Scott Poole, FAIA
Dean Emeritus, Professor
John Scott Poole was appointed dean of the College of Architecture and Design in spring 2011 and stepped down to return to teaching in June 2021, when he was named Dean Emeritus by the University of Tennessee. During his tenure as dean, his primary strategic initiatives were to build collaborations and external partnerships, elevate the academic profile of the college鈥檚 students, and recruit and retain superior faculty members.
Over the course of his academic career, Poole鈥檚 primary scholarly and outreach contribution has been increasing the awareness of contemporary Nordic architecture. Through publications, lectures, exhibits, symposiums, conferences, study tours, professional continuing education, and academic exchanges, he has elevated appreciation and understanding of Nordic architecture within America and across the globe.
His book, The New Finnish Architecture, has been published in three languages and reprinted twice by Rizzoli International.
He has been a guest professor at the Royal Academy of Technology in Stockholm, the University of Texas, Austin, the University of Calgary, and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.
In 2012 and 2014 he was named one of the 25 Most Admired Educators in America by DesignIntelligence. He was elevated to Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2016 and was named a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council in 2021.
In support of his scholarship, he has received grants from the Fulbright Scholar Program, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, the American-Scandinavian Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Education
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Master of Architecture.,聽The University of Texas at Austin, 1983
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Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology, Temple University, 1973
Publications
- “Foreword: A Pursuit of Authentic Existence,” Rooted in Experience: An Encounter with Juhani Pallasmaa, 2019
- 鈥The Villa Mairea 1938-39,鈥 2017
- Foreword to聽Moving Tennessee Forward, Nashville Civic Design Center, Nashville, 2012
- 鈥Pumping Up: Digital Steroids and the Design Studio,鈥澛Material Matters, Routledge: London, 2007
- ,聽Kohlhammer, Berlin, 1993
- 鈥eong Mun Publishing, Seoul, 1993
- 鈥izzoli International, New York, 1992
Honors & Awards
Expertise & Interests
As a design teacher, scholar, and academic leader, Professor Poole has influenced the lives and professional careers of more than a thousand students. While at Virginia Tech, he taught more than 100 design studios and seminar courses, receiving both his college鈥檚聽Excellence in Teaching Award and its聽Professional Development Award. Students he taught and mentored have become prominent partners, principals, and leaders at award winning firms and top academic institutions in the U.S. and Europe.
As Director of Virginia Tech鈥檚 School of Architecture + Design (2004-2011), Poole forged new relationships between architectural education and the profession, advanced curricular innovation, and led initiatives that brought about long-term financial stability, including the addition of nearly $1M to the school鈥檚 annual budget. Moreover, during his administration, he sparked multi-disciplinary collaboration with the school being named a聽University Exemplary Program聽for its collaboration across disciplinary boundaries in 2007.
Through his leadership and guidance, Virginia Tech鈥檚 four design programs鈥撯揳rchitecture, landscape architecture, interior design and industrial design鈥撯揵ecame ranked in the top ten nationally 31 times during his 7+ years as school director.
In 2008, the undergraduate architecture program was ranked #1 in America, and in 2010 the undergraduate landscape architecture program was ranked #1. In 2009,聽DesignIntelligence聽recognized Virginia Tech鈥檚 School of Architecture + Design as one of聽America鈥檚 World-Class Schools of Architecture.
Poole鈥檚 study of the relationship between art and architecture led to his organization of symposia in Blacksburg, Virginia, in 1996 and 1998. Each two-day symposium鈥撯揳ttended by more than 400 students, academics, and professionals鈥撯揻eatured world-class artists and architects. The results led to publications supported by the Graham Foundation for Advanced Study in the Fine Arts.
Through this work, he was invited to lecture, lead workshops, and teach design studios at the Royal Academy of Technology in Stockholm, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture in Copenhagen.
