After more than twenty years of service as founding chair of the UMass Amherst Department of Architecture, Professor Stephen Schreiber is stepping down from departmental leadership. Since arriving at UMass in 2005, after serving as Dean of the University of South Florida School of Architecture & Community Design, and previously Director of the Architecture Program at the University of New Mexico, Schreiber has guided the development of one of the region's most distinctive architecture programs. Under his leadership, what began as a BFA degree housed in the Art Department, has emerged as our own Department of Architecture offering the first public accredited Master of Architecture degree in New England and a robust BS in Architecture undergraduate major.
Drawing faculty expertise from across UMass Amherst and the Five Colleges, the department established an interdisciplinary model of undergraduate and graduate education that mirrors the collaborative nature of contemporary design practice. Today, UMass Architecture is recognized for integrating design, technology, planning, preservation, and community engagement into a comprehensive educational experience. The Master of Architecture program achieved initial accreditation in 2007 and subsequently earned successive accreditation terms (most recently an eight-year term granted in 2024), reflecting the program's academic excellence and continued advancement.
A central part of Schreiber's vision was expanding access to architectural education. The department has opened pathways into the profession for students from diverse backgrounds who might otherwise have been unable to pursue an architecture degree. Through community-based initiatives, including design programs for Springfield and Boston youth and partnerships focused on underserved communities, the department has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to public service and civic engagement.
Schreiber also played a leading role in the planning and realization of the award-winning Olver Design Building, which opened in 2017. Bringing together Architecture, Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning, and Building & Construction Technology, the facility has become a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration, research, making, and design innovation on campus.
Notably, the department has become a national leader in advancing gender equity within architectural education, with one of the highest percentages of female faculty and students among accredited architecture programs in the United States.
During Schreiber’s tenure, the department launched new academic programs and partnerships, including graduate study in historic preservation, dual-degree opportunities with Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, and the nationally recognized semester-long design/build collaboration with Yestermorrow. Schreiber also served as a co-principal investigator on a major Mellon Foundation grant that explored new connections between liberal arts education and professional practice.
In addition to contributing to countless initiatives in the department and on campus, Schreiber also advanced the discipline at a national level. He served as the President of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (2005-2006), President of Tau Sigma Delta national honor society (2009-2012), and Director of the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards (2017-2020). Most recently, he served as President of the National Architectural Accrediting Board (2023-2024).
Closer to home, Schreiber has always been a beloved professor, whose studio instruction has shaped many hundreds of students who had the pleasure of learning from him.
As Professor Ray Mann, who introduced Professor Schreiber as our faculty speaker at the department’s graduation celebration in May fondly remarked, “The problem with Steve, is that he makes it all look so easy, leaving us with the impression that an affable smile and a pun or two can get us anything—we realize that there is way more to it, and that Steve’s whip-smart mind and deft navigational skills represent a kind of soft power that we will aspire to but may not quite fully achieve.
Moreover, Steve’s love of architecture and defense of the discipline as invaluable purely unto itself without dilution is palpable and worthy. Steve, your leadership will be deeply missed, puns, stories and all, and especially your uncanny ability to remember names of students from years ago and knowing what they happen to be currently doing.”
Schreiber will continue teaching and research in the department and will also lead the development of a proposed 5-year Master of Architecture degree, which again will improve access to the profession.
Thank you Steve, for your leadership and many contributions to UMass Architecture, architectural education, and the profession.