//Catalog 2022–2023// Updated November 2021
the
Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
ConwaySchool Ten-Month Master of Science in Ecological Design
csld.edu
W ELCO M E F R O M T H E FAC U LT Y A ND STAFF
Thanks for considering the Conway School’s graduate program in sustainable landscape planning and design. This catalog and its companion website (csld.edu) are designed to give you a feel for the school and its unique approach. Some schools talk about design, do practice designs, or prepare for design sometime in the future. From day one, we work on real design projects with real clients. You graduate with a professional-level portfolio and the prospect of strong references from your clients. The best way to understand our school and how it works is to visit in person.* Email us at admissions@ csld.edu and we will set up a visit when possible. We’d be glad to show you around and have you meet members of the current class. You can sit in on classes, go on field trips, and speak with faculty and staff. You may also want to attend our formal student project presentations or an information session. You can register for either of these types of events online. Conway is for motivated learners who think for themselves, are committed to working for positive change in the world, and learn best in a dynamic, realworld, collaborative setting. There are no grades (you redo work until it measures up) and few hypothetical exercises. A sense of cooperation and common mission pervades all that we do. Students are encouraged to document their observations and findings throughout the year in sketchbooks. Photo by Lisa Krause, Class of 2019.
We seek students who are passionate about ecology, design, resilience, and leaving the planet better than they found it. You don’t have to be an ecologist or designer already, you just have to be
From day one, we work on real design projects with real clients.
willing to learn and ready to embrace an intensive graduate program. We will help you develop the skills you need to be an effective agent of change. Sound interesting? Want to make a difference through ecological design? Come see for yourself how Conway can help you realize this dream. We look forward to reviewing your application. *SEPTEMBER 2021 COVID UPDATE: All Admissions events and visits will likely be conducted online during Fall 2021. Email admissions@csld.edu for more information.
Making a Difference by Design The Conway School is committed to exploring, developing, practicing, and teaching design and planning of the land that is ecologically and socially sustainable. Each year, through its ten-month graduate program, a small number of students from diverse backgrounds learn a range of applied landscape studies, varying in scale from residences to regions.
OUR CURRICULUM IS BASED ON:
WHOLE AND COMPLEX
GREAT TEACHER-TO-STUDENT
UNDERSTANDING OF
RATIO: Much instruction is one-
NATURAL AND CULTURAL
on-one or through small-group
ECOLOGICAL DESIGN: We seek
SYSTEMS: Interrelationships
interaction, made possible because
to design landscapes that achieve
across scales are examined, no
there are only about eighteen
ecological health, resilience, climate
matter the project scope.
students in each year’s class.
DIVERSE, INNOVATIVE
COLLABORATION, NOT
TEACHING FORMAT: Teaching
COMPETITION: Each student or
REAL-WORLD PROJECTS: From
reflects appreciation of individual
team of students has an individual
the start of each term students
learning styles.
project, and everyone shares the goal
change adaptation and mitigation, and social justice.
of learning about design that is
manage their own real projects with real clients.
INTEGRATION INTO THE NEW
ecologically and socially sensitive.
ENGLAND LANDSCAPE: Activities CAREFULLY INTEGRATED
take advantage of our setting, using
A HUMANITIES PERSPECTIVE: We
LEARNING: Classes, studio time,
nearby urban and rural locations as
acknowledge the role of values,
field trips, and guest speakers are
analogs for landscapes elsewhere.
ethics, and culture in design and
organized around the projects for
planning. We offer training in oral and
that term, rather than around discrete
written communication skills, which
courses on separate topics.
are integrated throughout the year.
A CONWAY EDUCATION IS FOR LIFE We encourage students to avoid professional pigeonholes. We help each student define an individual path that is meaningful for that student, useful to employers and clients, and beneficial for the planet. Five decades of Conway graduates who have gone on to important and diverse work bear out the success of this approach. LEARNING BY DOING Many designers find that learning by doing is an efficient and effective way to learn. By applying classroom concepts to real projects, Conway students rapidly develop the skills and knowledge to be responsible designers and planners. Through this process, students discover how to marshal the facts and formulas they need to solve design challenges and thus discover their own approach to ecological design. Instruction at Conway focuses more on process than knowledge-gathering. Faculty teach students to begin with analysis, which reveals the roots of the design challenge,
and then they introduce appropriate techniques and strategies that will help students reach a solution. Clear, concise communication—oral, written, and visual—is essential to success as a landscape designer. The ecological designer must not only be able to develop reasonable designs but also must be able to explain why these designs work. At Conway, students learn to be self-educators by helping direct their own education. Students identify individual educational goals at the beginning of the year and monitor the achievement of those goals as the year progresses. This process encourages graduates to be lifelong learners. ACCREDITED MASTER’S DEGREE Conway grants a Master of Science in Ecological Design (MSED) by the authority of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. The Conway School of Landscape Design is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
the
Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
ConwaySchool CONTENTS
01 Our Story 02 Conway Alums Making a World of Difference 04 THE CONWAY CURRICULUM
05 A Master’s Degree in Ten Months 06 Designing Across Scales 08 Courses Integrated with Projects 09 Field Work + Outdoor Learning 10 Our Location 12 Community Collaborations 13 Learning Outcomes
14 CONWAY IS COMMUNITY 15 Who Attends Conway?
Who Teaches at Conway? 16 Core Faculty 18 Part-time Faculty and Visiting Instructors 19 Administrative Staff 20 Application and Enrollment 25 Governance 26 Prospective Student Letter
The mission of The Conway School is to explore, develop, practice, and teach design of the land that is ecologically and socially sustainable. The Conway School is an independent, not-forprofit institution, accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.). Inquiries regarding the accreditation status by the Commission should be directed to the administrative staff of the institution. Individuals may also contact: New England Commission of Higher Education 3 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100 Burlington, MA 01803-4514 (781) 425-7785 | info@neche.org
The Conway School of Landscape Design, Inc., a Massachusetts non-profit corporation organized under Chapter 180 of the General Laws, is a school of sustainable landscape design and land use planning. As an equal opportunity institution, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital or veteran status in the administration of educational, admissions, employment, or loan policies, or in any other schooladministered program.
