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Since inception of the Architecture and Environmental Design Program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) in 1987, Joy D. Swallow has served as its director. Her commitment, consistency, purpose and rigor have been largely responsible for the establishment and continuation of that vibrant partnership for the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design in the metropolitan Kansas City region.

Originally from Manhattan, Swallow elected to stay in her native area to pursue a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Kansas State University, which she received in 1980. After periods of practice with Bahr Vermeer and Haecker of Omaha, as well as with Arthur Cotton Moore of Washington, D.C., Swallow completed a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. She was then recruited by the UMKC administration and charged with the creation and management of the new program. One of only a handful of its type in the country, the highly successful two-year UMKC program in architecture and environmental design provides excellent preparation and seamless matriculation for Missouri residents planning for professional study at KSU in architecture, interior architecture, and landscape architecture.

In her present capacity, Swallow is responsible for developing faculty, curriculum, and courses, serving as an active long-distance participant in development of our College's first-year studio content. Swallow's teaching methods help her beginning students develop a visual vocabulary based upon direct observation of the environment around them. This visual literacy and critical thinking lead directly to problem solving and the integration of skills necessary for the creation of architectural sketches, drawings, models and presentations. In recruiting, advising and retaining bright, talented entry-level students, her mission as an educator has always been to give first consideration to her students and to carefully weigh decisions that affect and shape their education. She firmly believes that when students entrust themselves to a university and a program, that educational institution must demonstrate its commitment to nurturing and maintaining that trust. Through the creation of attractive, informative public relations documents and her ready willingness to exhibit student work and to expose her students to quality projects by other designers, Swallow not only articulates the pragmatic and philosophical grounding of the academic program to its various audiences but also develops important linkages between UMKC, KSU, the professional community, and the public. Swallow is a practicing architect, creating entries for competitions and commissions that inform her scholarship and strengthen her teaching.

A loyal KSU and College alumna, Swallow remains in close contact with our College, aiding its administrators in staying in touch with critical issues and activities in the Kansas City academic and professional communities and facilitating our use of Kansas City as a learning laboratory. She also maintains membership and holds leadership positions in such professional organizations as the Kansas City Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Society of Architectural Historians, the Chicago Architectural Atheneum, the Design Communications Association, and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture.

After giving life nearly ten years ago to a new initiative, Joy D. Swallow continues to serve environmental design education, research and service in metropolitan Kansas City and at the KSU College of Architecture, Planning, and Design. Her careful stewardship, balanced with excellent teaching, scholarship, and service to the program, the professional and at-large communities, and our College, makes her a most deserving nominee to receive a Kansas State University Distinguished Service Award.