Adrian Parr has been appointed dean of the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Arlington.
Parr is the UNESCO Chair on Water Access and Sustainability at the University of Cincinnati, where she serves as a political science professor and the director of the Taft Research Center for Humanities. She is also a Distinguished Fellow of the Global Center for Advanced Studies.
Parr holds a B.A. and M.A. in Philosophy and an M.A. in Politics from Australia’s Deakin University. She also holds a Ph.D. in philosophy and cultural studies from Australia’s Monash University.
She served as an adjunct professor at both institutions, as well as an assistant professor in Art History at Savannah College of Art and Design before joining the University of Cincinnati.
It was also announced that Parr’s husband, Michael Zaretsky, will join UTA’s Department of Civil Engineering in the College of Engineering. Zaretsky serves as director of the MetroLAB design/build initiative at the University of Cincinnati, and as associate dean of faculty affairs and curriculum in the Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning
Zaretsky holds a B.A. in Art History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Architecture from the University of Oregon in Eugene. He has been working as a licensed architect in California since 2003.
“The simultaneous addition of Parr and Zaretsky to our faculty, with their tremendous experience and expertise in the design and development of sustainable urban communities, will have a long-lasting impact on our ability to produce the next generation urbanists, architects, engineers and scientists,” UTA Provost Teik C. Lim said in the release.
“In partnership, these two leaders will help us build programs in new areas and areas where the University has existing expertise: infrastructure reliability, water management, city planning, built environment and architectural engineering,” Lim said.
According to the university, Parr’s international network, through UNESCO, will allow UTA to bring about new partnerships and grow programs, especially in the water resource management arena.
Additionally, the university hopes that Zaretsky’s experience with the Cincinnati MetroLAB design/build initiative will help UTA engage cities, nonprofits and businesses better in the development of the built environment.
“Adrian Parr and her husband Michael Zaretsky are highly-regarded leaders in the field who have pushed the boundaries of what it means to be an architect or urbanist,” architect and UTA alumnus Randy Gideon said in the release.
Gideon was involved in the search process for a new CAPPA dean.
“The Dallas-Fort Worth region will be enriched by their vision and experience developing smart, sustainable megacities, as well as their global networks through leadership roles in international organizations like UNESCO.”
In addition to his new role, Zaretsky will be tasked with leading the establishment of a new center at UTA focused on smart, sustainable megacities, which will bring together students and faculty from various UTA departments and disciplines.
“My experience in human-centered design, design/build and public-interest design fit well with the university’s strategic themes of sustainable urban communities and global environmental impact,” Zaretsky said. “I plan to work across the colleges as well as across UTA and the DFW communities to collaboratively focus on these critical initiatives.”