[ First | Previous | Next | Last ]
Back to List

Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan and now residing in Kansas City, Daniel F. Musser always wanted to be an architect. Mr. Musser grew up in St. Joseph Missouri, and spent his freshman year at Missouri Western State University before transferring to K-State. He visited several architecture schools but chose K-State because the faculty seemed warm and welcoming. As a K-State architecture student, several professors, especially Walter Butke and Eugene Kremer, had a profound affect on Mr. Musser's education; they taught him about the craft of architecture as well as how to think methodically in solving problems. He received the Bachelor of Architecture in 1978.

Mr. Musser has had a highly successful and somewhat non-traditional career. After completing his internship in several Kansas City area architectural firms, he rose through the ranks to become a principal in a national architectural practice. He left this position to manage complex construction projects for a major corporate architectural client. During the past ten years, as principal and senior vice president for development services for Zimmer Real Estate Services, Mr. Musser has provided influential guidance on a number of large, high-profile developments in the Kansas City region.

Mr. Musser decided to focus on real estate and development because he felt he could have more affect on quality design and a greater impact on the built environment than he might have had working in amore conventional architectural role. Earlier in his career, Mr. Musser had worked as an architect for developer clients who tended to make critical early decisions that limited the range of creative solutions. As a generalist, accustomed to managing design projects, Mr. Musser realized the process of developing a project was not much different than managing its design. Even though he is some years removed from his education, he still relies every day on the skills he learned at K-State. He also credits his K-State experience with facilitating his admission to a competitive academic program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a Master of Science in Real Estate Development in 1989.

Mr. Musser has engaged the leadership skills honed during his career to support his alma mater. He currently serves as chair of the Department of Architecture Professional Advisory Board and is largely responsible for the resurrection of this important organization. Beginning in 2004, under his leadership, the board developed a vision and mission statement that called for the organization to take a proactive role in the life of the school, providing input on critical decisions and providing financial support for important initiatives. The board is now actively involved in the department's decision-making process, and is the major donor for Architecture Evening and other events that enhance students' experiences at K-State. Meanwhile, Mr. Musser has provided leadership to a number of civic and philanthropic organizations, including service as president of the Kansas City Architectural Foundation, which raises funds to provide scholarships to architecture students.

We are privileged to count Dan Musser among the alumni of our College of Architecture, Planning, and Design, and we are proud to nominate him to receive a Kansas State University Distinguished Service Award.