Longtime KU faculty member chosen as next dean of school of architecture and design

photo by: Courtesy: University of Kansas

Mahbub Rashid, dean of the KU School of Architecture & Design

The University of Kansas is staying in-house for its next dean of architecture and design.

Mahbub Rashid, the interim dean of the school and a longtime KU faculty member, was named Friday as the next dean of the University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design.

Rashid has been the interim dean of the school for three years and believes the school has made strong strides in academic excellence, diversity and collaboration, he said in a KU press release.

“Taking advantage of our rich history and tradition in design thinking and our geographical locus, we aspire to become KU’s design innovation hub connecting communities, places and technologies locally and globally to solve the pressing problems of humanity,” Rashid said in the release.

Rashid has been a member of the KU faculty for 17 years, and previously served as the associate dean of research and graduate programs at the architecture and design school. As a professor, Rashid’s research and work has focused on understanding the social, cultural, cognitive and aesthetic functions of buildings and cities.

As dean, he will lead a school with nearly 1,000 students and more than 60 faculty and staff. The architecture school has particular expertise in health and wellness design, historic preservation and urban design, among other topics. The school’s Department of Design has strong programs in industrial design, illustration and photography, among others, according to a KU release.

Rashid’s appointment as dean is effective immediately.

“I am thrilled to have a scholar of Mahbub’s caliber leading the School of Architecture & Design,” Barbara A. Bichelmeyer, provost and executive vice chancellor, said in a press release. “Mahbub’s professional architecture and design background, as well as his stellar track record as a KU faculty member and his leadership and innovation while interim dean, make him the right person to lead the school to greater heights in the coming years.”