Contact: Joelle Park
412-268-5765

For immediate release:
February 7, 2002

New Associate Dean in CFA

Martin Prekop, the Stanley and Marcia Gumberg Dean of the College of Fine Arts (CFA) announced the appointment of Luis Rico-Gutierrez from the School of Architecture as a new CFA Associate Dean. Barbara Anderson, the Bessie Anathan Professor of Drama, also serves as an Associate Dean in the College of Fine Arts.

"I'm pleased that Luis has agreed to these new responsibilities in CFA," said Prekop. "In the college, he has proven to have the initiative and the ingenuity necessary to produce results."

As Associate Dean, Rico-Gutierrez will advise students, represent CFA in college and university wide committees and events, assist with development initiatives and design new interdisciplinary programs for the college.

"I welcome the opportunity to increase multidisciplinary opportunities for our students," said Rico-Gutierrez.

Rico-Gutierrez champions the Carnegie Mellon philosophy to provide intensive professional learning experiences for students. In the School of Architecture's Urban Laboratory, his students consult with citizens, local and national governments, public agencies and businesses to design plans for improving the quality of city life. In recent years, his students have successfully worked with the communities of Oakland, East Liberty, Homestead, Hazelwood and the Hill District. In addition,

Rico-Gutierrez and the Urban Lab co-sponsor an interdisciplinary student project with the School of Architecture and the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management where fact-based strategies for Pittsburgh's Knowledge Triangle - an area from downtown Pittsburgh to Oakland - are being developed. The plan will be used for this area's urban revitalization.

Before coming to Carnegie Mellon, Rico-Gutierrez instructed students in Urban and Computer Aided Design at the Queretaro campus of Monterrey Tech. While teaching at Monterrey Tech, he also directed Carnegie Mellon's "Distance Studio," an innovative project where students from both institutions used cutting edge information technology to collaborate on design tasks.

Rico-Gutierrez joined the Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture faculty in 1996. He has a MA in Building Performance from Carnegie Mellon and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Computer Supported Collaborative Design. He has a BA in Architecture from Monterrey Tech University, Mexico and completed graduate studies in design and social housing at the Leoz Foundation in Madrid, Spain.

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