college news

what's happening in the college

CTD Faculty Named Outstanding Educator

6/1/2020

ASID Alabama announced that the 2020 recipient of the Dr. Mary Ann Potter Outstanding Educator Award is CHES instructor, Mr. John Peaslee, ASID, RID. In addition to teaching at the university for 25 years, Peaslee has also served on the Alabama Board for Registered Interior Designers and as Regional Chair for the Interior Design Educator's Council.

Most recently, he served as the Faculty Advisor for the ASID Student Chapter at The University of Alabama where his encouragement and guidance led the chapter to new heights of achievement and participation. ASID Alabama noted that Peaslee is a dedicated advocate for the profession and, above all, a friend.

The entire ASID Alabama Board of Directors and the state Chapter are grateful to Peaslee and say he has been and will continue to be one of their heroes. We at CHES join ASID Alabama in congratulating Mr. John Peaslee on this great honor!

The annual Dr. Mary Ann Potter Educator Award honors the educator in our state who has shown outstanding and significant contributions to interior design education and/or the Alabama ASID chapter. The award recognizes educators who have promoted interior design professionalism within their respective programs.

Students Light it UP

3/19/2019

Interior design instructors know how important lighting is to any project. They gave students an opportunity to learn from the ground up by creating their own unique fixtures. Their creations range from fun and whimsical to hard and angular and everything in between. What a fun project and a great hands-on learning experience!

Lessons on transforming an old space

11/28/2018

Lots of hard work, some outdoors at the height of a hot Alabama summer, went into a design project for seniors taking CTD 425 Advanced Residential Design. As part of a semester-long project, instructors had interior design students measure Tuscaloosa’s historic Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion from top to bottom and inside and out. Once done with that, they were tasked with creating a concept for the house, uses for each space and detailed designs for several rooms.

From music schools to private residences, each design was unique and expressed the creativity of the individual student.

The class culminates with Critique Week when students make mock client presentations in front of a panel of experts. The project represents a large part of their grade for CTD 425. More importantly, each student receives thoughtful suggestions from experienced professionals that will help them to perfect designs for their portfolios.

Another example of experiential learning that prepares HES students for success after graduation.

HES DESIGNERS HAD THE EDGE OVER THE COMPETITION AT STATE-WIDE ASID STUDENT CONTEST

9/10/2018

Four interior design students from UA stole the show at the 2018 Daisy Bond Student Design Awards on Friday, Sept.7. Claire Gustafson, Sara Onks, Carly Roberts and Logan Glover won 12 of the coveted awards at the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Alabama chapter Impact Celebration in Birmingham.

The celebration was the culmination of a day-long conference that included a product exhibition, educational CEUs in which students participated, a keynote address by Jennifer Quail, Editor-in-Chief of i+D Magazine and a social media talk for students and emerging professionals. Students also had portfolio time to meet with professionals and receive feedback. ASID student chapter faculty advisor, John Peaslee, and instructor, Casey Faulkner, shared the conference experience with HES students.

Congratulations to our hard-working, talented students!

Claire Gustafson (graduate)
- Best of Show
- 1st Place – Design Concept Residential
- 1st Place – Rendering Computer Generated
- 1st Place – Rendering Hand Drawn
- 2nd Place – 3-D Visualization
Sarah Onks (graduate)
- 1st Place – 3-D Visualization
- 3rd Place – Rendering Computer Generated
Carly Roberts (senior)
- 1st Place – Design Concept Commercial
- 3rd Place – Product Design
Logan Glover (junior)
- 3rd Place – Rendering Hand Drawn
- 3rd Place – Design Concept Commercial
- 3rd Place – Design Concept Residential

Check out their prize winning work in the Winners’ Gallery on the Alabama Chapter of ASID’s website.

Interior Design Students Share Italian Learning Experience

8/27/2018

After a summer study abroad trip, interior design students gathered at the start of the new semester to share what they learned and how well they dined while in Italy.
The group spent the morning in Doster’s Food Lab preparing Italian dishes and getting a lesson on how to make homemade tortellini from Dr. Mary Kay Meyer.
While sharing culinary creations with HES faculty and staff members, they described their experience learning about Italy’s contemporary and timeless interiors and world famous landmarks.
Eighteen students made the trip along with faculty members, Casey Faulkner and Michelle Rose. Base camp was the Santa Reparata International School of Art (SRISA) in Florence but the trip also included stops in Milan, Venice, Portovenere, San Gimignano, Pisa, Chianti and Rome.