Dean Mark Mistur on Kent State's CAED

Kent State’s CAED in Focus

Kent State University’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED) has shaped countless careers—including those of Arcfluence co-founders Nick Karakaian and Paul Fatkins. The program is a cornerstone for Ohio architecture and a nationally respected institution that pairs rigorous academics with meaningful professional engagement.

In this Arcfluence conversation, Dean Mark Mistur reflects on CAED’s evolution, the role of travel and making in architectural education, and how the school is meeting the profession’s headwinds with pragmatic optimism.

Evolving the Program: “Taking the Lid Off”

When Mistur joined CAED in 2016, he didn’t see a quality gap—he saw untapped visibility. His first priorities were exposing the school’s work to broader audiences and getting students into the world.

“The dedication was really to getting the lid off of it and letting people see. We brought outsiders in so they would see what we were doing, and we raised money to support travel so our students could get out into the world.”

Rebooted review weeks, a stronger lecture series, and expanded travel programs now amplify the college’s already diverse foundation across architecture, interior design, landscape, healthcare, and urban design.

Making, Craft, and Technology

CAED has leaned back into physical making—not out of nostalgia but as a necessary counterweight to screen-only workflows.

“Sung Ho Kim has brought another level of approach to the profession that brings back model making, craft, and the way things are assembled and made so that we’re not only in the computer box, but we’re inside of it and outside of it.”

Mistur differentiates between presentation models and design-process models. Even as firms digitize, teaching students to iterate physically remains vital to how they learn to become designers.

“The model is no longer central to the design process in firms. I think it’s still central to the educational process of how to learn to become a designer… They’re both incredibly important tools.”

Study Abroad and Expanding Horizons

The Florence program remains a defining experience, continuing a legacy that dates to the early 1970s with Superstudio. Mistur frames travel as transformation rather than sightseeing.

“To a person, they come back owning their education. They’re not doing it for their professor anymore. They’re doing it because they know what they’re doing and they know what they want to get out of it.”

Beyond Florence, CAED is building shorter studio-based travel options and institutional partnerships so more students can access global exposure without prohibitive costs.

A Changing Profession: Regulation, Competency, and Public Impact

Mistur is candid about deregulation debates and shifting views on competency-based licensure. He stresses why architectural education still matters.

“There’s states talking about eliminating licensure. There’s places talking about eliminating education as a necessity to licensure and the whole movement toward competency.”

For him, architecture is inherently public work.

“Who’s our client? Is our client the person who signs the contract and pays the bills? It’s not. We’re a service that serves not just that client, but all of society.”

Integrating AI into Education

Rather than fearing AI, CAED is developing clear frameworks for using new tools responsibly.

“Please do not be afraid of this and set up a ‘thou shalt not use ChatGPT’… Please use it. Ask at the beginning of every course: What is the best use of AI? What is the worst use? What is required and what’s not allowed?”

The goal: systematize AI integration without losing timeless principles or reducing education to software proficiency.

Bridging Academia and Practice

Mistur sees the Midwest’s culture of collaboration as an asset in closing the gap between school and practice. Even without a formal co-op requirement, CAED is expanding internships, practicums, and industry touchpoints—balancing opportunity with academic rigor.

“The east and the West coast have kind of drifted away from that in a lot of ways… I really think it’s important. We need to find ways to do that.”

The objective is straightforward: prepare graduates who can contribute immediately without lowering standards or creating inequities among students.

Advice to Students: Own Your Education

Mistur closes with direct advice for emerging architects.

“Travel, set your horizons very high. Go to everything you can go to. Network with people. Don’t just hang out with the people in your studio—get to know other disciplines. They’re your future clients.”

“Own your education by being curious and trying things and not being afraid to take risks. Don’t be afraid to fail. We do this because we love it.”

Closing Thoughts

The CAED story under Dean Mistur is one of disciplined evolution: keep making central, broaden visibility, invest in travel, integrate new technologies thoughtfully, and stay connected to practice. It’s a grounded roadmap for architectural education that keeps public service and design excellence at the center.