To the Friends, Alumni, and Students of CED,
As we reflect on the 2024–2025 academic year, I’m delighted to share that our college continues to build on last year’s momentum with exciting new programs, sustained enrollment growth, and a strengthened faculty dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement.
Programs & Enrollment
CED has increased enrollment by 30 percent over the last five years, now serving over 500 students. Our landscape architecture programs remain among the largest and most prestigious nationwide at both the graduate and undergraduate level. This year we welcomed our largest-ever Bachelor of Landscape Architecture freshman cohort, a nearly 10 percent increase that brings continued energy and fresh perspectives to our studios.
Across the college, enrollment grew by 6 percent overall, with 153 students pursuing minors and 45 engaged in our various certificate programs. Our new Urban Planning Minor was a standout, growing from 15 to 54 students in just one year. At the graduate level, our MLA three-year track cohort nearly doubled, while the Historic Preservation (MHP), Urban Planning & Design (MUPD), and PhD programs continue to thrive and maintain strong, sustainable cohorts.
New Opportunities
We’re delighted that our proposal for a new undergraduate certificate in Construction Management was approved in January 2025; we anticipate welcoming our first cohort in the coming academic year. A new Land Design and Development certificate is also being developed and is expected to be active January 1, 2026.
We also recently expanded our Double Dawgs offerings: Urban Planning & Design now boasts three new pathways that let undergraduates complete both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years or less, saving time and tuition while enhancing career readiness.
Faculty Excellence
Our full-time faculty of scholars continue to distinguish themselves. Highlights this year include Professor Stephen Ramos’s forthcoming book on Southern Regionalism with the University of North Carolina Press, and Associate Dean Ashley Steffens’s election as Vice President for Education of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Student Achievements
Our students continue to excel on the national stage: this year, they garnered awards from the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture and the American Society of Landscape Architects, underscoring their creativity and professional promise. A small group of BLAs garnered international recognition as finalists in the international Landezine/Streetlife Design Competition, traveling to the Netherlands to present their visionary design for the historic West Broad School site in Athens. Other students have engaged in transformative, interdisciplinary work, like Dr. Wang’s collaborative Savannah studio with LSU that proposed a bold, climate-conscious future for the city. Research excellence was on full display as well, with 3rd-year student Paige Garvin earning national recognition for her work on stormwater resilience at University of South Florida’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in the field of weather, climate, and society, funded by the National Science Foundation. And recent graduate Shira Brown, our latest Presidential Scholar, exemplifies how a CED education can lead to both professional success and meaningful community impact. These achievements speak to the drive, creativity, and commitment to service that define our students—and the future of our fields.
Alumni Impact
Our alumni are leading in practice and policy. Kona Gray (BLA ‘97) was elected President of the ASLA this year; three alumni firms – CIG Consulting (Chuck Richardson, BLA ’02), Root Design Studio (Michael Kidd, MLA ’01), and Servescape (Mario Cambardella, BLA ’06, MEPD ’11, MLA ’13) – were honorees of the Bulldog 100; and MHP alum Cherie Bennett was appointed Director of the Georgia DCA’s Office of Downtown Development.
Commit to CED
Thanks to our extraordinary donors and alumni, we raised nearly $1.5 million in fiscal year 2024 – 136 percent of our goal. These funds have already created new scholarships and graduate fellowships, supporting the next generation of changemakers in design, planning, and preservation.
None of these successes would be possible without the passion of our students, the dedication of our faculty and staff, and the unwavering support of our alumni and friends. As we celebrate this year’s accomplishments, I encourage you to remain engaged with CED, whether by attending our events, mentoring a student, or helping us bridge the gap on our next fundraising campaign. Together, we are building a brighter future for the College of Environment + Design, and for the world we help shape.
Sincerely,
Sonia Hirt
Dean, College of Environment + Design
University of Georgia
Follow along on social media this summer as we recap some exciting moments from the last semester!
