Auburn Landscape Architecture Celebrates 40 Years
The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (APLA) is pleased to recognize forty years of Landscape Architecture graduates with an anniversary celebration weekend on April 11–12, 2025.
Auburn’s current Landscape Architecture program was established within the then Department of Architecture with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) degree. Though an earlier Landscape Architecture program existed within Alabama Polytechnic Institute’s School of Agriculture from the 1930s through the 1950s, the first graduate of the modern BLA program earned their degree in 1982. In 1998, the program transitioned from the BLA to a Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) degree, phasing out the undergraduate program. For nearly 25 years, the MLA served as the only Landscape Architecture program in the state, educating hundreds of students and extending the program’s national and international presence in both practice and academia. In 2021, Auburn reintroduced the BLA, making this celebration especially meaningful as it coincides with the graduation of its first new class.
The weekend’s events will feature a keynote by Lauren Stimson, Principal of Massachusetts-based landscape architecture studio STIMSON, along with a panel discussion and student work exhibition on Friday, April 11. The panel, moderated by Landscape Architecture Assistant Professor Gwen Cohen, will bring together BLA and MLA alumni as well as faculty, including Richard Roark ‘01, Chief Purpose Officer and Partner at OLIN Studio; Jane Reed Ross ‘82, Senior Landscape Architect at Goodwyn Mills Cawood; and David Hill, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Founding Principal of HILLWORKS. These events, which highlight the programs’ legacy and future, are free and open to the public.
On Saturday, April 12, prior to Auburn’s A-Day game, a private alumni reception and guided tour of the Mary Olive Thomas Demonstration Forest will offer alumni and faculty a chance to reconnect, reflect on four decades of design excellence and explore the programs’ lasting impact.
To learn more, visit aub.ie/land40. For questions, please contact apla@auburn.edu.
The LAND40 celebration is generously sponsored by Goodwyn Mills Cawood.