Background Image Alternative Text: Mississippi State School of Architecture class of 2021 students stand wearing stoles on steps of Lee Hall
Background Image Alternative Text: Mississippi State School of Architecture class of 2021 students stand wearing stoles on steps of Lee Hall

School of Architecture Recognition Day 2021

Celebrating the class of 2021.

Recognition Day for the School of Architecture was held Thurs., April 29, 2021 in Bettersworth Auditorium in Lee Hall.

In order to hold a safe event and follow COVID-19 precautions, the abbreviated in-person event was limited to awards and honors for the the class of 2021, with the full list of awards below.

Mississippi State Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School Peter Ryan, Ph.D., presented the university welcome, and 2020 President of the American Institute of Architects Jane Frederick, FAIA, presented the 30th Annual Dr. William L. and Jean P. Giles Memorial Lecture.

Read the full story by Sasha Steinberg | Mississippi State University


2020-2021 Recognition Day Awards

Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society (TSD)

Chapter President: Brandon Burton
Faculty Advisors: Professor Hans Herrmann, Dr. Christopher S. Hunter

Tau Sigma Delta is the architectural (and allied programs) honor society open to top academic students in design disciplines. Induction does not occur until the student consistently demonstrates high academic standards and is in the third-year.

TSD Initiates:

Dia Baldwin, Natalie Bowers, Travis Bryan, Owen Hartness, Richard Hazel, Jacob Lindley, Drew Maxon, Lucas Murray, Rachel Nobles, Mary Oglesby, Molly Taylor, Alexis Windham, Jon Zeipen

TSD Fifth-Year Graduates:

Alex Dean, Mariah Green, Avery Harmon, Sarah Hoing, Madison Holbrook, Meredith Hutto, Will Jordan, Charlyn King, Danielle Leclercq, Bre Merchant, Matthew Murphy, Maria Ory, Duncan Thomas


National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS)

Chapter President: Jasmine Topps
Faculty Advisors: Dr. Christopher S. Hunter, Professor Silvina Lopez Barrera

National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) is the student arm of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). Students participating seek to enhance the educational experience of its members by fostering diversity within the School of Architecture and the community at-large.

The 2021 NOMAS Diversity Award

headshot of Annelise Sernich
Recipient: Annelise Sernich

Chosen by the NOMAS membership, the NOMAS Diversity Award is given to a
student who has shown outstanding initiative and leadership in promoting diversity within the School and the larger community.


First-Year Faculty Book Award

Studio Coordinator: Professor Silvina Lopez Barrera

Jamie Ferreras headshot
Recipient: Jamie Ferreras

Book: Formgiving. An Architectural Future History by Bjarke Ingels Group

Caeli Finch headshot
Recipient: Caeli Finch

Book: Formgiving. An Architectural Future History by Bjarke Ingels Group

This award is a book selected by the first-year faculty and is presented to a first-year student selected on the basis of ‘design excellence’.


Second-Year Faculty Book Award

Studio Coordinator: Professor John Poros

Lita Li headshot
Recipient: Lita Li

Book: Atmospheres by Peter Zumthor

This award is a book selected by the second-year faculty and is presented to a second-year student selected on the basis of ‘design excellence’.

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Third-Year Faculty Book Award

Studio Coordinator: Professor Alexis Gregory

Ashlen Davis headshot
Recipient: Ashlen Davis 

Book: Detail in Contemporary Concrete Architecture by David Phillips and Megumi Yamashita

will Russell headshot
Recipient: Will Russell

Book: Detail in Contemporary Concrete Architecture by David Phillips and Megumi Yamashita

This award is a book selected by the third-year faculty and is presented to a third-year student/s selected on the basis of ‘design excellence’.

Collaborative Studio PCI Foundation Award

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Hunter Allen (BCS)

Travis Bryan headshot
Travis Bryan
Jane Kent
Jane Kent 
Hamner McCrory headshot
Hamner McCrory (BCS)
will Russell headshot
Will Russell 
Cody Sanford poses for photo
Cody Sanford (BCS)

(no photo available)

Emerson Shinn (BCS)

Ruthie Southall headshot
Ruthie Southall

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Honorable Mention: Bo Allison (BCS)

headshot of Ashlen Davis
Honorable Mention: Ashlen Davis
headshot of Gizem Karsi
Honorable Mention: Gizem Karsi
headshot of Jacob Lindley
Honorable Mention: Jabob Lindley
Jack Ogletreeheadshot
Honorable Mention: Jack Ogletree (BCS)
C.J. Childers headshot
Honorable Mention: C.J. Childers
headshot of Conner Griffin
Honorable Mention: Conner Griffin 
headshot of Noah Heflin
Honorable Mention: Noah Heflin (BCS)
Luke Murray headshot
Honorable Mention: Luke Murray 

The award winners get a free trip to the PCI Convention in New Orleans May 18-22.


