IIT College of Architecture Dean Donna Robertson Elevated to AIA College of Fellows

Chicago, IL — March 3, 2006 —

Donna Robertson, Dean of the College of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology, was named this week among American Institute of Architects (AIA) members elevated to its prestigious College of Fellows, an honor awarded to members who have made significant contributions to the profession.

Robertson will receive her Fellowship medal during the Investiture of Fellows Ceremony at the AIA 2006 National Convention and Design Expo in Los Angeles. The Investiture Ceremony will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, June 9, 2006, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by architect Frank Gehry, FAIA.

"It is very gratifying that the AIA’s national standards for premier professionalism recognize the importance of education to architecture,” said Robertson.

The Fellowship program was developed to elevate those architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession. Election to fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of architects as individuals, but also their significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level.

Out of a total AIA membership of nearly 78,000, there are fewer than 2,500 distinguished with the honor of fellowship. The elevation to fellowship is conferred on architects with at least 10 years of membership in the AIA who have made significant contributions in one or more of the following nomination categories:

Promoted the aesthetic, scientific, and practical efficiency of the profession

Advanced the science and art of planning and building by advancing the standards of architectural education, training and practice

Coordinated the building industry and the profession of architecture through leadership in the AIA and other related professional organizations

Advanced the living standards of people through an improved environment

Made the profession of ever-increasing service to society

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting technological university awarding degrees in the sciences, mathematics and engineering, as well as architecture, psychology, design, business and law. IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum prepares the university’s 6,200 students for leadership roles in an increasingly complex and culturally diverse global workplace.