The Conway School 88 Village Hill Road Northampton, MA 01060 (413) 369-4044
You can download this catalog and the application form from: www.csld.edu © 2021 Conway School of Landscape Design, Inc.
Our Story
The Conway School Co-Directors, from left to right: Ken Byrne (Academic Director), Priscilla Novitt (Administrative Director), and Bruce Stedman (Executive Director)
In 1972, Walter Cudnohufsky founded a new graduate program that would turn design education on its head. While teaching landscape architecture at a large university, he found the traditional program too compartmentalized, inflexible, and theoretical. His master’s thesis at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (1965) had focused on progressive education theory, and he wanted to put those ideas into practice. He decided to try a new way of doing things: a planning and design program grounded in hands-on learning not unlike a professional design office. He thought it should be student-based, not institutionally organized, with an emphasis on teamwork. Real projects would provide experience at a range of scales, which would help graduates determine where to focus their careers. A PERSONAL LOAN LAUNCHES THE SCHOOL Although he didn’t at first envision the school in a rural setting, Walt found it most affordable to begin at his home in Conway, Massachusetts. He secured an $8,000 personal loan, which paid for renovations and the school’s operations in its first year. Construction took place over the summer of 1972, in anticipation of the first class—seven men and two women, mostly from Massachusetts. Classes, including studio, were held every day. The routine could be interrupted by an impromptu stone wall building demonstration or another invitation to “learn by doing.” The school emphasized the importance of communication. Walt believed that designers should be able to explain their ideas fluidly in both the written and spoken word. From the beginning, chores were shared and potlucks and team-building games created a familial atmosphere.
SECOND DIRECTOR ARRIVES AS STUDENT Donald Walker already had two degrees in landscape architecture and much experience in teaching and practice when he heard about Conway. He, too, was disillusioned with his teaching experience and the persistent pressure to conduct research. With no teaching position then available at the school, Don enrolled as a student and began contributing his knowledge right away. After graduating from Conway in 1978, he joined the faculty. With Don came a stronger focus on ecologically sound design, including thorough site analysis, native plantings, and designs grounded in natural systems. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (now the New England Commission for Higher Education) granted full accreditation effective 1989. In 1992, Walt left the school to pursue professional practice. Today he regards the Conway School as his greatest legacy. Upon Walt’s departure, Don became director, a position he held until his retirement in 2005. In 2004, Don and staff oversaw the move from the school’s 30-year home to a 34.5-acre hilltop with a larger indoor facility and a beautiful outdoor classroom. 21ST CENTURY: CONTINUED EVOLUTION Conway’s third director was landscape architect and conservation planner Paul Cawood Hellmund. Dedicated to the school’s unique teaching approach and sustainable design, Paul expanded Conway’s commitment to urban and international communities. From 2015 to 2018, Conway leased space in a former mill in Easthampton, opening up a second campus closer to amenities. After ten years at the helm, Paul returned to his practice. In 2017, the school adopted a cooperative leadership model. Today, the three co-directors are Executive Director Bruce Stedman, Academic Director Ken Byrne, and Administrative Director Priscilla Novitt. In 2018, Conway purchased its new, permanent home in Northampton, MA, in an effort to better support student needs. Conway had hoped to find a place with the conveniences of an urban space “out the front door” and natural spaces to study and explore “out the back door.” The school found that elusive mix in its new home: the historic Coach House in Village Hill is about a mile from downtown Northampton, and surrounded by conserved woodlands, farmland, and a 7-acre community garden.
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Conway Alums Making a World of Difference Conway’s 700+ graduates work in a wide range of fields related to ecological design and planning, often building on their prior education and experiences. What sets them apart from others in their fields is a profound appreciation for sustainability and an ability to see and design parts within a larger landscape context. Their fields include: •
Landscape design + build
•
Gardening + horticulture
•
Ecological restoration
•
Landscape architecture
•
Government
•
Stormwater management
•
Education
•
Agriculture + food systems
•
Municipal + regional
“I chose Conway over larger universities where I was accepted because it seemed to offer the opportunity to explore ‘outside the box’ solutions.”
planning •
Conservation + land trusts
•
Arts + graphic design
•
Forestry
•
Nonprofit management
•
Writing
•
Permaculture
•
Energy
•
Architecture
•
International development
Our master’s degree program provides an exposure to these and other topics, with which graduates
RESTORATION ECOLOGY: SETH WILKINSON ’99
have gone on to pursue a wide
Seth has restored globally-rare sandplain grasslands, implemented
variety of careers.
innovative bioengineering projects for coastal stabilization, and created
On these pages you will find out
critical nesting habitat for Massachusetts’ most imperiled population of
about a few Conway graduates
threatened diamondback terrapin turtles. In collaboration with land trusts,
and what they are doing.
conservation commissions, Massachusetts Audubon, and private landowners, his company (Wilkinson Ecological Design) has completed hundreds of ecological restoration projects on Cape Cod and the Islands, proving that restored habitats can also become elegantly beautiful landscapes.
2 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING: GOVE DEPUY ’02
REGENERATIVE FRAMEWORKS: ABRAH DRESDALE ‘10
“I loved my Conway experience and have found that the ‘use-
Abrah is a social designer, consultant and educator. She
what-you-have-to-get-where-you-want-to-go’ mentality at
has developed new courses for Food Systems and Farm
Conway has led me through more than a few tough design
programs at UMass Amherst,
challenges in Indonesia.” Gove cofounded a small environmen-
The Omega Institute and
tal consulting firm in Bali that links international efforts to local
Greenfield Community
knowledge and services. “The interest has been incredible,” he
College. She has helped to
says, “and Conway was a key step in getting me here. I chose
create and catalyze numerous
Conway over larger universities
networks and initiatives
because it seemed to offer
focused on systemic change,
the opportunity to explore
from local food sovereignty
‘out of the box’ solutions. The
to regional climate justice
Conway approach to designing
and prison food justice.
with natural landscapes can serve as a positive model for anyone working in design and planning.”