Fourth-Year Faculty Book Award

Studio Coordinator: Professor Jacob Gines

Dylan Setliff headshot
Recipient: Dylan Setliff

Book: Kengo Kuma: Complete Works by Kenneth Frampton

Swayze Rawlings headshot
Recipient: Swayze Rawlings

Book: Steven Holl by Robert McCarter

Jasmine Topps headshot
Recipient: Jasmine Topps

Book: Studio Gang: Architecture by Jeanne Gang

This award is a book selected by the fourth-year faculty and is presented to a fourth- year student/s selected on the basis of ‘design excellence’.


Mississippi Forestry Association Mass Timber Award

Drew Maxon headshot
First Place: Drew Maxon
Chester Mitchell headshot
Second Place: Chester Mitchell
headshot of Victoria Harrington
Third Place: Victoria Harrington

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Honorable Mention: Sam Carpenter

Matthew Churchill
Honorable Mention: Matthew Churchill
Swayze Rawlings headshot
Honorable Mention: Swayze Rawlings
Dylan Setliff headshot
Honorable Mention: Dylan Setliff

The Mississippi Forestry Association Mass Timber Awards are selected by MFA Executive Board Members to recognize exceptional and innovative uses of mass timber within the 4th-year capstone studio.


ARCC King Award

Elisa Castaneda headshot
Recipient: Elisa Castaneda

Named in honor of the late Jonathan King, co-founder and first president of the Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC), this award is presented to one student per ARCC-member school. Selection is made by the entire faculty based upon criteria that acknowledge innovation, integrity, and scholarship in architectural and/or environmental design research.   


Fifth-Year & Faculty/Staff Awards

Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society Faculty Book Award

Recipient: Dr. Kate Malaia
Recipient: Dr. Kate Malaia

The TSD Faculty/Staff Book Award is presented by the third- and fourth-year members to the faculty/staff member who has inspired them to excellence.


Alpha Rho Chi (APX)

Chapter President: Jane Kent
Faculty Advisor: Professor Jacob Gines

Alpha Rho Chi is the only national co-ed professional/social fraternity for architecture and the allied arts. MSU’s Hippodamus chapter includes members representing architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and engineering.

APX Student Book Award

Satchel Starling poses for photo
Recipient: Satchel Starling

The APX student book award is given to a graduating fifth-year active member who has furthered the mission of the fraternity through service.


American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS)

Chapter President: Victoria Harrington
Faculty Advisor: Professor Alexis Gregory

The American Institute of Architecture Students is the student counterpart of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The chapter works closely with professional architects in the state through the Mississippi Chapter of the AIA, who fund this award.

AIAS Member of the Year Book Award

McKenzie Johnson headshot
Recipient: McKenzie Johnson

The recipient of the AIAS Award is chosen by the AIAS membership. The qualifications for this award are:  “…that the student goes above and beyond what has been asked of him/her; has shown initiative and leadership qualities; has been
an AIAS leader within his/her year level; and does well academically.”


Director’s Award

Laura Mitchell headshot
Recipient: Laura Mitchell

This special award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the school through her work in admissions and advising.


Allen & Hoshall Faculty Award

Mark Vaughan headshot
Recipient: Professor Mark Vaughan

The architectural firm of Allen & Hoshall of Jackson, Mississippi, has established a $500 annual award to a faculty member “who has demonstrated excellence in teaching.” The award winner is selected by the fifth-year graduating class.


Fifth-Year Jurists’ Award

Studio Coordinator: Professor Mark Vaughan

Satchel Starling poses for photo
Recipient: Satchel Starling
Recipient: Duncan Thomas
Recipient: Duncan Thomas

The Jurists’ Award, a book award, is conferred by the fifth-year design faculty upon the student(s) who has achieved the greatest personal growth as a designer and whose work has contributed to the overall success of the fifth-year Design Studio.


Academic Achievement Award

Avery Harmon headshot
Recipient: Avery Harmon

The Academic Achievement Award is a book award presented to the graduating fifth-year student who has the highest cumulative MSU grade point average.


