O’More College of Design Plans to Offer Architecture Degrees

O’More College of Design on Monday announced plans to establish undergraduate and graduate programs in architecture, the first ever to be offered by an institution of higher learning in Middle Tennessee.

The college, which currently offers four-year undergraduate degrees in fashion, fashion marketing, graphic design and interior design, is creating the architecture program to infuse needed talent into the burgeoning building and design environment in Middle Tennessee.

The architecture program will be located in a yet-to-be-determined location in Nashville, marking O’More’s first expansion beyond its Franklin campus. It will launch with a post-professional degree in architecture in the fall of 2017, followed by a four-year undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture, and then the first professional degree in two to three years.

“As a leading design school, our responsibility is to nurture our students to enable them to elevate the world through beautiful, purposeful design upon graduation,” said O’More President Dr. David Rosen. “Perhaps one of the most obvious ways to have an impact on the aesthetics and historic preservation of a community is through architecture, so it is a natural progression for us to implement a program in this field. Architecture is about improving the local condition, and it is the duty of our school to continually enhance the environment in which we live.”

To lay the groundwork for the program, O’More has established a formation board of 16 locally and nationally renowned leaders in architecture and design. The board, which held its inaugural meeting in the summer, brings together a diverse group of leaders in design and architecture who share the goal of creating a world-class program in Tennessee. Board members are:

· James Bearden, Chief Executive Officer, Gresham, Smith and Partners
· Gary Gaston, Executive Director, Nashville Civic Design Center; Lecturer, University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design
· Hunter Gee, Principal, Smith Gee Studio
· Kem Hinton, Principal and Founding Partner, Tuck-Hinton Architects
· Linda Marzialo, President and CEO, Gould Turner Group; President, American Institute of Architects Middle Tennessee Board of Directors
· Todd Robinson, Executive Vice President and Principal, Earl Swensson Associates Inc.
· Scott Marble, Founding Partner, Marble Fairbanks Architects; Professor and Chair, Georgia Tech School of Architecture
· Scott Chambers, President, Nashville Civic Design Center Board of Directors; Real Estate Developer
· Thom Meek, Director of Interior Architecture, IDS/Dekalb Inc.; Vice President of Design, GHP Environmental + Architecture
· David Proffitt, Director of Facility Planning and Construction, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools
· Leonard Folgarait, Professor, Vanderbilt University Department of History of Art
· Dr. David Rosen, President, O’More College of Design
· Kulapat Yantrasast, Founding Partner and Creative Director, wHY
· Kelly Gore, Professor of Practice, O’More College of Design Department of Interior Design
· Vic Liptak, Higher Education Consultant
· Morgan Brown, Project Manager, Southeast Venture

“The combined experience and expertise of these esteemed individuals will be vital as we establish Middle Tennessee’s first program in architecture. With this group at the helm, I have no doubt that we will emerge with a program that rivals the best in the nation,” Rosen added.

The formation board is currently developing the specifics of the program and will begin construction of curriculum prior to seeking accreditation.

To learn more, visit www.omorecollege.edu.