Ron McCoy, a Princeton University Graduate School alumnus who has worked for the past 27 years as an architect and educator, has been selected as the new Princeton University architect.
The current university architect at Arizona State University and professor in its School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, he will succeed Jon Hlafter, who retired from the full-time position on March 14 after 40 years at the university.
Mr. McCoy’s appointment will be effective this summer.
As Princeton University architect, Mr. McCoy will be responsible for working closely with others to implement the university’s new 10-year Campus Plan and to execute the 10-year capital program. He will have a key role in matters of aesthetics and the preservation of the university’s architectural heritage, including leading the process of selecting architects and other consultants, the university said. He will also play a major role in representing the university in relationships with the Princeton Regional Planning Board and other public regulatory authorities.
Since Mr. McCoy created the Office of the University Architect in 2003 at Arizona State, the school has initiated construction on 6.4 million square feet of new facilities at a cost of $1.34 billion, including a new campus in collaboration with the city of Phoenix in addition to projects on its main campus in Tempe.
”It was absolutely clear to all of us who met Ron that he has the experience, intellect and approach we were seeking in the person who will fill this critical role,” said Michael McKay, vice president for facilities, to whom McCoy will report, in a statement released by the university. “One of the key attributes necessary in this position is to be able to make decisions based on over 260 years of campus evolution while understanding how those decisions affect — and will be viewed by — future generations. Given that we are in the early stages of one of the greatest phases of growth in the university’s history, with roughly 2 million square feet of new construction and renovation planned over the next decade, it is critical that we have strong leadership in making major decisions as to how the campus will evolve.”