CDFL Capstone Studio Travel Award

Maria Ory headshot
First Place: Maria Ory, $1,000
Meredith Hutto poses in front of book shelf
Second Place: Meredith Hutto, $500

Funds from Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons Architects + Engineers (CDFL)’s $5,000 fifth-year, capstone studio sponsorship were used to support the studio in areas of need and provided support for prominent external project reviewers as well as two cash awards for student travel.


AIA Henry Adams Medal

Meredith Hutto poses in front of book shelf
Recipient: Meredith Hutto

Sponsored by the American Institute of Architects, the AIA Henry Adams Medal is considered the most important award given to graduating students. It is awarded for “general excellence in architecture” throughout the course of study. The medal is awarded to the most qualified student, and selection is made by the entire faculty.


Other Notable Student Awards, 2020-2021

Aydelott Travel Award

Jane Kent and Jacquelin Lee

A $2.4 million endowment – established by the late Alfred Lewis Aydelott, FAIA, and his wife, Hope Galloway Aydelott – provides a $20,000 award each year to four architecture students currently enrolled in the professional architecture degree programs at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; Auburn University; Mississippi State University; and the University of Tennessee. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year, two $10,000 awards were offered by each school for domestic travel.

Jane’s itenerary includes: John W. Olver Design Building in Amherst, Massachusetts; Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas; Hangar B at the Tillamook Air Museum in Tillamook, Oregon; and Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Her faculty mentor is Associate Professor Jacob Gines.

Jacquelin plans to visit and research: Trinity Church in Boston, Massachusetts; The Cobb Building in Seattle, Washington; The Colorado State Capitol in Denver, Colorado; and The Armory in Portland, Oregon. Her faculty mentor is Professor John Poros.


Trussell Travel Award

Natalie Bowers

The Trussell Travel Award (funded by alumnus Ted T. Porter) is awarded to the
runner-up of the Aydelott Travel Award. The award provides $5,000 for student travel.


National Concrete Masonry Association Unit Design Competition

“The Void” Team: Jack Harrell, Caya Perry, Ruthie Southall, Jon Zeipen

A team of four Mississippi State architecture students took second place in the 2020 NCMA competition. The meeting, originally scheduled to be held in Milwaukee, Wisc., was held virtually in early August due to the ongoing pandemic. Work was completed in the spring 2020 ARC 2723 Materials course under the guidance of Associate Professor Jacob Gines.


Mississippi State University Office of Research and Economic Development CAAD Undergrad Student Researcher of the Year

McKenzie Johnson

McKenzie Johnson was named 2020-2021 Mississippi State University Office of Research and Economic Development Undergraduate Student Researcher of the Year for the College of Architecture, Art and Design. McKenzie received the award for her research on ethics and empathy in architecture education. She was under the guidance of Associate Professor Alexis Gregory.


Method Studio Undergraduate Research Fellows

Fall 2020 and Spring 2021: Alysia Williams

Method Studio Research Fellows receive a stipend award and work on research during the semester for the Method Studio under the guidance of Associate Professor Jacob Gines.


Association for Retired Faculty (ARF) William L. Giles Award for Excellence in Architecture

Nada Abdel-Aziz

This $500 award was established in 1997 in honor and memory of William Lincoln Giles, a charter member of ARF. It is given each year to a student selected by the School of Architecture on the basis of academic excellence and overall leadership within the school. Funding for the award comes from a contribution by Ms. Hazel Presson, aunt of Ginger Giles Jones, Dr. Giles’ daughter.


Line Scale Form Student Design Capstone Award

Recipients: Nada Abdel-Aziz, Victoria Harrington, Joseph Thompson, Caley Watts
This $2,000 ($500 each) award is selected by an outside Jury Committee, including Bruce Herrington and Tim Nichols, to recognize exceptional design work among 4th-year students.


Fall 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium, First Place, Arts & Humanities Category

McKenzie Johnson

McKenzie’s project, “Ethical and Empathetic Research in Architectural Education,” was completed under the guidance of Associate Professor Alexis Gregory.


Spring 2021 Undergraduate Research Symposium, First Place, Community Engagement in the Arts & Humanities Category

McKenzie Johnson

McKenzie’s project, “Ethical and Empathetic Research in Architectural Education,” was completed under the guidance of Associate Professor Alexis Gregory.


