New architecture department to launch at South Dakota State this fall
Brian T. Rex has been designing all his life. As an architect, he’s designed a wide variety of projects. As an educator, he’s dedicated himself to training students in the profession he loves.
Now Rex is prepared to lead the first and only department of architecture in the state of South Dakota.
“I am a designer,” Rex said of his willingness to build an entirely new department at South Dakota State University. “I love to work in new situations.”
Any building project, whether it’s a high-rise or a new college department, requires funding. SDSU’s architecture program is being built without state tax dollars.
While the program relies on students’ tuition and fees to grow toward its sixth year and financial stability, the state’s architectural community has stepped forward, pledging to raise $1.8 million for the program as well as providing in-kind, adjunct teaching services.
“Clearly, without the leadership and support of the industry, namely the founders group, this program would have never been possible,” said Jerry Jorgensen, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “As key stakeholders in this program, their continued involvement will be critical. With a strong focus on sustainability and community, their role in this program will become even more vital.”
The founders group includes four Sioux Falls architecture firms: Architecture Incorporated, Koch Hazard Architects, Perspective Inc., and TSP. The group also includes SDSU alumnus Jerry Lohr, president of J. Lohr Properties and J. Lohr Winery of San Jose, Calif.
The founders group has already impressed Rex.
“Nowhere that I’ve ever encountered have the architects in a community put up so much to get a program up and running,” Rex said. “I’ve been consulting with the architects in South Dakota from day one. They are incredibly positive and have sage advice.”
When the roll is taken this fall in the first intro to architecture class, it will mark the end of more than two years of planning and preparation and the beginning of a vital new program.
Jorgensen has been part of the planning from the beginning, and he’s pleased with the results so far.
“Now comes the implementation of the program and that is where Brian will be invaluable in getting this program launched and accredited over the next six years,” Jorgensen said. “I believe this program is important for South Dakota and will be a ‘star program’ for SDSU.”
The chance to study architecture close to home and avoid travel costs and out-of-state tuition rates has sparked interest in the new program.
“Interest to date from the incoming freshman class has been robust, and I expect that will continue as the program grows over the next six years,” said Jorgensen.
Rex has planned for up to 60 students in the first year, adding 32 in the second and third years and 16 in the fourth through sixth years of the program.
The six-year mark is key because that’s when the first crop of architecture students will receive their master’s degrees. It is also the projected year when the program will become financially self-sustaining. Perhaps most importantly, it’s the year when the program is scheduled to receive its accreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board.
Rex’s ability to embrace new situations has led him to a varied career. Prior to coming to South Dakota, he was the associate dean for academics and chair of instruction in the College of Architecture at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where he was also an associate professor. He has held teaching positions at the University of Colorado, the University of Oklahoma, Dublin Institute of Technology in Ireland and the University of Nebraska.
Rex’s professional architecture career is just as varied. In addition to being the designer for a variety of residential, commercial and institutional buildings, he has also worked as a draftsman and as an estimator.
This fall he can add “pioneer” to his list of accomplishments as he and SDSU’s first crop of architecture students blaze a new trail.