From the Desk of AIA President Evelyn Lee – The American Institute of Architects
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From the Desk of AIA President Evelyn Lee
What you need to know about the Department of Education’s new rule excluding Architects from the definition of “professionals.”
The DOE is undermining the future of architecture. Here’s how we fight back.
Dear AIA Members,
I am writing to you today about an action by the U.S. Department of Education that poses a threat to the reputational and financial future of our profession. The Department has proposed new rules for federal student lending that exclude architecture from its list of “professional degrees.”
This is not a bureaucratic reclassification; it is a fundamental misunderstanding of who we are and what we do that has real-world consequences for those pursuing advanced degrees in architecture.
While most architecture students complete accredited undergraduate degrees, those who pursue a master’s degree—as many do to advance in practice or specialize—will be directly harmed. Under the Department’s proposal, students enrolled in these graduate programs would be subject to significantly lower federal borrowing limits, capped at $20,500 per year. If a Master’s in Architecture were classified as a professional degree under this policy, that limit would be $50,000 per year.
For students attending schools where tuition far exceeds the cap of $20,500 per year, this change would place the burden of financing their education squarely on private loans and personal debt.
Strengthening the business of architecture has been one of my areas of focus this year. For too long, architecture has been seen as an occupation of passion rather than a profession that creates real value. The DOE proposal will not correct that perception. There are already too few licensed architects to meet our nation’s needs, and this policy will only make it harder for talented individuals to choose architecture as their career. Fewer architects graduating from professional programs will increasingly cause a bottleneck for architecture firms looking to hire.
The progress we have fought so hard for—to build a profession that is more reflective of the diverse society we serve—will undoubtedly be diminished. We must not let that happen.
Continue/Read Original Article Here: From the Desk of AIA President Evelyn Lee | The American Institute of Architects
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