Jonathan Massey, dean and professor of architecture at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, is among the most admired educators for his “global, yet personal approach to design education,” according to DesignIntelligence’s annual survey.
Massey, dean of Taubman College since 2017 and a leading authority on architecture and planning education, has focused on a human-centered redesign of architectural education, one that sees interactions from varied user perspectives and redesigns processes to promote success.
At Taubman College, he has championed what he calls equity innovation: academic innovation that promotes equitable access to learning and professional opportunity. By experimenting with a broader range of ways for students to learn, he believes Taubman College, and all architecture schools willing to innovate, can meet the needs and priorities of a more diverse and inclusive community of future architects and planners. “I set out to become an architect, and along the way I discovered an even stronger passion for producing the knowledge and practices that set up others to shape a better world through architecture and design,” he said.
The annual DesignIntelligence survey honors excellence in architecture and design education and leadership by naming outstanding professionals from these fields. Input from thousands of design professionals, academic department heads, and students informs the annual list of most admired educators.