Laura A. Cruickshank is the School of Architecture & Planning's featured speaker at its convocation ceremony scheduled for Saturday, May 14, at 4 p.m. in Popejoy Hall on The University of New Mexico main campus.
A UNM alumna (masters of architecture, 1980), Cruickshank, a Fellow of the American Institute for Architects (FAIA), is currently the master planner and chief architect at the University of Connecticut for its main campus and regional campuses. Since her arrival at UConn, she formulated a $2 billion capital improvement plan, initiated a master plan and reorganized the departments under her purview. She is a member of the president’s cabinet and an administrative officer.
Prior to her arrival at UConn, Cruickshank served as the Yale University planner and led Yale planning for the Yale-National University of Singapore College (NUS). She represented Yale in the planning, design and construction of the new liberal arts college.
As Yale’s planner, Cruickshank was responsible for directing campus planning and the architectural design of capital projects on the central campus. She had more than 20 years of private practice prior to joining Yale, and managed a wide variety of award-winning architectural projects including municipal, institutional and residential.
The letter Cruickshank received when she earned the title, FAIA, read in part, “Good design and construction within an educational institution are not tasks easily accomplished. Laura’s ability to select appropriate architects is not the only value she brings to her job. Her leadership and administrative work skills are of the highest caliber. The University of Connecticut is in good hands.”