School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture faculty recognized for teaching excellence

TEMPE, Ariz. – The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) awarded Thomas J. Morton, assistant professor in the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, with one of three New Faculty Teaching Awards for 2008–09. The New Faculty Teaching Award is given jointly by ACSA and AIAS and recognizes demonstrated excellence in teaching performance during the formative years of an architectural teaching career. An awards ceremony, including a visual presentation of Tom's accomplishments, will be showcased at a plenary session during the ACSA 97th annual meeting, March 26–29, 2009 held in Portland, Ore.

Morton specializes in the architecture and urbanism of the Roman Empire and has conducted archaeological fieldwork in Cathage, Tunisia, on the island of Jerba in Tunisia, and at Villa Magna, Italy. He is well known to his students and colleagues for bringing this ancient civilization's ideas to life for his Architectural History courses. During the meetings of the Roman Senate that he conducts in the college's public space, Red Square, students stand at the center and convince their fellow students of the logic of their arguments. And as seen above, his tower building/team building are challenging but lively exercises about space and balance. It is these creative, engaging teaching sessions that have won Morton the recognition that is so well deserved.

Each year, the ACSA honors excellence and distinguished achievement in architectural education, in recognition of those who embody these qualities and have advanced the art and science of the field. These award-winning professors inspire and challenge students, contribute to the profession's knowledge base, and extend their work beyond the borders of academia into practice and the public sector.

The School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University offers a holistic approach to design, blending teaching and research in a forward-thinking environment. Our more than 1,600 students are challenged to think creatively about architecture, industrial design, interior design, landscape architecture, urban design and visual communications design. The school also houses InnovationSpace, a transdisciplinary research and educational laboratory that unites design, business and engineering. Phoenix and the Southwestern desert’s extreme environmental conditions provide an innovative laboratory for teaching and applied research. To learn more, visit:http://sala.asu.edu.

Media Contact:
Wendy Craft 
Media Relations
ASU Herberger Institute
480.965.0478
wendy.craft@asu.edu