A Conversation With ... Maurizio Sabini

You’ve practiced in Italy, Kenya, Austria and the U.S. What are some of the design differences between continents?
There are some common principles of design, but there are also three main factors of difference. One, obviously, is environmental. You always have to take into account the environment and physical conditions in which you design things. Those conditions can vary greatly. The second is technology. The materials and systems you use also vary greatly from place to place, and from economy to economy. Third is cultural. How you design a house for a family here is different than for a family in Kenya. You have to respond to the culture of the client and the culture at large. Even if it’s for a private client and not a public institution, any building adds to the landscape of the city.

You succeeded 12-year director Michael Buono in 2012. What led you to Drury?
I came to the U.S. in 2000 to focus full time on academic work. I worked at Kent State University for 12 years. Early on, I started taking on administrative responsibilities in addition to teaching, and I got interested in an administrative position. The school appealed to me because of the liberal arts aspect of the whole university. It aligns with my upbringing as an architect, and I think this approach has great potential for the future of the architecture profession.

How has the recession effected enrollment at Hammons School of Architecture at Drury University?
Total enrollment has ranged between 166 and 177 for the last three years and is currently at 171. The enrollment has been flat, but it’s slightly better than the national norm. I just returned from a national conference of architecture schools in San Francisco, where I was informed of a survey showing a decline of about 10 percent in student numbers for architecture schools nationwide during the last four years. The economy is the contributing factor. The hit the construction industry took isn’t easy to recover from. Recently, the industry has shown a rebound and in the last six months architecture firms across the country have shown the longest streak of billings increases. The Midwest is doing better than other regions across the nation, but the perception is still there and it will take some time to change.

You were the Kent State international studies coordinator 2007–2012. What do students learn from the study abroad process, and how do you hope to continue your efforts at Drury?
As director of the school of architecture at Drury, I will continue to push and sustain interaction on international settings. I strongly believe that it’s very important to our students. Architecture is increasingly a global profession. Architecture, especially in America, is centered around large firms and these firms tend to operate internationally. For students to have that international experience already is a plus on the job market. At the HAS, we do require a study abroad experience for every student to graduate. It can be fulfilled through the Drury Center in Greece for a whole semester or through an alternate five-week travel study abroad summer program.

According to school research and testing organization ACT, the 2012 completion rate for a bachelor’s degree from a four-year private college was just more than half, at 54.7 percent. What has Drury done to ensure student retention? What can be done in the future?
It’s a difficult challenge and on the top of the agenda for many universities. I think involvement of faculty through the academic life of the students is critical. At Drury, we have a good advising system, but certainly that can be improved. Speaking from the architecture perspective, the critical years are the first two. This is when the students have not officially declared an architecture major and we see the highest dropout rates. For architecture, the graduation rate ranges between 65 percent and 75 percent, when measured against freshmen enrollment. It is important to at least maintain an internal shifting across the university. If a student leaves architecture, we want them to join another area of study, not leave the university. It’s an overall effort that will have to involve every area of the university to make an impact.[[In-content Ad]]