From the Dean

Karl Daubmann

Dean
Professor

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Design x Technology . We look forward to this opportunity to keep our students, parents, faculty and staff, alumni, donors, Southfield residents, and others well-informed about the news and events of Lawrence Technological University’s College of Architecture and Design.

In the more than 90 years since the founding of Lawrence Tech by Russell Lawrence, along with his brother E. George Lawrence, the University has maintained its basic yet profound commitment that everyone deserves an education. Even in the darkest moments of the Great Depression, the brothers were visionaries, focused on the potential of learning with the belief that education is transformative.

At CoAD, we expand this commitment to design education. In fact, our focus on design as an essential component of our scholastic existence requires that we incorporate diverse perspectives and experiences and lead with empathy because design serves an ever-expanding and complex group of constituents. Design should not be the exclusive pursuit of any privilege.

We consider design to be so essential—and so critical that it be available to all students who wish to pursue it as a career—that, unlike other colleges, we do not require a portfolio for entrance into our undergraduate programs. We know that not every student has the opportunity to develop creative work in high school, and we believe that we can teach students what they need to know.

Dean Karl Daubman and graduate students constructing critical practice installation.

We also recognize that design cannot thrive in isolation. That is why we support international travel experiences such as recent study abroad opportunities in Rome, Italy. And recently, we continued this tradition with the introduction of the Steven Rost Travel Fellowship, named for our distinguished Professor Emeritus.

It is also why we feature sponsored studios—basically, exposure to real-world practices and experiences—as an integral part of our curriculum.

New technologies continue to bring increasing dynamism to higher education architecture and design. We see many of these new technologies as catalysts to make design and architecture increasingly accessible to a wider range of students. We see the fields continuing to grow and anticipate constant innovation.

With curricula focused on design, immersed in technology, and grounded in practice, students are empowered to thoughtfully enter current and future modes of practice and to expand the conversations so that architecture and design might be more innovative, inclusive, and sustainable.