TTU Director Nominated for High Honor

By Joshua Blount, Editor

After serving over seven years as the director of the El Paso Program in Architecture at Texas Tech University (TTU), Robert González has been nominated for a high distinction. González is one of several candidates selected for the 2019 Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) board. If elected, González will take the duties of Second Vice President and serve on the ACSA Board for a four-year term. For each of his four years on the board, González would move to higher positions, eventually becoming President of the association.

González has accomplished work that has ignited new conversations about architecture among his community, some of which is reflected in the Architecture & Urbanism in Las Américas journal (a scholarly journal he co-founded). His scholarly research has allowed him to work collaboratively with notable organizations, such as the EDRA and the Society of Architectural Historians. As director of the El Paso Program, González is working to "change the professional landscape" by focusing on two underrepresented groups in his field; women and Latino/as. Under his leadership, the El Paso Program has tripled in size with the female student body quadrupling and the female faculty more than doubling.

González feels passionately about the future of architectural education and hopes that he can help fulfill his passion as a leader in the ACSA. "Architectural education's call to action has never been more urgent than now. As an architect, historian and member of the Latino/a and LGBTQ+ communities, my work and activism respond directly to ACSA's desire to enhance architecture's knowledge base and commitments to diversity, inclusivity and equity. I would bring to ACSA my knowledge of working with community colleges, creating alternative pathways for students entering our discipline, engaging community and extensive board experience."

González has already demonstrated his capacity to lead with his success as director and can surely make a positive impact as a leader in the ACSA. As part of the Texas Tech community, we support Robert during his candidacy and hope for his triumph in the upcoming election. The winner of the election will be named in March.

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About ACSA
Founded in 1912 by 10 charter members, The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit association of over 200 member schools in several categories. These include full membership for all accredited programs in the United States and government-sanctioned schools in Canada, candidate membership for schools seeking accreditation, and affiliate membership for schools for two-year and international programs. ACSA, unique in its representative role for schools of architecture, provides a forum for ideas on the leading edge of architectural thought. Issues that will affect the architectural profession in the future are being examined today in ACSA members' schools.

Robert González, AIA, director of the Architecture Program at TTU El Paso.