Infomaniacs: September 29, 2010 (5of6)

Texas A&M announces its next dean of the college of architecture and three finalists for vice president of student affairs (VPSA). The new dean comes from the University of Florida. Dr. Lingqian (Ivy) Hu currently serves as chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and associate director of Florida’s school of landscape architecture and planning. She starts at A&M July 1. The VPSA finalists includes two who have worked in the division and have degrees from A&M. They are the president at the College of Southern Nevada Bill Kibler and Texas State’s v-p of student success Cynthia Hernandez. The third finalist is the University of British Columbia vice president of students Ainsley Carry. Each of the finalists will be on campus to meet with students and employees and be interviewed by the university’s executive leadership team, student leaders, and the division’s leadership and staff. Click HERE to be directed to the A&M website with additional information about the VPSA finalists, their resumes, and when they will visit the A&M campus. Texas A&M news release on the naming of the new dean of the college of architecture: Texas A&M University is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lingqian (Ivy) Hu as the next dean of the College of Architecture, effective July 1, 2025. Dr. Hu currently serves as chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and associate director of the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning at the University of Florida’s College of Design, Construction and Planning. She joined UF in 2022 as a professor in Urban and Regional Planning and brings with her a distinguished career in research, teaching and academic leadership. An expert in the intersection of transportation and land use, Hu’s research has significantly advanced the understanding of how planning and policy can promote economic prosperity, environmental sustainability and public health. She has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed articles in leading urban planning and transportation journals and has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on research projects totaling over $5.2 million in funding, supported by the National Science Foundation and other major agencies. Hu serves as co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Planning Education and Research and associate editor of Transportation Research Part D. Prior to her tenure at the University of Florida, she held the position of professor and chair of the Urban Planning Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Hu holds a Ph.D. in Policy, Planning and Development and a master’s in planning from the University of Southern California, as well as a bachelor’s degree in planning from Nanjing University. She also brings valuable practical experience from her previous roles as a planner with the Southern California Association of Governments and the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design. Texas A&M University welcomes Hu to the Aggie community and congratulates her on her appointment. Her visionary leadership and commitment to excellence are poised to elevate the College of Architecture during a time of tremendous opportunity and growth.

The federal government has pulled its financial support of the proposed bullet train between Houston and Dallas with a stop east of Bryan/College Station. A news release from the U.S. department of transportation says the project cost is now believed to be over $40 billion dollars, making construction unrealistic and a risky venture for taxpayers. Not giving Amtrak almost $64 million dollars for the Texas Central Railway project, according to the news release, allows Amtrak to focus on necessary improvements on current routes. The news release quotes that the federal transportation secretary and Amtrak are in agreement that “underwriting this project is a waste of taxpayer funds and a distraction from Amtrak’s core mission of improving its existing subpar services.” Transportation secretary Sean Duffy said “if the private sector believes this project is feasible, they should carry the pre-construction work forward, rather than relying on Amtrak and the American taxpayer to bail them out.”

Almost three months after Blinn College opened their new Bryan campus administration and support services building, trustees move forward with another $100 million dollars in construction projects. Trustees voted 4-3 to approve selected the administration’s recommendation for construction manager at risk (CMAR) for a nearly $30 million dollar sports complex on the Brenham campus, consisting of a fieldhouse, a soccer field, a softball field, a football practice field, space for intramurals, and parking. The trustee’s newest member, retired Blinn facilities director Richard O’Malley, failed in his attempt to delay a vote until getting more information about the process of reviewing nine proposals. Joining O’Malley were retired Blinn vice president Dennis Crowson and Diane Kettler. Voting for the administration’s recommendation were chairman Jim Kolkhorst, vice chair Allison Bentke, secretary Randy Wells, and Rebecca Ehlert. The location of the sports complex is south of the Brenham campus, behind car dealerships on the north side of Highway 290. Crowson questioned why public access is through a Blinn apartment complex instead of entering off of 290. Blinn’s current facilities director Mark Feldhake said that could be part of a traffic impact analysis that has yet to be done. Click HERE to read and download background information about Blinn’s future athletic complex in Brenham. And a unanimous vote to select the construction manager at risk for a $68 million dollar building near Waller came after administrators fielded questions about why the first building at their newest branch campus was about academics instead of focusing on workforce training. Executive vice chancellor Leighton Schubert said Blinn is experiencing a high demand for workforce training at employer’s sites. Click HERE to read and download background information about Blinn’s academic building project near Waller. Click below to hear comments from the April 8, 2025 Blinn College trustees meeting. Listen to “Blinn College trustees select construction managers of two multimillion dollar projects following considerable discussion” on Spreaker.