WATER SYSTEMS CONSULTING: AMANDA PEBLER ’18 Amanda works for a water engineering firm. Most of her
COMMUNITY PLANNING: LIZ KELLY ’14 Liz is Planner/Designer for Resilience Planning & Design LLC, a small ecological design and community planning firm in New Hampshire. She works with towns and cities, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individual property owners, focusing on multi-functional planning and design solutions that provide a range of benefits for clients from protecting and increasing green infrastructure networks, to creating a high-quality, resilient built environment, to increasing social capital. The foundation of her work is place based and directly informed by the communities
work involves strategic communications around regional recycled water projects. She has also been able to assist in the landscape design of a water utility entrance and sign. She has been managing the design of educational materials on stormwater pollution prevention that will be distributed across the State of Oregon.
the firm serves. Liz also teaches Community Planning and Permaculture courses at Plymouth State University.
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: JENNA WEBSTER ’09 Jenna Webster is a landscape designer with Larry Weaner Landscape Associates. Since joining LWLA in 2009, she has been involved with master plans for residential projects small and large as well as meadow and habitat plans for public sites. She also co-curates the annual conference series through LWLA’s affiliate New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL) and is an instructor in the Mt. Cuba Center Certificate Program.
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THE CONWAY CURRICULUM On the path to earning an accredited Master of Science in Ecological Design, Conway students complete a mix of projects, class time, and field work. Pages 5-9 provide an overview of the Conway curriculum. Page 5 shows the full year’s calendar and a typical week’s schedule. Pages 6 and 7 describe how Conway tackles a new set of projects—at different scales—in each of the program’s three terms. Page 8 offers more depth into how the Conway faculty integrate real projects with classroom learning, while page 9 shows examples of the field work we do each year.
4 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
A Master’s Degree in Ten Months SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
Fall Term SITE DESIGN PROJECTS (INDIVIDUAL)
NOVEMBER (Day after Labor day through third week in December)
DECEMBER
JANUARY
WINTER BREAK (Last week in December, first week in January)
FEBRUARY
Winter Term CITY/REGIONAL PLANNING PROJECTS (IN TEAMS)
MARCH
(First week in January through third week in March)
SPRING BREAK (Last week in March, First Week in April) APRIL
Spring Term
MAY
MASTER PLANNING PROJECTS (IN TEAMS) (Second Week in April through fourth week in June)
JUNE GRADUATION School is closed on legal holidays with state restrictions, including Labor Day, Columbus Day (referred to by the school as Indigenous Peoples Day), Veterans Day (until 1 pm), Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and Memorial Day.
Rhythm of the Week A typical week at Conway includes a mix of class time, field work, project presentations, a guest lecture, client meetings, and studio work.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
9-12 Digital Design
9-5 Studio + Client Meetings + Faculty Consultations
9-12 Studio
9-12 Site Engineering
9-12 Humanities
1-5
1-3
1-5
3-5 Ecology
Presentations
Studio
Field Work
3-5 Guest Lecture + Community Meal
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Designing Across Scales Conway designers approach landscape challenges at different scales. Instead of focusing on one scale or another—for example, specializing in residential landscape design or regional planning—they see the relationship between these fields. Looking at a small site from a broader perspective explains context, while giving a large plan a closer examination reveals how it might affect individual properties. Our ten-month program introduces this zooming across scales. In the fall term, each student has his or her own small site-design project. Zooming out for the winter term, teams of two or three students work on plans for entire towns, regions, or large tracts of private land. In the spring term, the scope shifts to master plans for intermediate-scale sites such as parks, schools, and city streets. While completing these three projects, each student builds a professional-quality portfolio and gains preparation for a wide variety of careers. FALL-TERM PROJECTS | STARTING WITH SITE DESIGN Following orientation, each student is assigned an individual project selected from local property owners who have requested site-design services. Although they focus on a small area, these fall-term projects are never simple. Students learn design principles through application of a systematic problem-solving process. This involves eliciting and interpreting clients’ needs, developing a proposal for design services, analyzing and assessing site conditions, researching legal constraints, and conceptualizing alternative design solutions. Along the way, students learn to survey and create base maps. The classes and workshops held during the fall term—at
the school and in the field—introduce and reinforce the skills and concepts necessary to complete these site-scale design projects. Each week, students present their progress to faculty and classmates for feedback. These presentations provide an opportunity to integrate their growing understanding of site conditions with new skills in graphic representation and oral presentation. Near the end of the term, clients and a panel of guest critics attend a formal presentation of projects, providing feedback that students then incorporate into their finished products. At the end of the term, students deliver the completed plan sets to their clients.
Groups of students working together learn to use surveying equipment and software to produce a topographic map of their project site.
Professional critics, clients, alums, faculty, and community members attend formal presentations.
6 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
WINTER-TERM PROJECTS | BROADENING TO CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING In the winter term, the projects increase in scope and complexity and are undertaken by teams of students. Typically: • the projects are for a public agency or non-profit organization • students work in teams of two or three • students study natural systems that lead them to either accommodate or revise client requests • students produce a written report–including maps, charts, and other illustrations–that summarizes the design and planning process and recommendations Students are assigned to teams based on their individual goals and the particular needs of the project.
Team members learn to exercise ethical leadership, collaboration, and project management skills. Often projects are complicated by multiple stakeholders, conflicting client interests, and diverse opinions on land management options. Weekly presentations at the school often serve as rehearsals for presentations to boards of directors, planning boards, conservation commissions, or public meetings. Following the formal presentation that takes place toward the end of each term, the team summarizes the entire project in a comprehensive report. Classes and guest speakers in the winter term provide material helpful to the winter projects and introduce students to a broad range of career options.
In the winter and spring terms, students work with the public to facilitate community meetings.
GIS mapping is an integral part of larger scale analyses in both winter and spring projects. (Image above from project by Emily Berg, Jeffery Dawson, and Allison Ruschp.)
