Today the College of Design announced that Jennifer Yoos, FAIA, will be named the next head of its School of Architecture, effective June 8, 2020, and pending approval by the Board of Regents.
“Jennifer’s wide range of experience makes her the perfect fit for this position,” said Dean Carol Strohecker. “As both a practicing architect in her leadership role at VJAA and a design educator at the UMN School of Architecture and other renowned institutions, Jennifer has demonstrated deep mastery of her profession and commitment to advancing it.”
“I am confident that her expertise, entrepreneurial energy, and dedication to mentoring the next generation of architects will further the excellence of both the School and the College of Design.”
As head, Yoos will provide intellectual and strategic leadership and administrative oversight to the College of Design’s School of Architecture. Additionally, she will work with faculty, staff, students, and Minnesota’s highly engaged alumni and professional community to further the School of Architecture’s mission.
“I am honored to return to the University of Minnesota as the head of the School of Architecture. The school and its graduates are critical to the success of the architecture community and to the region. I am indebted to the School for providing a solid foundation for my academic and professional career, and look forward to working closely with faculty and students to further the School’s success and increase its influence,” said Yoos.
“One of the unique things about Minnesota is its strong design community. The School’s position within the College of Design and its interrelated disciplines offer important opportunities to increase the School’s relevance and expand its connections to practice.”
Yoos received her graduate diploma in design from the Architectural Association in London and her professional degree in architecture from the University of Minnesota. After practicing architecture both independently and with firms in Minneapolis and London, Yoos joined VJAA as a design principal in 1997.
In 2002, she was awarded a Loeb Fellowship in Urban and Environmental Studies at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and was inducted into the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows in 2013. Under the design leadership of Yoos and partner Vincent James, VJAA received the 2012 National American Institute of Architects Firm Award. In addition to her position as CEO and Principal of VJAA, Yoos has taught architecture as the NADAAA Visiting Professor at Cooper Union, the Ruth and Norman Moore Visiting Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and as the John G. Williams Distinguished Professor at the University of Arkansas. She has also taught at the University of Minnesota.
You can read more about Jennifer Yoos on her faculty profile.
The College of Design is pleased to introduce our new assistant dean for student services, Steve Yang, and our new associate dean for academic affairs, Sauman Chu. In these roles, Yang and Chu will work closely with Dean Carol Strohecker and other college leaders to advance outreach goals for students, faculty, centers, and the college.
On June 8, 2020, the College of Design named Jennifer Yoos, FAIA, as the new head of the School of Architecture. Her career in architecture is driven by a lifelong love for art, buildings, and design in general as well as childhood summers spent with her artist aunt in Chicago. In our interview, Yoos shares her visions for the school, the new semester, and the future of the profession.
