Christopher Silver Dean and Professor
As the Dean for the College of Design, Construction and Planning, let me introduce you to the University of Florida and the College of DCP. In 1985, Florida became a member of the Association of American Universities, the prestigious higher-education organization comprised of the top 62 public and private institutions in North America. The University of Florida ranks second among public institutions in the U.S. for the number of National Merit Scholars enrolled and ranks fourth among all colleges and universities in the United States for the number of National Merit Scholars enrolled.
The University of Florida Foundation was created in 1934 with the mission to support and enhance the University of Florida by encouraging alumni and friends to provide private funds and other resources for the University’s benefit, to manage those assets and to provide volunteer leadership in support of the University’s objectives. DCP continues to work with alumni and friends to raise the funding necessary to support the many programs throughout the college. Private support plays a critical role in maintaining the excellence we all expect from our programs.
At present, the college is unique in that it has under one umbrella six academic units: the School of Architecture, the M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction, the Departments of Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, and Urban and Regional Planning, and the DCP Doctoral Program. With a student body of approximately 1,500 and around 100 faculty members, DCP is one of the largest programs nationally, and its funded research ranks in the top five.
The college continues to expand its international programs with new programs such as the design programs in Hong Kong and Paris to complement its current international programs in Italy, Mexico, and Latin America.
In addition, the college has added an Interdisciplinary Concentration and Certificate in Historic Preservation (ICCHP). It was created to integrate existing historic preservation resources across the college and university.