SPRING-TERM PROJECTS | INTERMEDIATE-SCALE MASTER PLANNING Typically, the spring-term projects are narrower in scale and more detailed in design than the winter projects. They present opportunities to learn about technical issues such as stormwater management, erosion control, road alignment, long-term management techniques, ecological restoration, barrier-free access, native planting plans, and design detailing. Many projects include cost estimates and most include a phased plan for implementation. By the spring term, students have become increasingly familiar with the design process and the dynamics of working as teams. Projects often require a rapid site assessment and development of design alternatives, with the expectation that
Section drawings from a stream restoration student project produced in spring 2020 by Cara Montague and Shaine Meuimester.
teams will achieve a greater level of detail. Classes continue to supplement project work and increase in complexity and detail to match that required by the projects. In addition to providing students with living laboratories and hands-on experience, the community projects provide valuable design and planning services to municipalities and regional agencies at an affordable cost. Since the school’s inception in 1972, more than 450 community clients have benefited from these projects. Every year, students are exposed to 30–35 different projects, each with its unique clients and site challenges—an expansive introduction to the broad field of ecological design.
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Courses Integrated with Projects The Conway master’s degree is multidisciplinary. Courses are not separate offerings that can be selected independently; the program is fully integrated throughout the year through instruction by core faculty, as well as through guest instructors and a wide variety of field trips. All students are automatically enrolled in all of the courses (see p.22 for more information on credit hours). The progression of subjects addressed during the year is shaped by the design and planning projects that are a major component of each term. Class assignments—graphic, technical, and written—are dovetailed with project requirements. Throughout the year, seminars and discussions raise and explore fundamental questions, such as: What is the nature of ecologically based landscape design? Why is it practiced? How does one successfully integrate both natural and human systems? What are examples of designs that are sustainable? Is sustainability always achievable? What is the relationship of humans and nature? What are the patterns of successful design? HUMANITIES (FALL, WINTER, SPRING) Through readings and discussions, students reflect on the practice of landscape design and engage in exercises to improve oral and written expression. Readings are drawn from diverse disciplines, including geography, cultural studies, history, literature, psychology, philosophy, aesthetics, and economics. Oral presentation skills are addressed through technical exercises (in voice, posture, control of breath) and in lessons on organization (openings, conclusions, transitions, and narrative techniques). Writing skills are honed through exercises in style, drafting, and revision; through practice in different forms of creative non-fiction and professional writing (proposals, resumes, reports); and through reviews of grammar, punctuation, and relevant design vocabulary. ECOLOGICAL DESIGN/PLANNING WORKSHOP (FALL, WINTER, SPRING)
Site visits and presentations by guest speakers provide exposure to practicing designers, planners, and other professionals. Students learn about different forms of professional practice and the ethical issues that professionals face. DIGITAL DESIGN/PLANNING (FALL, WINTER, SPRING) Digital techniques (basic photo manipulation, CAD, geographic information systems, 3-D modeling, desktop publishing) are presented.
We value and teach both hand-drawing techniques and computer graphics.
SITE ANALYSIS & DESIGN (FALL) Students learn site analysis and design development techniques. Graphic skills are developed to enhance students’ design thinking, to communicate information accurately, and to express ideas effectively. A balance of hand-drawing (perspectives, sections, plan view) and digital techniques is presented. SITE ENGINEERING & DESIGN (WINTER, SPRING) Students learn techniques and principles for modifying land and implementing designs. Site engineering problems, such as drainage and grading, are a focus. Students study regulations and design standards. Construction documents and details, including planting plans, materials, and cost estimating, are also part of the design curriculum. ECOLOGY & FIELD WORK (FALL, WINTER, SPRING) Understanding the land—the natural history and ecological processes that constitute a site and its context—is fundamental to the practice of landscape design. Students spend many hours outdoors so they may better read the land and recognize possibilities for use by people as well as the desirability for protection or restricted use. Natural systems topics include landforms, soil characteristics, plant associations, ecological theories, the effect of climate and microclimate, wetland function, forest ecology, wildlife habitat and corridors. The emphasis is on patterns and interactions of phenomena as they inform design. STUDIO (FALL, WINTER, SPRING) Students work on design and planning projects in studio with faculty supervision.
8 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
Field Work + Outdoor Learning We start the year with a bang: an orientation week filled with field trips, which offers a concentrated introduction to the program and the class. Working intensively on field activities helps us get to know each other and learn about how natural and social systems work. Not only do working relationships get forged, but we also start to develop a shared vocabulary and common places of reference. Then, throughout the year, one afternoon a week is typically devoted to field work, which provides opportunities to leave campus to see new places and meet new people. Trips range from a snowshoe trek through a boreal forest with an ecologist to a sketching exercise amidst industrial ruins guided by an urban planner. Clockwise from top: Field trips to study the local ecology take place yearround. Credit: Aitan Mizrahi ’15 | Trips to the outdoors provide an opportunity to learn about wildlife habitat for endangered species like this diamondback terrapin. Credit: Hillary Collins ’15 | Natural systems in cities, such as this green roof in Hartford, provide important learning opportunities. | The High Line: a disused railway in lower Manhattan re-purposed as a public park. | Cities like Providence, Rhode Island, provide an opportunity to study stormwater management, traffic and pedestrian flow, and urban sustainability.
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Our Location As teachers of ecological design, we’re sensitive to place. When Walt Cudnohufsky had the bold idea to establish his own graduate program in landscape design and planning in 1972, many wanted to return to the land, to live in the woods. Our first studio and classroom were in a barn and sugarhouse on Delabarre Avenue in Conway.
Times, people, and climates change. As the school developed and evolved, we realized that the priorities of the planet, its local and global communities, and of our prospective students had shifted. The search for sustainable balance was leading to more urban environments, and students drawn to Conway’s focus on environmentally sustainable design challenged the school to look at its own carbon footprint, which required students to have cars to get to campus. The school’s curriculum additionally integrates environmental justice and urban ecology. These changes led us to move into a more urban environment, beginning with a leased space in a converted mill in the city of Easthampton. After three years it was clear that moving into a location with easy access to public transportation, amenities, and housing was the right decision for our program, and the move marked a new era for the Conway School.
In 2018, we embraced an opportunity to own a campus for the long term that combines the rich environmental surroundings so valuable for teaching at the Conway campus with the energy, accessibility, and visibility of a more populated location. We parlayed our experience in placebased land management to design, build, and own a school that meets our needs. This optimal location is the historic Coach House in the Village Hill neighborhood of Northampton, Massachusetts. In the three years since the move we have been able to observe and create a living landscape laboratory outside our doors, live in alignment with our institutional mission and goals, and better meet our students’ logistic, educational, and ethical needs.
