Nearly every year for the past decade, LSU’s Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture has been named the top program of its kind, beating out other prestigious flagships and highly-regarded schools such as Cornell University and Harvard University on the annual DesignIntelligence magazine rankings.
Most of those involved with the program say unequivocally the success of the program is due to the school’s founder, Robert Reich. His method of teaching involved intentionally pushing students to learn how to draft their own designs, says Mark Boyer, director of the school and Reich Teaching Professor, while many other schools teach students design principles by having them copy other folks’ designs.
Also, because it’s a five-year program requiring hundreds of hours in the studio, the school becomes something of a family during a student’s time on campus. Boyer says he can confidently look in the eyes of parents and assure them their child will never be a number.
The rankings have also garnered the attention of international students—especially those from China—looking to pursue a graduate degree, although Boyer warns his students that the rankings’ worth doesn’t compare to the school’s reputation.
The school’s alumni staff design firms across the country and LSU landscape architecture graduates can be found staffing the Downtown Development District in Baton Rouge.
DDD Executive Director Davis Rhorer, a 1979 graduate, has hired landscape architects to lead many local projects that have transformed the district, such as the North Boulevard Town Square, Riverfront Plaza and City Plaza. Many times, he says, even when the firms are from out-of-state, there’s still LSU grads on staff helping design the projects.
“The program has profoundly affected the way we have shaped and molded downtown development,” Rhorer says.
Read on for the full Business Report feature on the outstanding LSU program. Send comments to editor@businessreport.com
