The College of Design mourns the loss of Professor Emeritus Roger D. Clemence, who served the University of Minnesota for more than 30 years as a teacher, mentor, and leader.
The College of Design mourns the loss of Professor Emeritus Roger D. Clemence, who served the University of Minnesota for more than 30 years as a teacher, mentor, and leader. Throughout his career and life, Roger was known for bringing people together – across disciplines, across communities, and across generations of students – and for his belief that design education is strongest when it connects people to one another and to the world around them.
Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1936, Clemence studied liberal arts at Amherst College before earning master's degrees in both architecture and landscape architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. There, he learned from influential educators, including Robert Venturi and Ian McHarg. His interdisciplinary education would define his career and inspire countless students to think beyond traditional boundaries.
After teaching at the University of Michigan, Clemence joined the University of Minnesota faculty in 1966. Over the next three decades, he became one of the college's most influential educators and leaders, serving as a faculty member in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Studies, and American Studies. He retired in 1997 after 31 years at the University.
Throughout his career, Clemence promoted learning that crossed boundaries and connected the University to the wider world. He often described his role not as delivering knowledge, but as "helping orchestrate opportunities for students and community members to learn from one another." That philosophy guided his teaching, research, and leadership.
His commitment to interdisciplinary learning was extraordinary. Clemence served on master's and doctoral committees spanning twelve disciplines and taught students from across the University. His widely admired course, The Meanings of Place, co-taught with geography professor Judith Martin, explored how landscapes, cities, and buildings shape the human experience and attracted students from a remarkable range of academic backgrounds.
Beyond the classroom, Clemence dedicated himself to strengthening the college and the University. He served as Director of Graduate Studies in Architecture, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Associate Dean of the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Acting Dean, and Interim Dean. Throughout these roles, he worked to create opportunities for collaboration, support faculty and students, and advance the college's mission.
His leadership was marked not only by service to the institution but also by his generosity toward colleagues. Reflecting on Roger's impact, former Dean of the College of Design Tom Fisher recalled:
Roger Clemence was among the most generous colleagues I ever had. When I came to Minnesota as the new dean in 1996, Roger – then the interim dean – scheduled lunches for the two of us to meet not just my fellow deans, but also donors and other leaders in the community. He didn't have to do that, but it made my transition into this community so much easier, and it was the first of many gifts of his time and wisdom that Roger gave me over the years. Roger was also a great educator, teaching students that the way to become a good designer is, first, to be a good person.
That generosity extended far beyond the walls of the college. Through his work with the Minnesota Extension Service, Clemence helped connect students and faculty with communities across the state. Projects such as a community study of gathering places in Waconia brought together residents, students, and faculty members to learn from one another and imagine stronger, more connected communities.
Colleagues often noted that Clemence embodied the college's founding ideals. When he was presented with the Frederick Mann Award for Disciplinary Service in 1994, it was observed that he understood "the importance of building connective tissue in a community." His contributions earned numerous honors, including the University's Horace T. Morse–Minnesota Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award, the Public Service Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the CALA Distinguished Service Award, and election as a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects – one of the profession's highest distinctions.
Yet Roger Clemence's legacy cannot be measured by awards alone. It lives on in the thousands of students he taught, the colleagues he mentored, the communities he served, and the culture of collaboration he helped build at the University of Minnesota. Anna Claussen (MLA, ‘07) reflected on her time as a student with Roger:
Roger believed landscape architects have the power to help shape a society of creators, empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers. He nurtured that belief in me, and so many others whom he taught and mentored, even ensuring that I would take on the role as teacher myself. He embodied curiosity and presence that made all of us feel seen and heard, and believed in the student as the teacher. May all of us who were touched by Roger carry forward the potency of seeking not the answers, but the questions.
Bill Chilton (M.Arch, ‘80), globally recognized architect and educator, remembered his teacher and mentor this way:
As a graduate student who studied under Roger, what I will remember most was his generosity, humility, curiosity, and humor — and his unwavering belief in the potential of others. He had the biggest heart. Roger possessed a remarkable ability to see something in people before they saw it in themselves, and then to gently encourage them to become the best version of who they could be.
As we remember Roger Clemence, we celebrate a teacher, mentor, colleague, and leader whose influence continues to shape the College of Design. Roger understood that design is ultimately about people – their relationships, their communities, and the places they call home. He taught generations of students an enduring lesson: that the way to become a good designer is, first, to be a good person.
