Igor Marjanović has been reappointed as the William Ward Watkin Dean of the Rice School of Architecture, effective July 1, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Amy Dittmar announced today.
Since his arrival in 2021, Marjanović has led the school through a period of dynamic growth, launching new academic and research initiatives, expanding student opportunities, recruiting new faculty and opening award-winning facilities that have elevated the school’s global visibility.
“Under Igor’s leadership, the Rice School of Architecture has continued to flourish as a hub of creativity, scholarship and community engagement,” Dittmar said. “He has worked with faculty, staff and students to create a shared vision for educating architects as agile practitioners and public intellectuals who design for a changing world. His inclusive and strategic approach has strengthened every facet of the school.”
During his first term, Marjanović partnered with the Office of Research to launch the Architecture Research Fellowships, supporting major scholarly projects and advancing the role of design research in building thriving, sustainable urban communities — key pillars of Rice’s Momentous strategic plan. Faculty members also received support from the Scholarly and Creative Works Subvention Fund for numerous projects that expanded the school’s research profile.
Marjanović has overseen significant faculty growth, recruiting more than 30% of the school’s tenured and tenure-track professors and an entirely new cohort of professors in the practice. He created new tenure-track lines — the first in decades — spanning design, history and building science, while also expanding staff support and student-focused roles.
He also led a major curriculum transformation, empowering faculty to design a new studio sequence addressing contemporary social and environmental challenges. The introduction of Research Platforms provided a new capstone experience for all students and helped earn the school high praise in its most recent National Architectural Accrediting Board review for its strength of culture, vision and leadership.
“I am honored to continue in my role as dean and I thank the entire school community for their trust and support. The school is a collective project and our successes are shared,” Marjanović said. “I look forward to our continued work together as we advance not only a single school, university, or a city, but the world at large.”
In 2024, the school celebrated the opening of William T. Cannady Hall and the renovation of its historic home, MD Anderson Hall — projects that won design awards and were featured in architectural publications worldwide. Marjanović also established Exhibitions at Rice, a new curatorial program that uses the gallery spaces of Cannady Hall to engage local and global audiences. The school’s exhibitions have traveled internationally and inspired initiatives such as Sphere, an annual publication exploring design research worldwide, and a new visual identity developed by Amsterdam studio Experimental Jetset.
Through the Global Workshops initiative, students have joined faculty research efforts from Mexico to Singapore to Japan. Under Marjanović’s leadership, the Rice School of Architecture Paris marked its 20th anniversary in 2022 with major alumni events and symposia.
Beyond academics, Marjanović is a dedicated advocate for design excellence across campus as a member of the Building and Grounds Committee and an active partner in the Houston community. He has supported the Rice Civic Forum and forged new collaborations with organizations such as the Menil Collection and the American Institute of Architects (AIA), earning the AIA Houston Chapter’s Presidential Citation Award in 2024.
The school has also strengthened its alumni engagement and philanthropy under Marjanović’s tenure, with new members joining the William Ward Watkin Council and the creation of the school’s Alumni Award and Dean’s Medal recognizing exceptional supporters.
“Rice is fortunate to have Igor’s vision and dedication as we look to the future of architecture education,” Dittmar said. “His commitment to design excellence, research innovation and community engagement continues to strengthen the school’s standing among the world’s leading architecture programs.”