Architecture & Design dean candidate Craig Anz to present Feb. 18

LAWRENCE – The second candidate for the University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design dean position will give his public presentation from 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18, in The Forum at Marvin Hall. Craig Anz is one of four candidates who will present publicly on their approach to leadership, how they emphasize design thinking and their insights on the key areas of emphasis for the school over the next five years.

A livestream of Anz’s presentation will be available here, and the passcode is 387242.

Anz is the interim director at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale College of Arts and Media, where he also serves as a full professor, program director of architectural studies and coordinator in the School of Architecture Resources Library.

Anz joined the faculty at Southern Illinois in 2004 as a tenure-track assistant professor. He rose to a tenured associate professor in 2010 and eventually a full professor in 2019. Anz previously taught at Texas A&M University and was contracted on educational leave from Southern Illinois to serve as the associate dean for academic affairs at the Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar School of the Arts from 2016 to 2017.

Throughout his tenure at Southern Illinois, Anz has made meaningful contributions through extensive research and guiding thesis students. Anz was named a Provost Faculty Fellow in the spring of 2014. In 2009-2010, he received the American Institute of Architects award for Excellence in Architectural Education. This spring, he is an invited member of the Texas A&M College of Architecture: Architecture and Industry Advisory Council.

Anz’s research interests include architecture, urban design, environmental design, community transformation and ecosystem service resource integration. Those interests have resulted in more than 50 peer-reviewed presentations, papers and journal entries as well as multiple published books, with his most recent being “Critical Environmentalism – Towards an Epistemic Framework for Architecture and Urban Design” (2010).  

In addition to his work in higher education, Anz is active in the community, volunteering with local nonprofit organizations such as Carbondale Main Street for spatial projects, where he is a board member. Carbondale Main Street works to improve and promote the downtown district of Carbondale, Illinois.  

Anz earned his Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M and doctorate from Texas A&M College of Architecture. He also earned a Master of Architecture in Urban Design and a Master of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture.

A recording of Anz’s presentation will be available to view Feb. 19. His presentation will be 30-45 minutes, with a short question-and-answer session to follow. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to offer their impressions and observations of each candidate online. Feedback is due by 5 p.m. March 1.

More information about the school and the search committee can be found online.