1. Starting a new degree program is a major life decision: it can be really exciting … and really terrifying. I used to be a terrible decision maker, always fretting over whether I would choose the right path, so coming to Oregon was a hard decision. My sister-in-law explained that every decision is made with limited information and instead of only having one right answer, often many of the paths could be good ones.
You can MAKE your decision to be here into a great choice. Like a design concept, the initial choice is just a seed. Many seeds have great potential to be successful. A seed only grow into a fluorishing plant if you nurture it every day. So, take advantage of the resources here, make our deficiencies into your opportunities.
2. The faculty at Oregon have a created a student-centered structure. We have non-graded vertical studios to support peer learning and recognize that students learn things at different rates and contribute different abilities. We mix jury reviews with round-robin reviews to create a more humane situation. Our students help shape the school through student organizations such as *Portland Student Activity Council, HOPES Ecological Design Conference and by contibuting to lectures and exhibitions.
So when I say the Portland Architecture Program is a great place, I am counting on you to help make this place great. Your entering Option II class makes up 30% of all the AAA students in Portland. We need your energy, your enthusiasm and your ideas to make a vibrant learning community. We want you to help make the studio environment a wonderful place to be: supportive, clean and beautiful. So display your best work and ask the most provocative questions.
3. We want to empower each of you to address our world’s most pressing problems: We want you
– to identify, research and analyze crucial issues,
– to find partners who can easily do what you can’t do and
– to develop creative solutions where others have seen only problems.
We want these two years to be a portal to your professional architectural career. We want you to discover questions that will intrigue you for a lifetime. We want you to find friends, mentors and interdisciplinary colleagues who will become your lifelong and lifewide network. As faculty, our success depends on your success.
Welcome to the University of Oregon!