Top: Deerfield Road facility in Conway Bottom: Pleasant Street mill studio in Easthampton.
The Coach House The Conway School occupies the first floor of a mixed-use building. Students have 24/7 access to the secure 4,500-square-foot facility. The facility includes a studio with student desks and storage space, restrooms, faculty office, staff offices, two conference rooms, a full kitchen with dining area, print room, utility room, and classroom/ presentation space with library. Students have access to full color printers and copiers, largeformat printers and scanners, lightboxes, cutting surfaces, student mailboxes, a range of drafting supplies, and a collection of over 4,500 library books. The students additionally have access to an outdoor seating area and bicycle rack. Parking is free and on-street. There is a bicycle path and pedal-assist bikeshare facility nearby, along with a public transit bus stop. Students can easily walk to a riverside trail network, community gardens, and the Smith College Botanic Gardens.
10 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
Students working at their drafting tables in the spacious Northampton studio.
The Conway School occupies the first floor of a mixed-use, historical building renovated for our use.
The Coach House is located in the neighborhood of Village Hill, which is a 20-minute walk from downtown Northampton. Many students bicycle to school.
Tables and white-boards on wheels allow for flexibility of configurations in the classroom. An ever-expanding library is easily accessible by students.
The faculty and staff welcome student involvement in planting activities in the campus landscape.
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Community Collaborations
Conway hosted an event organized by the Western Massachusetts chapter of the Boston Society of Landscape Architects. Students from Conway, Smith College, and UMass Amherst worked with local landscape architects and planners to develop ideas for a parklet to be installed on PARK(ing) Day.
The Conway School works with mission-aligned communities and organizations to help deepen and broaden our impact. These partnerships may lead to student projects; provide additional learning opportunities for alums, faculty, and staff; and create opportunities for the school to contribute to discourse on timely planning and design challenges. Organizational partners include the Ecological Landscape Alliance, Yestermorrow Design/ Build School, TerraCorps, and Permaculture Skills Center. These partnerships provide benefits, such as discounts on continuing education for students and alums. Conway additionally collaborates with organizations like the Society for Ecological Restoration-New England Chapter. Agreements with the University of Georgia and University of Massachusetts Amherst create a path for Conway alums to apply for advanced placement in these schools’ MLA programs. Conway enjoys collaborating with undergraduate schools on events, and the school is a member of ALPINE, an emerging network that seeks to expand the role that New England academic institutions play in land conservation. Long-term collaborations and partnerships with municipalities and other landowners (particularly nonprofits) allow Conway to complete multiple projects with a single client and/or on a single site. This can improve the work students are able to do and increase the depth of insight in the designs they produce for the client. In a
relationship that spans more than ten years, Conway has worked with Nuestras Raices, a nonprofit dedicated to local food production and environmental justice. Conway completed four major projects with the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge (MA) since 2011. Partnering with the International Sonoran Desert Alliance allowed three teams of students to work in Ajo, Arizona. In Keene, New Hampshire, a group of civic-minded residents arranged for back-to-back student projects in 2014: three students worked across two terms to prepare a plan to convert a parking lot into a riverside park. After graduation, the clients hired one of these students to help complete the design and launch a fundraising campaign to build the park. Relationships with local cities and towns have also yielded multiple projects. For the City of Holyoke, Conway students completed an Open Space and Recreation Plan (2018), green infrastructure designs for a series of streets (2017), and Green Streets Guidebook (2014). For the City of Chicopee, students created a plan for Delta Park (2015), stormwater designs for a neighborhood (2017), and a plan for a multi-use trail (2020). Conway has conducted multiple projects with regional planning agencies (e.g., Pioneer Valley Planning Commission), land trusts (e.g., The Trustees of Reservations), and other non-profit organizations (e.g., Nipmuc Cultural Preservation Inc.), and looks forward to maintaining and making new connections.
12 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
Learning Outcomes The Conway School is a small, ten-month graduate program in sustainable landscape planning and design. Conway grants a Master of Science in Ecological Design by the authority of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. The school is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The Master of Science program is structured around classes and the production of near-professional-level projects for residential clients, municipal agencies, and non-profit organizations. To receive the degree, a student must demonstrate an understanding of design theory, of natural and built environments, of design communication, and of professional practice. Continuing a Conway tradition, students present diplomas to one another during the graduation ceremony.
The academic year at the Conway School is based on three core design projects. Learning is applied in one small sitescale and two community projects (at the larger regional scale in the winter and at the scale of a large site master plan in the spring). Project work requires the student to
•
Demonstrate the application of methods for defining
inventory and analyze site conditions, work with clients,
goals and visions, helping individuals and communities
integrate information, apply concepts, communicate to
articulate common goals, incorporating input from
various audiences for a variety of purposes, and synthesize, condense, articulate, and illustrate designs for a particular
diverse stakeholders. •
site and client.
Demonstrate the application of technical skills for analyzing landscapes at multiple scales.
•
Demonstrate the application of technical skills for
Incoming students typically have a range of educational,
mapping landscapes at multiple scales, from surveying
professional, and other life experiences. How much each
with a transit to digital mapping with LIDAR and GIS
student achieves while at Conway depends in part on these prior experiences. Each student is expected to demonstrate
data. •
a base level of achievement in the areas listed below; some
altering landscapes at multiples scales, including grading
students will attain higher level of achievement, depending on interest, career goals, project requirements, and other
Demonstrate the application of technical skills for and other site engineering techniques.
•
factors.
Demonstrate the application of integrated graphical, written, and spoken communication skills, producing planning and design documents and presentations
Through project and non-project work, Conway students…
appropriate to a diversity of audiences and purposes. •
•
Demonstrate the application of theoretical and conceptual knowledge at the same time as they learn
•
Demonstrate the application of industry-standard design and planning software.
•
Demonstrate ecological whole-system thinking by asking
concrete applied knowledge.
questions about, drawing links between, and making
Demonstrate the application of a process for
recommendations about the relationships between
approaching a novel design/planning challenge. This
cultural practices, the built environment, geology, soils,
process includes a certain sequence of investigations
hydrology, topography, vegetation, wildlife, sun, and
and habits of mind (for example, not attempting to solve a problem at first sight and on intuition alone).
other environmental conditions and processes. •
It applies broadly across scales (site to neighborhood
the ability to collaborate, and perseverance in the face of
to region) and across landscape types (urban, suburban, rural, wild). It requires the ability to apply
Demonstrate intellectual flexibility, emotional resilience, uncertainty and incomplete knowledge.
