Michigan State University Landscape Architecture

Congratulations to Spartan Alumnus, Robert 'Bob' Chipman on receiving the 2026 Outstanding Service Award from the ASLA!

Congratulations to the 2026 ASLA Honors recipients.

Selected by ASLA's Board of Trustees, these honors represent the highest recognition ASLA bestows each year.

Join us in celebrating the individuals, organizations, and firms whose leadership, service, and contributions continue to advance landscape architecture.

See the full list of recipients: https://bit.ly/3S2qnt3

ID students enrolled in IDES 352 and LA students enrolled in LA 243 during the Spring 2026 semester gave their Final Studio Presentations to fellow students, industry professionals, and interested stakeholders to end the year.

Five student groups, in collaboration with the Michigan DNR, worked to create and present proposals for the Pontiac Lake Day Use Area located at 2401 N Williams Lake Road in Waterford, Mich.

SPDC's Sustainability Partnership with the MI-DNR lets students problem-solve in real-world scenarios and shows them the interdisciplinary relationship between the school's programs in professional practice.

Not one, but five college awards and recognitions were brought to SPDC by our faculty and students, reflecting the excellence, leadership, and impact of SPDC across teaching, research, service, and culture, access, and belonging.

To learn more about these 2026 CANR Awards, visit: https://www.canr.msu.edu/facultystaff/awards_nominations/

With the academic year ending, we want to highlight one of SPDC's biggest end of the year events, the 2026 SPDC Awards Ceremony!

This annual event brings together students, faculty, staff, and our supporters and donors to recognize the excellence of SPDC's students.

It's always great to end the year celebrating our students' accomplishments and the impact our supports and donors have on their academic and professional success.

Congratulation to all scholarship and award winners, and thank you to our supporters and donors.

Enjoy these highlights of the evening, and be sure to stay connected with SPDC to learn how you can impact SPDC's ability to continue educating tomorrow's leaders and innovators!

Congratulations to all SPDC graduates!

It's impossible to condense years of hard work into one post, but here are some commencement highlights.

The celebration is well earned and we can't wait to see the impact you all will make in the world. Proving SPDC is the home of Spartans, BUILT TO LEAD!

🌿 Calling all MSU Landscape Architecture alumni! 🌿

We want to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of our alumni community—and we need your help! Do you know a fellow MSU Landscape Architecture alum who has recently received an award, reached a major milestone, or made a meaningful impact in the field?

We’d love to recognize them!

We’re also gathering notices of alumni who are retiring, in order to honor their careers and contributions.

Please share any alumni accolades or retirement announcements with the Landscape Architecture Alumni Advisory Board by email to: [email protected].

Let’s come together to highlight the achievements and legacy of our Spartan landscape architecture community!

💚

Congratulations to Dr. Jun-Hyun Kim, Professor and Director of the School of Planning, Design and Construction (SPDC).

The Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) honored Dr. Kim with the 2026 CELA President’s Award on March 13, 2026, during the CELA 2026 Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The award recognizes exceptional leadership, sustained service, and meaningful contributions that have advanced the mission and impact of CELA, and honors individuals whose influence strengthens the organization and the broader academic community.

To learn more about CELA, the award, and Dr. Kim, visit: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/kim-receives-cela-president-s-award

Congratulations to LA student Ava Yon on receiving funding through the CANR Office of Academic and Student Affairs' Undergraduate Research Program!

This program empowers students to increase their understanding of their field, gain real-world experience, and prepare for their future career by working closely with a faculty mentor to conduct unique research.

Students submit a proposal and budget for a research topic of their design with accepted projects culminating in a presentation of their work at the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum within one year.

Yon's project will begin in Summer 2026, and her faculty mentor will be Dr. Xiaowei Li, professor of landscape architecture.

At the 4th annual SPDC Awards Ceremony on April 9th, 2026, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources' Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Dr. Antomia Farrell, joined us to give a special address to our students and supporters!

The event is a special way to celebrate SPDC's student scholarship recipients, as well as honor those generous donors whose contributions significantly enhance their education and enrichment.

Thank you for joining and inspiring us, Dr. Farrell!

Please join us in congratulating our scholarship and award winners, and thanking SPDC's supporters and donors.

Enjoy these highlights of the evening, and be sure to stay connected with SPDC to learn how you can impact SPDC's continued success!

Congratulations to this years winners of the SPDC School Awards!

These awards are nominated by SPDC students, faculty, and staff and highlight the exceptional performance of our entire school at every level.

The award winners are:

SPDC Outstanding Undergraduate Student Leader
Julia Sesi (ID), Melanie Macias (CM), Daniel McNamara (CM), and Benjamin Mitchell (CM)

SPDC Outstanding Graduate Student Leader
Grace Densham

SPDC Outstanding Instructor
Prof. Daniel Bollman

SPDC Outstanding Mentor
Academic Advisory, Hannah Brodhead

SPDC Outstanding Support Staff
Janelle Curtis
Erin Mulligan

Congratulations to all award winners!