Marc Swackhamer will serve as dean of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED) starting August 18, according to a university-wide email sent Thursday.
Swackhamer comes to Cal Poly from the University of Colorado Denver, where he currently serves as chair and a professor for the architecture department. Once he arrives in San Luis Obispo, one of his primary goals will be promoting and expanding the college’s resources.
“At this time in the environment that higher education is facing, strengthening the resources in the college will be a big goal of mine,” Swackhamer told Mustang News. “As dean, it’s important to me to ensure not only do the resources we currently have stay there, but that we amplify and build those resources even further to ensure the future success of the college.”
He emphasized that CAED’s broad scope of disciplines—ranging from landscape architecture to construction management—presents ample opportunities for collaboration in tackling real-world problems.
“This college’s range of disciplines and focuses are primed for some really fantastic cross-disciplinary work,” Swackhamer said. “I think there’s tremendous opportunity to examine how the particular constellation of disciplines that are in the college can coalesce around societal challenges that we’re facing, and I’m really excited to dive into that as dean.”
Swackhamer began teaching in 2001 at the University of Cincinnati before spending 15 years at the University of Minnesota, where he served as a professor, director of graduate studies, and head of the school of architecture. In 1998, he co-founded HouMinn, a research practice that he said significantly shaped his background and expertise.
Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, expressed her confidence in Swackhamer’s leadership in the email. She highlighted his forward-thinking vision, extensive research and commitment to environmental sustainability as key strengths that align with CAED’s mission.
“I am confident that his leadership will further elevate CAED’s role as a leader in architectural education and design innovation,” Jackson-Elmoore stated in the email.
Jackson-Elmoore thanked Kevin Dong for his service as interim dean of CAED while the university searched for a permanent appointee.
Looking ahead, Swackhamer expressed enthusiasm about his future at Cal Poly.
“When I found out I got the job, I almost yelled—I was so excited,” Swackhamer said. “I’ve known about Cal Poly for a long time, and I’m just super excited to be a part of it.”
