Wells takes helm as head of architecture department

Beginning his first semester as head of Texas A&M’s Department of Architecture, Ward Wells is focusing on the department’s Master of Architecture program.

“It’s the cornerstone of the department,” he said. “I’ll be looking at a number of different issues concerning the program, how to enhance it and maximize its standing in the public eye; I’m making a concentrated effort to look at the program’s curriculum, especially from a content standpoint.”

One strategy being considered for enhancing design education in the department, he said, is recruiting noted architects to lead design studios as visiting professors.

Wells said he’s also interested in expanding and enriching the department’s study abroad initiatives by creating more opportunities for students.

Since his initial August 2010 appointment as interim department head, Wells has overseen the planning and creation of the [Architecture Council for Excellence] (http://one.arch.tamu.edu/news/2011/12/6/arch-newcouncil/) , an elite group of department friends and former students who are committed to supporting and enhancing architecture program excellence, building relationships with students and bridging gaps between the academic and professional worlds.

“The formation of the council was announced just six weeks ago and we've had a very strong response,” said Wells, noting that the group’s first meeting is scheduled this April.

“The meeting will be an opportunity for former students to take ownership of the council, provide advice and counsel to the department and spearhead its development efforts,” said Wells.

Since taking the department’s reigns, Wells has also overseen major revisions in the bachelor of environmental design program that he believes were well received by practitioners and architecture graduate schools.

The department’s faculty and doctoral students, he said, will continue the tradition of disseminating groundbreaking new knowledge through research and scholarship.

Jorge Vanegas, dean of the College of Architecture, touted Wells’ leadership skills in a Dec. 22, 2011 statement announcing his appointment as department head.

“I believe that Wells’ extensive administrative experience will continue to be an asset for the department and the college, especially as the department continues on its current quest for excellence and impact in the three pillars of our academic mission: learning and teaching; research, creative work, and scholarship; and engagement through practice, outreach, and service,” said Vanegas.

Wells' administrative role at the college is a familiar one: from 1990 to 2001, he served as its executive associate dean, chiefly responsible for academic affairs, planning and administration of the college. He served as the college's interim dean from 1997-98.

A member of the College of Architecture faculty since 1977, Wells is credited with developing an interior architecture emphasis for the Master of Architecture program, recognized in 1985 by Interiors Magazine as one of the top interdisciplinary programs in the nation. During this period, students from his design studios won more than a dozen regional and national design competitions.

As a professor of architecture, his current teaching and research interests at the graduate level include architectural design, interior architecture/adaptive use and health facility design. He currently serves as a faculty fellow for the college's CRS Center for Leadership and Management in the Design and Construction Industry and the centers for Heritage Conservation and Health Systems & Design.

Wells also served as director of the Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts at Texas A&M, where he worked to enhance art initiatives, especially those that involve collaboration among different art programs within the university community.

As a member of the American Institute of Architects, Wells has served on the steering committee of the Professional Interest Area for Interiors and was the committee’s national chair in 1996. He has also served on a round table committee for the National Research Council's Research on Productivity in the Built Environment and as a reviewer for the National Science Foundation's "green" guideline reports.

In 2004 Wells was named an Alumni Fellow at Kansas State University for his distinguished achievement as an educator and designer and is a member of the Architecture Alumni Hall of Fame at the University of Oklahoma.
In 2008 he received the Silver Medal from Tau Sigma Delta, a national architecture honor society, and the Graduate Faculty Award from Texas A&M.

Wells has served on the board of the Brazos Valley Symphony and is currently on the design review board for the city of College Station.

He's also well into his third decade in the Gourmet Club of College Station, in which members enjoy dishes made by their fellow club members. During his spare time, Wells enjoys bass fishing and flyfishing.