A message from the URP interim department chair
As Fall 2021 closes, Dr. Frank summarizes the URP Department news.
Interim Dept. Chair Dr. Kathryn Frank and URP students at the 2021 APA Florida Conference in Miami.
December 15, 2021
Dear Friends,
We are excited to launch the UF Department of Urban and Regional Planning newsletter! We have much to share with everyone. Our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and supporters are tremendously active in delivering the best teaching, research, and service to the profession, communities, and the academy. We are, in essence, shaping the PLANet! We’ll publish the newsletter once a semester, which we hope you will generously forward as we build our recipient list, and we welcome your submissions of alumni and partner news.
Through the newsletter you’ll see that the URP Gator Nation is quite large and growing. Our students, faculty, and alumni are engaging communities, conducting studies, producing results, and winning awards. Our enrollment has grown dramatically as we have the first and only accredited Master of Urban and Regional Planning with a fully online delivery option. Academic innovations also include a recently established MURP student professional mentoring program and a graduate certificate in urban analytics. Additionally, our participation in the College’s PhD Program is strong, and we continue to introduce undergraduates across the university to the planning field. We’ve welcomed new faculty and staff, for URP and collegewide programs, and we have posted a few open faculty positions, including for Department Chair and an Assistant/Associate Professor with expertise in artificial intelligence (AI). In this semester alone, our faculty and research centers announced three books and over a dozen scholarly articles, and we’ve led millions of dollars in grants from state and federal sources, including several from the National Science Foundation. Our service to the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning was enhanced by the election of URP Professor Kristin Larsen as Secretary of their Executive Committee. And, our professional Advisory Council is enthusiastically supporting the Department with new initiatives to enhance our resources, adapt to changing times, and reinforce our values, including diversity, equity, and inclusion. As you see, we’re bursting at the seams with what to report in this first newsletter.
As 2021 closes, we reflect on the challenges, including the ongoing pandemic and pressing needs of social equity, environmental protection, and resilience. Sadly, we said goodbye to Professor Emeritus Earl Starnes, who helped found the URP Department 45 years ago.
Looking forward, we embrace the challenges as opportunities to apply our strengths in service to students, partners, and the public good. We derive meaning and mission from our incredible people and the planning field, and we are proud to be a part of the Top 5(!) University of Florida. We welcome the call to lead the future, and we can’t wait to go on this journey with you. Happy Holidays and New Year!
Interim Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning
Acting Director, School of Landscape Architecture and Planning
College of Design, Construction and Planning
University of Florida