•
Demonstrate the application of ecological design and
analysis (inventory + assessment) across scales and
planning principles to critical social challenges, including
to understand the relationship between patterns and
climate change and social and environmental injustice.
processes across those multiple scales.
www.csld.edu 13
CONWAY IS COMMUNITY A Conway education isn’t just projects and classwork. Coming to Conway means membership in a committed, supportive community of designers, planners, and educators. This network stays with you for life, offering continuing opportunities for professional and personal enrichment. Pages 15–19 describe this Conway community, including students, faculty, and staff.
14 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
Who Attends Conway?
Who Teaches at Conway?
Conway attracts highly motivated, self-directed learners who
We hire teachers whose integrity allows them to speak from
want to pursue ecological planning and design careers and
their hearts and out of their lives, rather than simply from
who learn best in an intensive and applied program. Conway
a textbook or solely on a theoretical basis. We value—and
students have a strong commitment to social and environ-
debate—theory, but value it most as it has relevance in practice.
mental issues.
Faculty positions have various functions. Core faculty are
Students come from diverse backgrounds and encompass
the glue and continuity of the program. At least one of them
a wide range of ages. Each class’s diversity of experience and
is with the students every day and for some sessions, such
perspective makes for a rich learning community.
as Wednesday afternoon presentations, there are two to four
Some students already have considerable life experience
faculty members present. These faculty carefully monitor the
and/or graduate degrees in various fields. Others are more
progress of individual students and coach them. As each term
recently out of college and have already demonstrated a deep
proceeds they are also constantly gauging where the class is
commitment to ecological design. Undergraduate fields
as a whole and make adjustments to the timing of the subjects
commonly represented among our students include:
being presented.
2% 10% 5%
Environmental, Biological, and Geo Sciences
WEEKLY GUEST SPEAKERS
Social Sciences
projects, and interact in other ways. They typically have very
Art + Design
6.3%
40%
15% 21.3%
Weekly visitors are also key contributors to the education at Conway. They conduct workshops, give talks, advise on targeted knowledge (such as how septic systems work or how forests may change over time) or a depth of design experience
Humanities
(such as in permaculture or conservation planning).
Planning and Geography
answers. This doesn’t mean you can’t get a straight answer out
Engineering
fulness than to impose a solution from another place and time.
Other
Our teachers are more likely to ask questions than to give of them, just that they think it is better to encourage thought-
STUDENTS ARE TEACHERS In a very real sense our students are teachers too. Students exchange ideas constantly. Between life experience and education, all have significant things to share. In recognition that
Our graduate degree is attractive to practicing architects, planners, and engineers who want to design more sensitively with the land. These professionals will be able to return to their industry after Conway having gained a whole-systems
students are important educators at Conway, they help award diplomas at graduation, with each student presenting another student with a diploma and offering words of appreciation for that fellow student.
and ecological approach to design. There are no part-time students at Conway and those who attend must be able to immerse themselves fully for ten months. There are occasional professional development opportunities, such as workshops in digital design.
FOREIGN STUDENTS ARE WELCOME We encourage foreign students to apply. There is no special application for such applicants; the standard admission procedure is followed, except that TOEFL scores may be required. Our program emphasizes communication as well as technical studies, and requires frequent public speaking and extensive writing in fluent, idiomatic English. In general, we consider the writing and public speaking demands too rigorous for students who are not fluent in English.
www.csld.edu 15
Core Faculty Ken Byrne, Academic Director + Humanities Ken joined the faculty in 2003, with primary responsibility for the humanities and as curriculum coordinator. An educator for 25 years, Ken brings a wide range of experience, from teaching secondary school in Macau, to educational design consulting for an environmental non-governmental organization in the Philippines, to teaching college writing and creative nonfiction at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Ken has been active in projects linking environmental and social health to community development efforts, both in the Connecticut River Valley region and abroad. Interdisciplinary by inclination, Ken draws on geography, philosophy, economics, anthropology, education, psychology, and literary theory to examine the relationship between people and the environment. He is interested in alternative EdD, University of Massachusetts MEd, University of Massachusetts BA (honors), English, Brown Univ.
concepts of economy and community, and believes that one of the functions of education should be to unsettle fixed or conventional notions of the individual, nature, society, and development.
Kate Cholakis ’11, Ecological Design Kate is a landscape designer who created her own business after graduating from the Conway School. She specialized in ecological landscape design for residential clients and large-scale landscapes. Prior to returning to Conway to teach, Kate was a project designer in green infrastructure planning at Nitsch Engineering in Boston, where she contributed to master plans for college campuses, design competitions, and permitting applications for large-scale developments. After a summer fellowship at the Cultural Landscape Foundation in Washington, DC, Kate began teaching at Conway in August 2015. A common thread underlying Kate’s professional work is developing a design process that emphasizes thorough analysis of cultural, physical, MA, Landscape Design, The Conway School BA, Architecture and Urbanism, Smith College
and temporal aspects of a site. With a multidisciplinary background, Kate applies strong skills in ecological landscape design, green infrastructure and stormwater planning, digital and hand graphics, cultural landscape research, and report writing to her practice and teaching.
Kim Erslev, Design and Graphics Kim is both a practicing architect and landscape architect with her own firm, Salmon Falls Ecological Design, based in Shelburne Falls. She has worked with several design firms on a diversity of projects including: the design of the Micmac Heritage Center in Northern Canada, the Jerusalem Science Museum, the Greenfield Energy Park, the Eric Carle Museum, and Greenfield Community College’s Outdoor Learning Laboratory. Her current design practice focuses on the design of ecological and productive landscapes, super-insulated passive and active solar homes, institutional master plans, and co-housing communities. Kim joined the faculty of the Conway School in 2006 and teaches landscape design, graphics, and site engineering. She is dedicated to supporting students to MLA, Univ. of Massachusetts MArch, Univ. of Pennsylvania BA, Wesleyan University
design healthy human ecosystems, and to create a seamless connection between the built environment, landscapes, and the natural world.
