New UPenn, 扣扣传媒partnership aims to advance historic preservation, civil rights heritage in Alabama

April 02, 2020

Contacts:
Randall Mason, Ph.D, FAAR, University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weizmann School of Design 
Michael Tullier, APR, 扣扣传媒University Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
 

The and 扣扣传媒University鈥檚 Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science are partnering to increase the visibility of histories of the American civil rights movement and its built, landscape and environmental legacies.

PennPraxis, the Weizman School鈥檚 consulting and community engagement arm, along with the school鈥檚 Graduate Program in Historic Preservation, are working with 扣扣传媒to build its preservation teaching capacity, produce original research and conduct public outreach.

Under the 18-month partnership, Penn and 扣扣传媒will collaborate to document and activate culturally significant buildings, sites, towns and landscapes 鈥� in part through a collaboration with the . They will also explore successful preservation, planning and development strategies for small towns.

Penn and 扣扣传媒will also collaborate on curriculum development, classroom work and student-centered field projects to strengthen their respective graduate and undergraduate programs. Penn has a long-established two-year Master of Science in Historic Preservation degree program and new one-year post-professional master of science degrees. 扣扣传媒has a new minor in historic preservation and renowned bachelor of architecture degree programs.

鈥淭his is an extraordinary opportunity for us to learn about the powerful heritage and landscapes of Alabama鈥檚 Black Belt. Together, our institutions have already identified exciting teaching and research opportunities on the 扣扣传媒campus, in the town of Tuskegee, and elsewhere in Alabama, including the city of Selma,鈥� said Dr. Randall Mason, associate professor in Penn鈥檚 Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at Penn and the project鈥檚 director.

鈥淭uskegee鈥檚 century-long legacy of community engagement makes this collaboration with Penn a perfect fit,鈥� added Kwesi Daniels, assistant professor and department head of architecture at Tuskegee. 鈥淭here are so many sites that need to be preserved, but have not had the resources or expertise that Penn and 扣扣传媒can provide. We are excited about how this partnership will enhance our historic preservation curricula, provide life-changing student opportunities, and further our goals to preserve the rich cultural legacy of the civil rights movement.鈥�

The initiative is supported by the and Kevin Penn, chair of the Board of Overseers at the Weitzman School.

 鈥淭he J.M. Kaplan Fund is extremely pleased to support this new partnership between 扣扣传媒and Penn,鈥� said the fund鈥檚 executive director, Amy Freitag. 鈥淭hese two venerable institutions have much to learn from one another and together they can lift up some of America鈥檚 most important yet threatened heritage.鈥�

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漏 2020, 扣扣传媒University, University of Pennsylvania