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Common Lecture brings together students, faculty and the university community to share, discuss and question ideas, trends and practices in landscape architecture and environmental planning. Invited lecturers from varied fields and backgrounds present topics related to climate, landscape, environment, art, education, politics, economy and society to enrich our understanding of planning and design. The weekly lectures are integral to the department’s design studios, required for all students and faculty and is the only lecture series of its type among the LAAB accredited programs.
Read about our yearly fall Steve Strom Memorial Lecture and spring Margret O. Cekada Memorial Lecture.
The Steve Strom Memorial Lecture invites professionals, artists, and organizations that highlight and advance knowledge in landscape architecture through teaching, design and planning, art, or social engagement. The lecture sets the tone for fall semester students to create connections between the topic and their work in design studios.
Steve Strom was a nationally recognized educator, scholar, American Society of Landscape Architect Fellow, and the first department chair. His book Site Engineering for Landscape Architects was published in 1984 and remains one of the standard texts for design and construction studios. His tenure as a professor and chair was characterized by innovation, leadership, and profound dedication to students.
The Margret O. Cekada Memorial Lecture showcases renowned designers, artists, scientists, and organizations that question, propose, investigate, or highlight the significance of the landscape. These annual spring lectures engage the university community in topics that promote inquiry and inspire students to learn about landscape architecture in academia and society.
The lecture memorializes the life, work, and spirit of Margret O. Cekada, an outstanding Rutgers student who, after a successful career in marketing, pursued her love of landscape architecture until her passing in November of 2000. We are grateful to her family for establishing the endowed lecture.
Event Details
Lectures are held Wednesday at 4:00 pm at IFNH 101, 61 Dudley Rd, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 unless noted otherwise**.
Common Lecture Series is open to the public. For a guest parking permit please send the request to Alanna Menoutis at rula@sebs.rutgers.edu
Fall 2025
| 9/03 | Welcome Back! Richard Alomar, FASLA, Department Chair ** In person at Blake Hall |
| 9/10 | What We Found – Graduate Students’ Summer Field Work Rutgers Landscape Architecture Graduate Class of 2025 |
| 9/17 | Climate Bridge: An International Perspective on How to Enact Climate Action at the Government Public Interface Wolfram Höfer, Arianna Lindberg, Sebastian Schlecht, Angela Oberg, and Frank Gallagher Read more… |
| 9/24 | The Steve Strom Memorial Lecture – Chip Sullivan & Elizabeth Boults :The Wisdom Walk *Steve Strom was a nationally recognized educator, scholar, American Society of Landscape Architect Fellow, and the first department chair. His book Site Engineering for Landscape Architects was published in 1984 and remains one of the standard texts for design and construction studios. His tenure as a professor and chair was characterized by innovation, leadership, and profound dedication to students.* Chip Sullivan & Elizabeth Boults Read more… |
| 10/01 | Blue-Green Infrastructure in Urban Landscapes Anne A. Gharaibeh Read more… |
| 10/08 | It is Happening in Studio! In person studio tours —————————————— **This event will be in-person only in Blake Hall —————————————– |
| 10/15 | Rutgers Distinguished Alum Nick Tufaro Read more… |
| 10/22 | Rwanda Summer Program & DeBoer Prize Winners |
| 10/29 | Photography and Climate Change Gesche Würfel, Visiting Arts Professor , NYU Tisch School of the Arts Read more… |
| 11/05 | Faculty Presentation David Smith |
| 11/12 | Faculty Presentation Haemee Han Read more… |
| 12/03 | ASLA Club |