For a complete listing of Conway School staff and faculty, please visit our website at csld.edu/about/faculty.
16 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
Sebastian ‘Bas’ Gutwein, Digital Design Bas teaches Surveying, the Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCAD, and GIS. He is a living systems designer, and founding partner of Regenerative Design Group, where he works with individuals, communities, and organizations in landscape design. He also brings his experience with commercial farming in Indiana, stone work, and heading the Greenfield Parking and Traffic Committee. Bas is a part-time member of the faculty, teaching surveying, a weekly digital design class, and working with students for one half-day in the studio each week. BS, Environmental Design, University of Massachusetts
Glenn Motzkin, Ecology Glenn Motzkin is a plant ecologist interested in patterns of species distribution, vegetation dynamics, disturbance history, and the application of historical ecology to conservation in New England. Glenn has studied a wide range of natural communities, with particular interests in the history and dynamics of uncommon communities that support rare species and are priorities for conservation. Glenn is currently an independent ecological consultant, having previously worked as plant ecologist at Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts. Glenn serves as a member of the Advisory MS, Forest Ecology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst BA, American Civ., Brown Univ.
Committee for the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.
Anne Capra ’00, Planning (Winter Term) Anne Capra works with students during the winter term, focusing on studio projects. Anne was a land use and environmental planner with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission for 13 years, where she was responsible for project management, research, education and outreach, report writing, and grant writing in the areas of land use management and environmental protection with an emphasis on water quality restoration and protection. In addition to her work at Conway, Anne is a conservation planner with Conservation Works LLC, a wide-ranging conservation consulting firm with extensive MALD, The Conway School BA, Environmental Studies, Ithaca College
in-house expertise in land management, land protection, biological services, land use and open space planning, resource protection zoning, train system development, and mapping and photo documentation.
Bill Lattrell, Ecology A Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS) and Restoration Ecologist, Bill Lattrell has managed projects involving wildlife habitat, wetland restoration, wetlands mapping, large natural environments restoration, and public education, and is trained in climate change vulnerability assessment. He joined Conway as adjunct faculty in 1990, teaching classes in wetlands identification and regulation and wildlife habitat, and leading field trips to a variety of ecosystems, including bogs, beaver ponds, old growth forests, vernal pools, and successional meadows. Bill’s broad applied knowledge of natural resource issues MS, Environmental Resource Management, Antioch BS, Environmental Sociology, University of Massachusetts
helps students evaluate environmental assets and anticipate potential repercussions on the ecosystems of residential and community sites. He is the principal of Lattrell Ecological Consulting in Heath, MA. A part-time member of the faculty, Bill leads many of the weekly field work sessions, and twice each term consults with students about their projects in the studio. www.csld.edu 17
Visiting Speakers Conway invites landscape designers, planners, educators, ecologists, and other professionals to lecture at the school, work with students in studio, or hold a field session. While the faculty schedule many speakers on an annual or biennial basis, the school also brings in new speakers. Previous visitors have included: Jesse Bellemare
Darrel Morrison, FASLA
Plant Ecologist, Smith College
Landscape Architect
Lauren Stimson
Steven Handel
Landscape Architect and Principal, Stimson
Restoration Ecologist, Visiting Professor in Landscape Architecture at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design
Dr. S. Atyia Martin CEO and Founder of All Aces, Inc.
Jono Neiger ’03 Principal, Regenerative Design Group and author,
Walter Cudnohufsky
The Permaculture Promise
Founder of the Conway School and owner, Walter Cudnohufsky Associates
Sue Reed ’87 Landscape architect and author, Energy-Wise Landscape Design
Brian Donahue Professor of American Environmental Studies,
Charlie Tracy
Brandeis University
Landscape architect, National Park Service
David Jacke ’84
Greg Watson
Permaculture designer and author, Edible Forest Gardens
Director of Policy and Systems Design, the Schumacher Center
Kate Kennen
Tobias Wolf
Landscape Architect and author, Phyto
Landscape architect and owner, Wolf Landscape Architecture
David Buckley Borden
Claudia West
Interdisciplinary Artist and Designer
Landscape architect and author, Planting in a Post-Wild World
Interdisciplinary artist David Buckley Borden presents Hemlock Hospice, his art-science collaboration with Harvard Forest.
18 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
Administrative Staff Bruce Stedman ’78, Executive Director Bruce has 37 years of experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, strategic planning, mediation and environmental planning. He has directed seven non-profit organizations and a $6.25M nuclear weapons-related court settlement fund. His fields of interest are marine conservation, nuclear weapons abolition, environmental sustainability and education, climate resilience and regenerative agriculture. Bruce has worked with community groups, NGOs, schools, companies, Native American governments, and public agencies—in the U.S. and 11 other countries. He has taught dispute resolution, environmental affairs, and conservation biology at Harvard, MIT, Tufts, and Western Washington University. • PhD program (ABD), Environmental Policy, MIT • MCP, Environmental Planning, MIT • MALD, the Conway School • BA, Botany + BS, Zoology, University of Washington
Priscilla Novitt ’07, Administrative Director As Administrative Director, Priscilla shares responsibility for primary leadership of the school with Executive Director Bruce Stedman ‘78 and Academic Director Ken Byrne. Priscilla spent close to a decade in New York City, where she produced professional development conferences and workshops for artists, implemented peer coaching and training programs for arts leaders, and consulted with artists and arts organizations about strategic planning, federal grant management, and grant writing. She has also helped create a digital archive of historic Northampton city maps, and co-owned a small commercial-scale apiary/hobby gone out of control. • MALD, the Conway School • BA, Psychology, Oberlin College
Dave Weber ’15, Campus Manager Dave works to ensure the smooth functioning of the school’s facilities as well as the implementation and maintenance of the school’s landscape. He works with students throughout the year to troubleshoot their technology questions and often joins the class for ecology fieldwork sessions. Outside Conway, Dave serves his hometown of Williamsburg on its Mill River Greenway Committee and Woodland Trails Committee, helping to plan the extension of a regional multi-use trail and design, build, and maintain a network of trails for public recreation. He is an avid photographer, traveler, canoeist, and general lover of the outdoors among other things. • MSED, the Conway School • BA, Peace and Justice Studies, Tufts University
Roxy Finn, Admissions Manager Roxy is likely your first point of contact with the school, responding to inquiries and applications and ensuring a smooth process for incoming students. She brings a combined background of higher education administration and regenerative design, a lifelong love of plants, and a passion for systems thinking. Roxy is certified in permaculture design and co-managed Paradise Lot, an urban perennial garden homestead in Holyoke, MA. • BA, Geology, Smith College
Part-Time Administrative Staff
Gail Berrigan ’11, Projects Assistant
CJ Lammers, Projects Manager, Conway Institute
Michele VanLandingham, Development Coordinator
Elaine Williamson ’11, Events Manager, Alum Coordinator
www.csld.edu 19
Application and Enrollment A completed application includes a signed application form, essays, official college transcripts, two letters of recommendation, and a résumé. Please download the application form at csld.edu/admissions and submit materials to admissions@csld.edu. Conway has no prerequisites and accepts students with a wide variety of academic and professional backgrounds. Entering stu-
APPLICATION DEADLINES
dents must show the ability to succeed in an accelerated pro-
FOR THE 2022–2023 PROGRAM:
gram and the desire to do forward-thinking work that advances ecological integrity and community resilience. The school seeks well-rounded students who have a bachelor’s degree and will be able to perform at the graduate level
Early Action Deadline: November 3, 2021 Regular Application Deadline: February 2, 2022 Late Application Deadline: May 4, 2022
while applying theoretical principles and analyzing concrete information. Applicants should also show the ability to perform basic mathematical calculations and to achieve, after instruction,
the exception of a two-week break in late December and a two-
competent design expression through drawings and presenta-
week spring break).
