Ethel Goodstein-Murphree Named Interim Dean of Fay Jones School of Architecture

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Ethel Goodstein-Murphree and Mark Boyer

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Architecture professor Ethel Goodstein-Murphree has been appointed as interim dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture, Sharon Gaber, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, announced today. The appointment is effective May 16.

The current dean, Jeff Shannon, will step down next month in order to return to teaching in the school fulltime. The university plans to conduct a national search for a new dean of the architecture school this year.

“I very much appreciate Dr. Goodstein-Murphree’s enthusiasm and willingness to step up and handle the duties of running the school while we continue our national search,” Gaber said. “Her leadership and history with the faculty, staff and students will provide a smooth transition for all involved.”

Goodstein-Murphree joined the faculty in 1992 and has served as the associate dean of the Fay Jones School since 2009, working closely with Shannon. She has selected Mark Boyer, professor and head of landscape architecture, to serve as interim associate dean.

Goodstein-Murphree and Boyer are both distinguished teachers and scholars as well as experienced administrators and provide continuity in leadership for the school as it moves forward. The architecture, landscape architecture and interior design programs will be located, for the first time in the school’s history, in one shared space this fall – the renovated Vol Walker Hall and Steven L. Anderson Design Center addition.

“This is a time of great excitement for the Fay Jones School, as we look forward to unprecedented opportunities for collaborative learning among the design disciplines,” Goodstein-Murphree said. “I embrace the opportunity to continue the positive trajectory of the school – and of Dean Shannon’s legacy – by supporting high-caliber programs, cultivating a diverse and talented faculty, and, of course, celebrating the achievements of our students.”

Goodstein-Murphree has been engaged in architectural education and practice for nearly four decades. She received a Bachelor of Architecture from City College of the City University of New York, a master’s degree in history of architecture and urban development from Cornell University, and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in architecture from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the University of Arkansas, she practiced architecture in New York City, served as architectural historian for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, and began her career in architectural education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she taught for 10 years.

Goodstein-Murphree is a specialist in American architectural and cultural history, and her research focuses on mid-century modernism and the controversies surrounding its preservation.

Recognition of her teaching and scholarship includes membership in the University of Arkansas Teaching Academy; an American Institute of Architects Education Honor Award; the Louisiana Preservation Alliance Award for Excellence in Preservation Education; the Ned Shank Award for Outstanding Preservation Publication from the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas; and the Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society Silver Medal. She has held leadership positions on the Board of Directors of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture; the Southeast Society of Architectural Historians; the AIA/ACSA Research Council; and the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas.

Mark Boyer joined the landscape architecture faculty in 1998. He served as interim department head from 2008-2010, obtaining re-accreditation for the program, and has been department head since 2010. He received a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Kentucky and a Master of Landscape Architecture from Louisiana State University.

Boyer serves as second vice president for the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture and as a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects Committee on Education. He was a Fellow of the Academic Leadership Development Program for the U of A in the Southeast Conference Academic Consortium. He has received many teaching and practice honors, including a CELA Award of Recognition; the Howell-Vancuren Teaching Award; the Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society Silver Medal; induction into the U of A Teaching Academy; and an ASLA Honor Award for Analysis and Planning.