A&AA is saying farewell this month to Frances Bronet who served as Dean of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts from 2005 until August 2014 when she was appointed Acting Senior Vice President and Provost at the UO. 

Her next position will take her away from Oregon. Bronet has accepted the post of provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois. Brook Muller will serve as A&AA Interim Dean. 

“A&AA is so much the better because of Frances’ tenure here; you can see the legacy of her leadership all around,” Interim Dean Muller said.

Frances Bronet instilled a renewed desire for cross-disciplinary education and collaboration across the school’s ten academic programs. She pushed innovation and collaboration to the forefront of the school’s mission. For her, moving seamlessly across disciplinary domains is the essence of education. 

Building partnerships was her way of inspiring innovative solutions to the challenges of the 21st century. She encouraged the UO and the school to seek new models for hybrid programs, infrastructure, and enterprises that would meld the university with the public and global community.

“Frances has brought collaborative spirit, visibility, compassion, rigor, energy, and vibrancy to our learning community,” Muller says. “She has invigorated us all and renewed our commitment to the extraordinary culture we call A&AA. In every corner of this school, her impact can be felt.”

As Dean, Bronet guided the establishment of the Product Design Program and the Sustainable Cities Initiative. During her tenure, the school expanded its presence in Portland as it moved into the new White Stag Block in Old Town. Under Frances’s leadership, the school improved its national rankings across many disciplines—architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, planning, and art.  

Bronet guided the early stages of planning for improved facilities for the school. She initiated a visioning process as a method to explore new modes of teaching, identification of disciplinary strengths and new educational opportunities, and cross-disciplinary collaborations. In 2010-11 and under her guidance, UO hired the firm, Bruce Mau Design, to facilitate a set of workshops and design strategies to be used in formulating the shared vision for a new A&AA facility. The Mau work continues to serve as an important framework for discussion of principles for a new 21st century learning environment for the school.

She was always an advocate for social justice and civic responsibility projects and encouraged student organizations and faculty-led studio projects that met this goal. The work of OregonBILDs, designBridge, HOPES, and numerous studio and classroom projects demonstrates the school’s commitment to innovation in education, research, and public service.

In her honor, the Frances Bronet Innovation Fund has now been established at the UO Foundation. The new fund will support start-up resources and awards to students, faculty members, and collaborative groups to share ideas and test new ones. Impacts from the Frances Bronet Innovation Fund may include new degrees, interdisciplinary courses, experimental studios, collaborative research projects, cross-disciplinary programs, and more.

Donations can be made online. Gifts from alumni, professionals, students, parents, and friends of the school will ensure that A&AA continues to lead as Frances Bronet has led. It is a fitting tribute to an admired educator and leader.