Dear Campus Community,
We are writing to share news of an important campus leadership transition. Renee Y. Chow has accepted our offer to become the next dean of the College of Environmental Design (CED) effective November 9, 2021. Celebrated architect, professor, and respected CED leader, Renee first served as acting dean of CED in 2019-2020 and was recently reappointed as acting dean when Vishaan Chakrabarti stepped aside to attend to a family matter.
Renee currently serves as the chair of the Department of Architecture, as executive associate dean for CED, and as professor of architecture and urban design. Previously, she was the associate dean for undergraduate studies and formerly held the Eva Li Chair in Design Ethics from 2005 to 2010.
Renee received her master’s degree in architecture and bachelor’s degree in architectural design from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her current work focuses on the intersection between architecture, infrastructure, and its locale to address the challenges of climate equity and urbanism.
We have chosen to appoint Renee as dean given her excellent track record of leadership within the college and to bring stability to this role at this time. We deeply appreciate her willingness to serve in this way and are excited for the future of the college under her leadership.
You can read more about Renee and this appointment on the College of Environmental Design website
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Vishaan Chakrabarti for his leadership of the college over the past year and wish him the very best. Please join us in congratulating Renee on this well-deserved appointment and in supporting her success in leading the College of Environmental Design.
Sincerely,
Carol T. ChristChancellor
Catherine P. Koshland
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost