Dr. Abimbola Asojo Named New Dean of Morgan State University’s School of Architecture and Planning

BALTIMORE — Following a comprehensive national search, Morgan State University President David K. Wilson and Provost Hongtao Yu, have appointed a new dean of the School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P).  Distinguished global professor Abimbola O. Asojo, Ph.D., will take lead of the rising architectural school, becoming only its second dean in school history, effective August 2, 2023.

With her appointment, Dr. Asojo will lead a well-established and highly regarded school that offers one of only two professional architecture programs in the State of Maryland and the only such program in Baltimore City. She is charged with leading SA+P program development and expansion and the advancement of the school’s undergraduate and graduate programs.

“The appointment of Dr. Asojo is a welcome addition to the Morgan faculty. Her academic background and professional achievements reflect her continued commitment to pursuing excellence in expanding research beyond the classroom,” said President Wilson. “Under her leadership, I am confident that our students will receive authentic experiential learning opportunities connecting theories and knowledge with real-life scenarios that will expand innovative thinking surrounding architecture and design in neighborhoods and communities.”

Dr. Asojo joins Morgan with more than 25-years of classroom leadership and community-based service-learning experience with a portfolio of professional accomplishments including national and international projects recognized for innovative designs and contributions to architecture studies in higher education. Her background includes a scholarly focus on cross-cultural design, architectural lighting design, African architecture, computing and design, global issues, sustainable design, and K-12 spaces.

Prior to her appointment at Morgan, Dr. Asojo has served for the past 12 years at the University of Minnesota, where she held the positions of associate dean for faculty at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs and a professor of Interior Design at the School of Architecture at the College of Design. She is also a fellow of the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment, where she co-founded the lighting design minor in the College of Design in 2019, and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Before her time at the University of Minnesota, she was a professor at the University of Oklahoma, College of Design. Her work has been widely published in international journals and books. She is a licensed architect and holds a National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) certification. Dr. Asojo is also a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).

“I am extremely excited and honored to be named the dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at Morgan State University. It is a great privilege for me to serve and contribute my expertise to build relationships and advance the school’s vision and priorities to align with the university’s core values and strategic plan —  Transformation Morgan,” said Dr. Asojo. “I am looking forward to collaborating with the students, staff, faculty, and administration to lead the school with its exemplary reputation to greater heights.” 

Twice named a US Design Intelligence top educator in 2010 and 2017, Dr. Asojo’s leadership and contributions in the classroom and the community have been impactful both globally and locally. In 2018, Dr. Asojo received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the faculty of Environmental Design and Management at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. Her efforts led to the development of the first Masters of Interior Design in West Africa. In 2020, she received the University of Minnesota’s Outstanding Community Service Faculty Award, the highest honor the university gives to a faculty member for service to the community. She has engaged her students in more than 40 community-based service-learning projects that tackle both local and global societal challenges. In addition to being a LEED Accredited Professional, she serves on the Journal of Interior Design (JID) review board and is a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) Building Information Modeling (BIM) committee.

“We are extremely excited to appoint an experienced administrator and leader and a world-class scholar in Dr. Asojo to be the next dean of the School of Architecture and Planning,” said Dr. Yu. “We have built a strong team of faculty and staff in the school surrounding the dean to continue excellence in education of our students, scholarly research, and service to our community.”

Dr. Asojo received her B.S. and M.S. in Architecture from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria; her M.S. in Architecture: Computing Design from the University of East London, United Kingdom; and a Ph.D. in Instructional Psychology and Technology, Anthropology, and History from the University of Oklahoma.  

In her capacity as dean, Dr. Asojo will report to the provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs and will work collaboratively with the University’s 10 other deans to meet Morgan’s mission. She replaces former dean Mary Anne Akers, the school’s inaugural dean, who left the University in July 2022. Since Aker’s departure, the School of Architecture and Planning has advanced under the interim leadership of Siddhartha Sen, Ph.D.

Housed within the Center for the Built Environment & Infrastructure Studies (CBEIS), the School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) features several departments including the Department of Undergraduate Design, Department of Construction Management, and the Department of Graduate Built Environment Studies. SA+P offers an array of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees as well as a graduate certificate. 

For more than 25-years the School of Architecture and Planning has provided students the opportunity to preview and experience the makings of the built and natural environment in the broader perspective of interdisciplinary learning headed toward responsible leadership. SA+P students become knowledgeable in planning, design, and management as predictive decision-making processes by the examination of human factors involved in the necessarily collaborative activity of environmental intervention and preservation.

About Morgan

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

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Media Contacts:
Cheryl Stewart or Dell Jackson, for University PR
443-885-3022