The University of Texas at Arlington has selected Ming-Han Li as the next dean of the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA).
Li will begin as CAPPA's dean on Aug. 1. He currently serves as director of the Michigan State University School of Planning, Design and Construction, a position he's held—along with professor—since 2018.
"Dr. Ming-Han Li will provide high-level leadership, a spirit of innovation and collaboration, and an increased tie to the professional world for UTA's College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs," said Tamara Brown, UTA provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. "He has Texas ties and brings a depth of experience in landscape architecture, urban and regional planning, and civil engineering. I believe the blend of architecture, landscape architecture, planning, construction engineering and use of natural resources he brings to UTA will expand CAPPA's palette of research and education prowess."
Li is a professional engineer and professional landscape architect in the state of Texas. He is also a certified planner.
Before his tenure at Michigan State, he was associate department head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning in the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University from 2011-2017. He also was a fellow of Texas A&M's Center for Health Systems and Design in the College of Architecture from 2014-2020.
Li said he is looking forward to joining UT Arlington, a first-rate urban research university.
"The University of Texas at Arlington is an academic and research university powerhouse," Li said. "I am excited and honored for this great opportunity to help propel the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs into the forefront of North Texas, the state and the nation."
Li earned a doctorate in urban and regional science and a master's degree in landscape architecture from Texas A&M, a master's degree in civil engineering from UT Austin, and a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering from National Taiwan University.
His research experience, teaching and background cover stormwater management, low-impact development, watershed planning and management, green infrastructure, roadside vegetation management and landscape architecture construction.
Li has served the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) in various positions including president and was a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Transportation Research Board Committee on Landscape and Environmental Design. In 2023, he received the Outstanding Administrator Award from CELA and in 2017 was bestowed a fellow of CELA. Li was named a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2019.
