OSU’s Seitsinger named AIA Fellow
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Randy Seitsinger, professor and head of the school of architecture at Oklahoma State University, has been elected to the 2015 College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for his outstanding contributions to architectural education and society.
“I am very thankful and humbled to get this special recognition, but it’s really recognition for the school," Seitsinger said. "It demonstrates the quality of the OSU School of Architecture and the success of our students and graduates. If the school didn’t do great things, I wouldn’t have been recognized.”
The fellowship program was developed to honor architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession. Election to fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of architects as individuals, but also their significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level. Less than four percent of the AIA’s 85,000 members are designated fellows. Seitsinger will be honored at an investiture ceremony for the 2015 Fellows in May at the AIA Convention in Atlanta.
Being elevated as a fellow is a recognition by AIA for long-term contribution to the architecture profession. Fellows may be selected for the quality of their design work, service or contributions to the practice of architecture, or educators for their contributions to the education of tomorrow’s professionals.
Seitsinger’s service to the architecture profession is both long-standing and distinguished. He has brought progressive leadership to the School of Architecture, sustained close alignment between the profession and the school at the state level, fostered a learning environment in which many students have been enabled to thrive in professional practice, and he has performed a key role in increasing the school’s endowments by twenty-fold.
Under Seitsinger’s tenure as a school head, which started in 1995, faculty have won numerous teaching awards, the school has been awarded the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards Prize, students have achieved an outstanding track record in design competitions, and graduates are highly recruited all over the country. Before taking over as a school head, 15 of his design studio students won or placed in national or international students design competitions and this success continued under Seitsinger’s leadership as school head with more than 90 students winning or placing in regional, national and international students design competitions.
Seitsinger has made successful contributions to architecture and to the School of Architecture. His leadership has influenced a generation of students and has helped focus the school’s commitment to professionally-oriented curriculums and programs to provide students with the education needed for success in the profession.
Seitsinger graduated from OSU 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering and in 1982 with a master’s degree in architecture. After graduation, he worked as a designer in the office of I. M. Pei & Partners in New York City before returning to the OSU as a faculty member in 1987.
Seitsinger has been involved with AIA in many ways, including serving in many leadership positions at the state and chapter level. He is currently the statewide AIA Oklahoma President and has served on the AIA Oklahoma Board of Directors since 1993.
AIA was founded in 1857 by a group of 13 architects. Today, 113 accredited schools of architecture serve the profession. The AIA, in conjunction with the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), and the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), continues to ensure the highest quality of architecture education in the United States. From a small group of professionals sharing a meal, the American Institute of Architects has grown to a robust and focused organization providing guidance, service and standards to architects around the world. The AIA continues to strive for quality, consistency and safety in the built environment and to serve as the voice of the architecture profession.
For more information on the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology at OSU, visit www.ceat.okstate.edu.