Building Pathways, Creating Opportunity: Morgan’s School of Architecture Expands Student Access and Professional Preparation

Student Fellowship, Expanded Scholarship Support and New Baltimore Design School Dual-Enrollment Program Strengthen the Pipeline to Architecture, Design and the Built Environment

Morgan State University’s School of Architecture and Planning (SA&P) is expanding the pathways that prepare students to lead and innovate across the built and natural environments. From a prestigious fellowship supporting graduate study and expanded scholarship opportunities for emerging designers to a new dual-enrollment program introducing Baltimore high school students to college-level architecture, recent developments are extending the School’s impact at every stage of the educational journey.

Together, the initiatives reflect an approach that pairs access with opportunity—helping students enter architecture and design fields, providing resources and professional experiences to support their success, and preparing them to transition from the classroom into meaningful careers.

“These accomplishments reflect the strength of our School of Architecture and Planning and the meaningful ways we are expanding access to the built environment fields,” said Abimbola Asojo, Ph.D., dean of the School of Architecture and Planning. “They speak to our commitment to preparing students for success, advancing opportunity, and helping address societal grand challenges that shape our communities and our future.” 

Graduate Student Earns Maryland Forestry Fellowship 

Morgan graduate student Eric Quirk has been named one of four recipients of the Maryland Forestry Foundation’s 2026–27 Mel Noland Fellowship, an annual program supporting students whose studies focus on natural resources and urban forestry.

Made possible through an annual grant from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the program awards four Maryland college students $10,000 each. The 2026–27 fellowship term runs from Oct. 1, 2026, through July 31, 2027.

As a fellow, Quirk will serve as an ambassador for the Foundation’s Natural Resources Careers Camp, Urban Forestry Careers Camp and other programs and initiatives. He will also have opportunities to attend conferences and events throughout Maryland and a national event of his choice, connecting him with professionals across industry, government and the nonprofit sector.

Quirk is pursuing a master’s degree in landscape architecture, with a focus on incorporating food forests into urban forestry to create landscapes that balance ecological stewardship with community needs and experiences.

The fellowship encourages students to pursue careers in natural resources and urban forestry while supporting their academic and professional development. Quirk is the third Morgan Master of Landscape Architecture student in three consecutive years to receive the fellowship, following Andrew Taylor in 2025 and Stewart Sharun in 2024. Collectively, the three students have received $30,000 in academic support. 

HomeU Expands Scholarship and Professional Opportunities for Morgan Students

SA+P’s collaboration with Black Interior Design (BID) Incorporated is providing another group of Morgan students with financial support and direct exposure to the design professions through HomeU, an initiative combining scholarships, mentorship, career preparation and real-world experience.

HomeU scholars receive a $3,000 scholarship for each semester they are enrolled in the program, for up to two semesters and as much as $6,000 in total scholarship support. Funds are distributed through the Morgan State University Foundation.

Twenty Morgan students received HomeU funding during the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters, and another 20 scholars are slated to receive support during Fall 2026 and Spring 2027.

The initiative extends well beyond financial assistance. Scholars participate in masterclasses led by expert designers, receive one-on-one mentorship from BID professionals and gain career preparation support, including portfolio development. Students also have opportunities for internships or professional shadowing and apply what they have learned through a culminating project.

By integrating financial support with mentorship and experiential learning, HomeU helps students develop professional networks, strengthen their portfolios and gain practical insight into careers in architecture and interior design—furthering SA+P’s commitment to helping students successfully transition from academic study to professional practice.

The Designs for a New College Pathway Takes Shape in Baltimore

A longstanding collaboration between Morgan State University’s School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) and Baltimore Design School (BDS) has reached a new milestone with the launch of a dual-enrollment program designed to create a direct pathway from high school to college—and ultimately to careers in architecture and environmental design.

Recently approved by the Baltimore City School Board, the program welcomed its first cohort of 10th-grade students this fall, allowing participants to begin earning college-level architecture credits while still attending BDS, a public middle and high school specializing in architecture, fashion and graphic design.

The new program builds upon years of collaboration between the two institutions. Morgan has maintained a relationship with BDS since the school’s inception, with University representation on its board and programming that has connected Baltimore students with Morgan faculty, students and educational resources. In recent years, Morgan Architecture and Environmental Design (AREN) students have also mentored BDS Architecture Path students, while the institutions have partnered on design projects, precollege visits and other learning experiences.

The dual-enrollment program formalizes that pathway by intentionally aligning BDS coursework with Morgan’s architecture curriculum. Faculty and administrators from both institutions established course equivalencies so credits earned by participating students can directly advance them toward collegiate architecture studies.

BDS students will complete foundational architecture courses, including ARCH 103 and ARCH 104, at their school before transitioning to Morgan during a spring or summer term to complete ARCH 101 and gain early exposure to the University’s faculty, academic environment and design culture. Plans for the summer component also include potential integration with YouthWorks.

Students who complete the sequence and subsequently enroll at Morgan could bypass the traditional first-year design sequence and advance directly into the second-year studio curriculum, potentially reducing the time and tuition required to complete their degrees.

Associate Professor Gabriel Kroiz and Assistant Dean Evan Richardson led Morgan’s academic review process and helped establish the course equivalencies supporting the program.

“This partnership is a win for Baltimore’s youth. The approval of the dual-enrollment program is an excellent and timely evolution of the Morgan–Baltimore Design School partnership,” said Kroiz. “By aligning our curricula, we are removing barriers and expanding access to professional design education right here in the city.”

The initiative represents the continued evolution of a relationship that has grown from outreach and mentorship into a defined college-access pathway—giving Baltimore students an earlier start on their architectural education while strengthening the pipeline of emerging design talent entering Morgan and the profession. 

Expanding Access Across the Educational Journey

Since its inception more than 30 years ago, Morgan’s School of Architecture and Planning has grown into one of the nation’s leading profession-oriented academic programs focused on the planning, design and management of the built environment.

The School’s recent progress illustrates how that mission is being advanced at multiple points along the educational continuum. By introducing Baltimore high school students to college-level architecture, providing Morgan students with scholarship support and professional mentorship, and connecting graduate students with opportunities to advance their research and careers, SA+P is building a stronger pipeline into the professions it serves. Collectively, these efforts are expanding access, strengthening student success and preparing a new generation of architects, designers, planners and landscape professionals to shape the communities of the future.

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