Jim Bassett named director of the Virginia Tech School of Architecture
“My objective is to fortify the foundations of the school while integrating fresh perspectives from individuals who share our appreciation and commitment to architecture, experimentation, community, and the education of architects,” Bassett said.
Jim Bassett has been named the new director for the School of Architecture in the Virginia Tech College of Architecture, Arts, and Design, a position that poises him to expand the school’s reach and impact on a global scale.
Bassett, associate professor of architecture, has served as the interim director since August 2022, the first semester after the college’s restructuring that brought together the performing and visual arts and design disciplines while retaining the college’s history of architectural innovation. His leadership provided essential support through a time of transition.
“The restructuring of the college has revealed opportunities for new collaborations, but it has also given us the chance to rethink existing relationships and to make them stronger,” said Bassett. “These strengthened relationships are foundational to advancing research and creative scholarship, professional development, and our unique strengths as a community of teaching, learning, and creative practice.”
As director, Bassett is ready to collaborate with faculty, alumni, students, staff, and the dean’s office to expand the depth and breadth of the school’s reputation.
“My objective is to fortify the foundations of the school while integrating fresh perspectives from individuals who share our appreciation and commitment to architecture, experimentation, community, and the education of architects,” said Bassett. “The university's dedication to Virginia Tech Advantage and Virginia Tech Global Distinction serves as a source of inspiration, presenting numerous avenues for us to play a pivotal role in realizing these strategic objectives while ever strengthening our school.”
Dean Lu Liu is confident that Bassett will bring the school of more than 800 architecture students to a new era of excellence.
“Virginia Tech’s architecture program is highly respected and highly ranked, drawing talented students from all over the world,” said Liu. “I look forward to working with Jim to lead the school into the future as a global leader in architecture education and research, building on the school’s distinct strengths in deep design thinking and creative architectural making.”
Bassett joined Virginia Tech in 2008 as an assistant professor of architecture. He served as the chair of the Foundation Program from 2015-20. Bassett has received several Excellence in Teaching awards from Virginia Tech during his tenure as well as the New Faculty Teaching Award in 2011 from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and American Institute of Architecture Students. He was also included in the 25 Most Admired Educators for 2017-18 by DesignIntelligence.
Bassett’s creative scholarship focuses on beginning design and the range of forms and influence of context on design disciplines. Additionally, he has maintained a design practice, Zellner + Bassett, with Paola Zellner since 1998.
His projects, drawings, and photography have been included in several group exhibitions in galleries across the United States and abroad. “Chichén Itzá and the Contextual Mean,” his solo exhibition, was displayed in Washington, D.C., and Detroit.
Bassett holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture from North Carolina State University and a Master of Architecture with Distinction from the Southern California Institute of Architecture.
