| NEWS
| SEPTEMBER 23, 2005
Writing a New Chapter
Architecture program president
hopes to reach out, connect students to professional world
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| The Shorthorn: Mark Roberts |
| Though only in her first semester
at UTA, architecture junior Adrian Lipscombe is
already getting involved. Lipscombe, who believes that
being an architecture student is a full-time job in itself,
accepted the presidential role of UTA’s American
Institute of Architecture Students chapter. |
|
By Alicia
Kania
Contributor to The Shorthorn
A chance encounter with a classmate led to her presence at the election
meeting of the American Institute of Architecture Students, where
she was offered the position of president. She accepted.
Before transferring to UTA this semester, architecture junior Adrian
Lipscombe founded a chapter of the institute for her junior college
in San Antonio. The institute is a nationwide organization that
stemmed from the professional group, American Institute of Architects.
When Lipscombe wanted to make the program available for students
at San Antonio College, she said she was met with skepticism from
several teachers because the university is only a two-year school.
Now their program is nationally recognized.
As president of the UTA chapter, she said she hopes to reach more
architecture students through the program and help them achieve
their goals.
“Lots of architecture students think they can graduate and
start designing, but that’s not always true,” she said.
“We try to help you ahead of time.”
According to Lipscombe, the organization provides opportunities
for students to interact with professional architects, firms and
professional representatives from across the country — many
of whom Lipscombe has contact with, including those in Dallas and
Fort Worth, as well as the national representative in Washington,
D.C.
Cha-Hyung Hunt, architecture junior and the institute’s vice
president, has been an active member of the organization since her
freshman year.
“It is very fortunate for me to have met her,” she said,
adding that after she found out Lipscombe had started the program
at her previous school, they began talking about UTA’s chapter.
“She started getting into events and programs she had done
with the program, and she had great ideas,” Hunt said. “I
begged her to join.”
Hunt said she hopes to see the member count go up and that it will
be beneficial to the students who do get involved because it looks
good on résumés and helps them in the long run.
“The main part of architecture is giving back to the community,”
she said.
Architecture Dean Donald Gatzke is a member of the professional
institute and said he believes Lipscombe will benefit the program.
“Adrian clearly has a strategy to energize the organization,”
he said. “She seems very focused and has fresh ideas. [I hope
they will be able to] expand the membership and use that to connect
students to the professional community of the Dallas/Fort Worth
area.”
According to Lipscombe, opportunities for students who join the
program will include lectures from professional members as well
as other professional architects, internships and FORUM, an annual
convention for the student organizations.
Lipscombe hopes to stay involved with these types of programs.
“I want to always be involved, and continue learning and experiencing,”
she said. “I want to be able to experience everything. Architecture
is so much more than building.”
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