the University of Minnesota’s Innovation Impact Case Award for advancing sustainable building practices. His work helped shape the Minnesota B3 Sustainable Building Guidelines, launched in response to the state’s Next Generation Energy Act to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Today, B3 continues to set the standard for energy efficiency, resilience, and net-zero goals in state-funded buildings.

This summer, College of Design graduate students traded classrooms for temples, gardens, and bustling city streets in Japan. The May term study abroad program offered more than travel – it opened a global lens on architecture, culture, and community, leaving students inspired to carry these lessons into their future design careers.

Award-winning designer and founder of Studio BV, Betsy Vohs brings her human-centered design philosophy, commitment to social impact, and decades of alumni leadership to guide the University of Minnesota Alumni Association. 

Jessica Garcia Fritz, Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Minnesota and Citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Inspires Future Indigenous Designers

Each year, the College of Design proudly honors exceptional students, faculty, and staff whose remarkable contributions have enriched our academic community. Award recipients are nominated across multiple categories by their peers, including faculty, students, and staff.

A designer, entrepreneur, and changemaker, Larissa Loden embodies the spirit of creativity, resilience, and purpose-driven design.

Assistant Professor of Architecture Dingliang Yang has been named a recipient of the 2025-2027 McKnight Land-Grant Professorship, marking the first time a U of M architecture faculty member has received this prestigious award since its establishment in 1987.

Richard Graves, Associate Professor of Architecture and Research Director of the Center for Sustainable Building Research has been working in collaboration with Pelican Rapids residents to develop a new teen center that fits the unique needs of the community. 

The College of Design is proud to announce Minnesota’s first Bachelor of Science Degree in User Experience (UX) Design. 

College of Design students teamed up with the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence (MCAE) to create a refreshed design for the group's signature graduation stoles.

Pig’s Eye Lake at the Mississippi River in St. Paul, a site of historical pollution with significant Indigenous heritage and ecological importance, will serve as a catalyst project of the “Soft-Urban Riverfront: A New Paradigm for Headwater Metropolises” studio. 

This prestigious award goes to one architectural educator, nationally, each year. The last University of Minnesota educator to win it was Ralph Rapson in 1987.

The Bring Back 6th Mobile Museum exhibition kicked off on May 15, 2022, during an outdoor street fest organized by Our Streets Minneapolis (OSM). Crafted by six Heritage Studies and Public History students, Jessie Merriam, Ayaan Natala, Jade Ryerson, Hibaa Roba, Angel Swann, and Carrisa Thomas, the exhibition shed light on the once-vibrant Black and Jewish neighborhood along 6th Avenue North that was bulldozed between the 1930s and 1950s to make way for the city’s first highway. 

In a fusion of culture, design, and gastronomy, 21 University of Minnesota students embarked on a transformative learning abroad program to Singapore in January 2024 with Product Design Professors Carlye Lauff and Barry Kudrowitz. With a focus on the intersection of food and design, their trip proved to be a rich exploration of Singapore's vibrant culinary scene and innovative design landscape.

As a playful opportunity to boost creative collaboration among design students, the Kusske Design Initiative (KDI) Cohort developed “Through-Line,” an interactive string installation that surveyed the design processes and learning styles of students at Ralph Rapson Hall and McNeal Hall.

A collaboration with Caribou Coffee challenged design students to expand their skills and apply them to a real-world project. Over the fall 2023 semester, graphic design students in Professor Sauman Chu’s GDES 3352 Identity and Symbols class created a video to promote Caribou Coffee to potential franchisees at conferences and tradeshows. 

Adrienne Bockheim (MLA ‘10) discovered her passion for landscape architecture after the realization that it encompassed everything that fascinated her. Her work, first as a graduate student and then as a project coordinator, with the College of Design’s Minnesota Design Center laid the foundation for a career uniting landscape architecture and urban planning. As a principal city planner for the City of Minneapolis, Bockheim plays a pivotal role in transformative projects like the New Nicollet Redevelopment. In this interview, she shares insights into her career trajectory, offers advice to students, and reflects on how her time at the college shaped her successful career path.

Appointed the state director of USDA Rural Development South Dakota by President Joe Biden, Alumna Nikki Gronli’s (BS ‘96, Design Communications) diverse career journey has included working in design and advertising for music labels, pizza brands, and tech companies, before taking a pivotal shift toward public service. As state director, Gronli has over 70 programs under her purview and orchestrates a team of 31 specialists dedicated to fostering rural prosperity. In this interview, Gronli talks about her career path, her commitment to lifelong learning, and shares advice for students.

In the fight against cancer, little things can make a huge difference. Cancer Care Foundation MN teamed up with Professor Lucy Dunne’s design class to redesign onesies for infants receiving cancer treatment at Children’s Minnesota. The result? A onesie with pockets for easy access to treatment ports, a small change that has made a big difference in care.

Located in the heart of Minneapolis’ Whittier neighborhood, the Alfred F. Pillsbury House, or “Pillsbury Castle”, is a testament to architectural history. It’s also the first house in seven years to be named an American Society for Interior Designers (ASID) MN Design House. As part of the process, ASID invited interior design students from the College of Design to partner with professional designers in preserving and transforming the house. 

A recipient of the 2023 U40 Alumni Leader Award, Patrick Puckett has been a longstanding advocate for the University of Minnesota, the College of Design, and the important connections design students make that lead to future career success. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, Puckett carved out a path in user experience (UX) design. In this interview, Puckett talks about his current work as an experience designer, the skills it takes to be successful in the field, and shares advice for current design students.

Exciting transformations have taken place at the College of Design, as several spaces have been renovated to enhance the student experience. The college recently completed renovations in Rapson Hall Rooms 1 and 253; McNeal Hall Suite 32, 12, and 18; and 1425 University Ave. Rooms 75 and 175. All of the renovations have resulted in refreshed and reimagined areas that cater to the needs of students from across design programs.