Competitive Co-Ops

  • Alex D. Boyd, Belinda Stewart Architects in Eupora, Mississippi
  • James “Jim” T. Campbell, Davis Purdy in Meridian, Mississippi
  • Julvian L. Cattledge, Major Design Studio in Starkville, Mississippi
  • O’Ryan D. Hooker, JH&H Architects in Flowood, Mississippi
  • Myles K. Jeffries, Shapiro & Company in Memphis, Tennessee
  • Isaac L. Johnson, Durrell Design Group in Jackson, Mississippi
  • Kenan J. Morris, Durrell Design Group in Jackson, Mississippi
  • Spurgeon A. Sanders, Ike Kligerman Barkley in New York, New York
  • John D. Spraberry, Ike Kligerman Barkley in New York, New York

2021-2022 Scholarships

Acme Brick Company Annual Scholarship

  • ($2,000) Brandon Burton

Applicants must be: entering the fifth-year design studio in the School of Architecture; have a minimum grade point average of 3.0; be of good moral character; and have demonstrated leadership ability and strong overall academic performance.


Mockbee Hall & Drake Annual Scholarship

  • ($2,000 each) Audrey Eisner, Brandon Burton

Applicants must be: entering the fifth-year design studio in the School of Architecture; have a minimum grade point average of 3.0; be of good moral character; and have demonstrated leadership ability.


Shelia Renea Jackson Endowed Scholarship    

  • ($2,000) Chester Mitchell

Candidates must be entering the fifth-year in the School of Architecture at Mississippi State and be in good standing. Preference is given to female African-American students and to students with financial need.


Stephanie Mihojevich Pizzetta Annual Scholarship

  • ($1,500) Bryant Baugus

Candidates must be full-time students; have completed their second-year in the School of Architecture; have a minimum 3.0 GPA; and can demonstrate financial need.


Stephanie Mihojevich Pizzetta Endowed Scholarship

  • ($1,500 each) Philip Ladd, Abigail Stewart

Candidates must be full-time students; have completed their second-year in the School of Architecture; have a minimum 3.0 GPA; and can demonstrate financial need.


Eley Guild Hardy Architecture Endowed Scholarship

  • ($1,250) Noah Gomez

In May 2007, Taylor Guild III and David Hardy established this scholarship to assist talented students in their fifth-year of study in the architecture program.


Charles H. Dean, Jr. Annual Memorial Scholarship

  • ($1,000) Savannah Wilson

Any full-time MSU students in their third- through fifth-year of design studio may apply. Applicants must be Mississippi residents and can demonstrate financial need.


Lyndall Gail Wood Memorial Scholarship

  • ($1,000) Savannah Wilson

This scholarship was established by the Wood family to honor Lyndall Gail’s passion as an MSU architecture student. Applicants must be full-time students entering the fourth-year design studio in the School of Architecture, be in excellent academic standing with the university, and be a student with exceptional design ability.


Rowan Taylor Endowed Scholarship

  • ($1,000) Faith Troutt

Applicants must be entering the fifth year of architectural study within the school; have maintained a minimum MSU 3.0 GPA; have demonstrated exceptional design work and ability to achieve exceptional design; and have demonstrated financial need.


Silver Anniversary Endowed Scholarship

  • ($1,000 each) Tess Bruno, Anna Barnes, China Chandler, Charles Round, and Abby Williams

Candidates must be enrolled in the School of Architecture in the College of Architecture, Art and Design.


JJAJ Annual Scholarship   

  • ($500) Rashad Hassan

Established in 2019 by Jay and Jennifer Dorris, this scholarship is awarded to students in their third-, fourth-, or fifth-year of study in the School of Architecture at Mississippi State University. Students must demonstrate financial need and must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher.


JJAJ Endowed Scholarship   

  • ($500) CJ Childers

Established in 2019 by Jay and Jennifer Dorris, this scholarship is awarded to students in their third-, fourth-, or fifth-year of study in the School of Architecture at Mississippi State University. Students must demonstrate financial need and must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher.


Pryor & Morrow Annual Scholarship

  • ($500 each) Bryant Baugus, Mattie Johnson, Evelyn Ramirez, Skylar Sloan, Savannah Wilson

Any full-time MSU students in their second- through fifth-year of design studio may apply. Students must be Mississippi residents and can demonstrate financial need.


Primos Scholarship in Architecture

  • (software) Camille Bohannon, Mason Blair, Sara Boyte, Joshua Fuller, Lance Garcia

Applicants must be full-time MSU students entering the second-year design studio in the School of Architecture; and can demonstrate financial need.


Johnson-McAdams Design Discovery Scholarships

  • ($600) To Be Determined  

Applicants must be from Leflore County, or be an under-represented minority group in architecture; and high school students interested in a career in architecture and related disciplines.


MSU S|ARC Class of 2021

2021 Recognition Day Program

Class photo provided by Felipe Olvera.

Thursday, April 29, 2021 - 11:46 am

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