College of Design Dean Mark Hoversten will step down effective July 1, 2026, after dedicating a decade of service to NC State. Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Warwick Arden made the announcement today.
“Mark’s tenure in the College of Design has been marked by an unwavering dedication to service and innovation in design education, and to the college’s faculty, staff, students and alumni, ” said Arden. “While we will miss Mark’s leadership as dean, we are fortunate that he will continue his career with our faculty.”
Hoversten was named dean of the college in July 2016. He is also a professor of landscape architecture and environmental planning. Since his appointment as dean, he has brought a student-focused approach to leadership, interdisciplinary initiatives and experiential education for College of Design students. His commitment to faculty and staff has both grown the college’s reputation and elevated its impact in design education.
During Hoversten’s tenure, College of Design undergraduate enrollment increased 18%, and the Doctor of Design degree and Pappas Center for Real Estate Development were established. Annual funded research increased from under $1 million to more than $4 million, the college’s endowment increased from $5 million to $24 million, and Ph.D. student stipends doubled. Hoversten was instrumental in increasing the college’s studio, research and lab space, the renovation of several labs, and increasing accessibility to the college.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to lead one of the premier colleges of its kind in the country,” said Hoversten. “I will be forever grateful for my colleagues who set the bar for design teaching and research, and I look forward to continuing my journey at NC State.”
Prior to joining NC State, Hoversten served as dean of the College of Art and Architecture at the University of Idaho. A Fellow of the Yaddo arts colony, the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, Hoversten has received seventeen national and regional planning and design awards and has published and lectured widely. His work has been featured in Landscape Architecture Magazine, Public Roads and TR News. He served as president of the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture and as chair and member of committees and review teams for the Urban Land Institute, the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board, the Southern Nevada Interpretive Association, and the Nevada Statewide Transportation Advisory Committee.
Hoversten’s research has focused on interpretive planning in desert climates, context-sensitive highway design and alternative futures landscape planning. Prior to his work in higher education, he served as an associate at Royston Hanamoto Alley and Abey, worked in a variety of landscape architectural and architectural firms and managed land planning for a division of Howard Hughes Corporation.
Hoversten earned a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture and a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting and drawing from the University of Minnesota. He earned a master’s degree in painting and drawing from the University of New Mexico and a master of fine arts degree in painting from the University of Iowa. He also earned his Ph.D. in landscape planning from Lincoln University in New Zealand.
Mark truly embodies NC State’s land-grant mission and Think and Do attitude. He has been instrumental in the college’s growth over the past decade and I wish him the best as he returns to our faculty,” said Chancellor Kevin Howell.
An announcement will be made at a later date about plans for an interim dean and a national search for a permanent dean.
