Just days after the school president's decision to comply with a campus carry law, The Texas Tribune reported Thursday, University of Texas architecture school dean Fritz Steiner has resigned.
The longtime dean said the new gun law, which allows licensed gun owners to carry concealed guns on the campus, as a major reason for his decision. According to the Tribune, Steiner will move to a position as dean of University of Pennsylvania School of Design this summer.
The Tribune noted that under Steiner's tenure, the architecture school had consistently achieved rankings among the best schools in the nation.
Steiner joins a small but notable list of UT School of Architecture deans who have resigned in protest of a university decision. In 1999, dean Lawrence Speck stepped down after Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron resigned from their commission to design the Blanton Museum. The firm cited an inability to resolve differences with UT regents overseeing the project caused the firm to resign. Speck remains on the faculty and is active in private practice as well.
- UT Architecture Dean Cites Campus Carry as a Reason for Departure [Texas Tribune]
- Lawrence Speck resigns as dean of the UT Austin School of Architecture [UT News]
- Lawrence Speck professional page [Texas Architecture]