Steven Fong, dean of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, announced Tuesday that he wants to move the graduate program in architecture to the Cleveland Urban Design Center in Cleveland.

“We’d like to move the architecture component to Cleveland,” Fong said, “but whether it’s the entire program, that remains to be seen.”

The architecture program already offers several classes at the Cleveland Urban Design Center, all of which have been well received, Fong said.

“I would think that well over 90 percent of graduates end up working in urban design areas and most of them Cleveland,” Fong said. “In general, moving puts us closer to major sources of employment for students.”

Fong said there is no timetable for the move, and the intentions of moving have to do with rallying Kent State’s architecture alumni. The college is currently looking to some alumni for guidance and advice on how to successfully relocate the program. The college also is relying on alumni for financial support.

Cleveland’s professional community would offer students the opportunity to work with design professionals and real-world situations.

“It allows us to better fulfill our goal of being an important design center in the Cleveland area,” Fong said. “We think it would be a fascinating thing to consider this kind of move.”

– Shauna Stottsberry