"Making River Connections"

Transforming the currently uninspiring but potentially breathtaking site of the Science Classroom Building at the east end of the Washington Avenue bridge was the design challenge for nearly 50 participants, including 40 CDes graduate and undergraduate students, at the Mississippi River Initiative's workshop "Making River Connections" Oct. 14-15. The Initiative is part of the Metropolitan Design Center.

Dean Tom Fisher and Orlyn Miller from the University's Capital Projects Planning office kicked off the workshop by outlining the University's plans to replace the 1962 Science Classroom Building with a classroom/student services building in the next few years and the role that good design plays on campus.

Workshop participants worked in interdisciplinary teams to devise designs for the site that "tell river stories" and highlight connections between the river, the site, and the campus through strategies such as public art, interpretive spaces, plantings, and water features. Project teams were also encouraged to consider the functional uses of the site, and its potential as a recreational or transportation connection between the campus and amenities such as the East River Parkway.

Participants were assisted by volunteers from the St. Paul on the Mississippi Design Center, Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board, and by emeritus faculty members. A team of experienced urban designers and planners evaluated the projects at the end of the workshop on Sunday.

Selected designs and images from the workshop will be posted to the Mississippi River Initiative's Web site www.riverdesign.umn.edu, and will be exhibited in the space outside the Metropolitan Design Center in the lower level of Rapson Hall. For further information, contact the initiative's coordinator, Pat Nunnally, at pdn@umn.edu or 612-624-3739.

Real World Experiences

Working in teams for three weeks, 34 senior interior design students under the direction of Caren Martin and Michael English presented design concepts for prospective sites for the University-Northside Partnership (UNP) in late September. The students also presented their exterior and interior design solutions for remodeling the Parkway Theater in south Minneapolis at an event attended by Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak in November. Go to www.umn.edu/umnews/feature_stories/extreme_makeover.html to get the whole story.

Wall of Discovery Dedicated

The Scholars Walk and Wall of Discovery projects on the East Bank were completed and dedicated during the fall semester. The Scholars Walk, a 2,200-foot-long corridor through campus, honors the University's greatest intellectual achievements. The nearby Wall of Discovery (designed by Gary Fishbeck, B.L.A. '80) is an artistic tribute to the process of discovery, featuring reproductions of original sketches, notes, drawings, letters, and other items from 92 illustrious faculty and alumni. College of Design faculty and alumni whose contributions are featured include Elizabeth Close, Winston Close, Jacob Liebenberg, William Pedersen, Ralph Rapson, and Sarah Susanka. For more information on the Scholars Walk, the Wall of Discovery, and the dedication events, see www.alumni.umn.edu/scholarswalk/html.

Mentor Connection

An unprecedented number of 170 undergraduate and graduate CDes students were matched with mentors working in their desired fields then met for the first time at a kickoff orientation workshop on November 1 at the McNamara Alumni Center. Mentoring pairs will create individualized action plans that foster career exploration, networking, and professional development of students. Coordinated by the College of Design's Student Services Learning Enrichment Opportunities office, with support from Alumni Relations and a committee of student and alumni leaders, the mentor program will culminate in an all-University mentor reception on April 19, 2007. To learn more or get involved, visit the program Web site at www.cdes.umn.edu/mentor.

Landscape Architecture 40th Anniversary Reunion

More than 250 alumni, students, faculty, and friends attended the Department of Landscape Architecture's 40th anniversary reunion on October 6. Timed in conjunction with the American Society of Landscape Architecture's annual meeting in Minneapolis, the event featured the lecture "H.W. S. Cleveland: Landscape Architecture, American Civilization and the West," presented by top Cleveland scholars Lance Neckar, University of Minnesota; Dan Nadenicek, Clemson University; Bill Tishler, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Nancy Volkman, Texas A & M.

Project Holiay at Bachmans

Members of the public got a chance to cast their ballot for the best retail merchandising student-designed mannequin displays for the much-anticipated holiday atrium at Bachman's flagship store on Lyndale Avenue South in Minneapolis. Six student teams made it to the final challenge in a contest dubbed "Project Holiday." Originally 12 teams battled for the chance to create something for public display. Judges trimmed the teams to six in early October. The students were told "the final design should be over the top," said Kate Daly, the retail merchandising research associate directing the project, "yet also have a sense of believability that someone could wear it. This project was really about integrating active learning in the classroom and the community." The winning display's team members will receive a prize of $200 each. The six non-finalist teams worked on Bachman's displays throughout the metro area.