Interior Design program names new director(s)

In a move that reflects growth at Washington State University Spokane’s Interdisciplinary Design Institute, the new director of WSU’s interior design program will also serve as assistant director of the Institute. Professor Nancy Blossom comes to WSU Spokane from The George Washington University, where she directed the interior design program.

“Many programs aspire to the goal of bringing students together from the multiple design programs such as architecture, landscape architecture, interior design and construction management, but to my knowledge WSU is the first to accomplish it with the Interdisciplinary Design Institute,” Blossom says of the Interdisciplinary Design Institute. “We share a common language of design and a common market in our professions. Giving students the opportunity to work together in the studio gives them a step ahead as they enter the professional world, and it strengthens the potential for collaboration for all of us.”

“The interior design program at WSU has long enjoyed a reputation of excellence,” she said. “I was especially attracted to WSU by the dedicated and enthusiastic faculty. It is energizing to work with folks who have such commitment to design.”

In her role as assistant director at the Design Institute, Blossom will serve on the leadership team, work to strengthen intercampus communication and partnerships, and spearhead special initiatives.

“We are very pleased that Nancy has joined us at the Design Institute,” Forster Ndubisi, director of the Design Institute, said. “She is an accomplished educator and an excellent teacher. She has extensive leadership experience in academia and professional organizations as well. These qualities make her invaluable in providing the needed leadership in moving the interior design program forward and in facilitating the Design Institute to realize its mission—excellence in interdisciplinary education, research, service and engagement.”

Blossom received her master’s degree from University of Missouri-Columbia, and is certified by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification. She has won awards for her teaching, campus leadership, design and service to the interior design profession.

Recognized as a leader in national and international interior design associations, Blossom has been named a Fellow of the Interior Design Educators Council, and currently chairs the IDEC Council of Fellows. Blossom has just completed a term as education and research forum adviser for the International Interior Design Association. She is a member of the evaluation committee of the Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research, and serves on the editorial review board for the Journal of Interior Design.

Blossom’s research and published works have focused on design of health care facilities for children, design education, and other subjects. She has worked as a professional designer for 25 years, with clients in higher education, the corporate world, health care and local government, as well as residential and historic projects.

About the Interior Design Program
WSU’s interior design program is the only one in Washington state accredited by the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research. The program offers both a bachelor and master of arts in interior design. The program was identified in December 1997 as one of the ten best in North America by the International Interior Design Association for preparing students to enter the commercial interior design field and is supported by an award-winning faculty. Students in interior design regularly win state and national honors for their design work.

About the Interdisciplinary Design Institute
The Interdisciplinary Design Institute at WSU Spokane advances knowledge to enhance the quality of people#s lives in the built and natural environment through interdisciplinary instruction, research, and community service. At the Design Institute students and faculty from all the design disciplines work side by side in state-of-the-art studio facilities that provide opportunities for collaborative learning, research and scholarship in a professional-oriented work environment.

Undergraduate students spend their fourth and/or fifth years at the Design Institute after beginning their programs on WSU’s Pullman campus. Graduate programs in architecture, interior design and landscape architecture were launched in the fall of 1998, and a doctoral degree is pending final approval. If approved, it will be only the second Doctor of Design program in the nation—the first is at Harvard University.

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