Lisa Tucker receives 2013 Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching
Lisa Tucker, associate professor in the School of Architecture + Design in Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies, has received the university's 2013 Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Created in 1982 by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching is presented to two Virginia Tech faculty members each year. Recipients are selected by the university’s Academy of Teaching Excellence from among those faculty members who have received Certificates of Teaching Excellence from their respective colleges in the preceding three years. Each recipient is awarded $2,000 and is inducted into the Academy of Teaching Excellence.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 2007, Tucker was recognized for her dedication to teaching and service to the school and the profession.
Tucker’s teaching evaluations are always among the highest in the school.
“Her range as a teacher and a scholar allows her to expertly cover knowledge of highly technical subjects related to the interior design profession, such as building technology and sustainability,” said William Galloway, associate professor and director of the school.
Tucker has served as a graduate thesis advisor and undergraduate capstone project advisor for dozens of interior design students. Since 2009, more than 20 of her students have received awards in national and international design competitions.
“I think her ability to relate to me as a student, designer, and just as a person has really built up my confidence and strengthened my dedication to this program,” one student wrote. “Under Dr. Tucker’s leadership, I feel really respected and cared for as a student and not judged.”
While maintaining a high teaching load, Tucker also chairs the Interior Design Program, serving as the primary academic advisor for all of the program’s students. She is also active in national academic and professional organizations, serving as the current president of the Interior Design Educators Council.
Her numerous teaching awards include the New Faculty Teaching Award from the school in 2008, the Teaching Excellence Award from the college in 2009, a Certificate of Teaching Excellence in 2011. In 2010, Tucker was named by the Design Futures Council as one of the most admired and respected educators in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, industrial design, and interior design in the United States and Canada.
Virginia Tech’s Interior Design Program consistently ranks in the top 10 in the nation.
Tucker earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, as well as a certificate of historic preservation, from the University of Virginia, and she received her Ph.D. from the University of Missouri.
Written by Catherine Doss.