tions. Good writing skills are required for admission. Since the program involves a great deal of public speaking, applicants
NON-DISCRIMINATORY POLICY
must be fluent in English. In addition, we look for strongly moti-
The Conway School of Landscape Design, Inc., a
vated students who are willing to engage in teamwork, have a
Massachusetts non-profit corporation organized under
profound respect for the natural world and the human beings
Chapter 180 of the General Laws, is a school of sustainable
who inhabit it, and are eager to put their personal values into
landscape design and land use planning. As an equal oppor-
positive action during the school year and afterward.
tunity institution, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual orientation,
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
religion, marital, or veteran status in the administration of
Conway accepts applications at three deadlines (see sidebar).
educational, admissions, employment, or loan policies, or in
The first deadline gives students the best chance of being
any other school-administered program.
eligible for outside scholarships. The second deadline gives students ample time to find housing and prepare for the program.
SUMMER PREPARATION
Conway will continue accepting applications after the third
The one skill we require students to develop before the school
deadline as long as space remains available.
year begins is a basic understanding of Adobe InDesign, a doc-
We recommend that applicants visit the Conway School as
ument editing program. The school sends incoming students
they make their decision to apply to graduate school. Formal
information about training options. The school additionally
student presentations and admissions information sessions
distributes a recommended reading list.
provide great opportunities to see the school in action, talk with students, observe students’ projects in progress, and get to know Conway’s unique philosophy and teaching approach. If you’re unable to visit the school in person, we’re happy to speak on the phone, and we may be able to connect you with alums in your area. Once completed applications are received, we schedule interviews on campus or via online video. The applicant is notified of the admissions decision by email within four weeks of the interview. After an applicant is accepted to the program, we send an enrollment agreement to be signed by the prospective student. This signed agreement, accompanied by a deposit, admits the applicant to full participation in the activities of the school for the following academic year. The academic term begins the day after Labor Day, and classes are held through late June (with
TUITION AND LIVING EXPENSES Tuition and fees are set annually in October by the school’s board of trustees. For the 2022-2023 academic year, students who qualify for the full need-based tuition grant are eligible for the net tuition (including fees) of $29,998; tuition for students who don’t qualify for any need-based tuition grants is $37,498 (including fees). Tuition will not be raised during the academic year. The tuition includes costs incurred for operation of the school, adjunct faculty, visiting lecturers, some reading materials, use of school computer stations, some computer software, major printing and drafting supplies, graphic reproduction costs, printed materials, and additional supplies and transportation costs for scheduled field trips. Fees do not include costs of housing and food for students when at Conway or on field
20 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
trips. Students also need to budget for personal transportation,
plans offered by MassHealth. Students are eligible for cover-
personal computers, some drafting equipment, supplies, and
age under MassHealth. State health plans may be found or
health insurance. Reading and equipment lists are supplied by
reviewed at https://betterhealthconnector.com).
the school. Most items listed may be purchased in the area at
• A photocopy/scan of your health insurance card.
the beginning of the year. The school has two computers avail-
• Photocopy/scan of immunization proof (your primary care
able for shared student use in the studio; however, each student
physician should be able to supply this to you). Visit www.
is required to have a laptop computer and basic computer
mass.gov for current state requirements). If you have not
skills. (Details on computer requirements are updated on the
completed or are not able to complete all of the required
equipment list each year.) A smartphone with a camera is also
shots before Conway begins, you must schedule the remain-
recommended but not required.
ing shots with your physician and inform the school of the
Living expenses for food, housing, moderate travel, and other routine expenditures vary from student to student. Health
schedule. • Immunization Survey.
insurance is required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Expenses beyond tuition for the ten months average between $20,000 and $25,000. The school shares a detailed list of anticipated expenses with prospective students via the Financial Aid Procedure document on its website (under Tuition and Fees).
HOUSING
LOANS The Conway School participates in the U.S. Department of Education’s Direct Loan Program. Stafford and Direct PLUS loans are available through this program. Stafford unsubsidized loans can fund up to $20,500 toward the cost of graduate education. These government loans are offered at fixed
Most students rent rooms, apartments, or houses in the
interest rates and repayment may be deferred while in school;
school’s surrounding area for their year of study. The school
loan payments need not begin until six months after gradua-
maintains a list of available rentals. Individuals make their
tion. Interest accrues on Stafford unsubsidized loans while a
own arrangements, usually during the spring and summer
student is enrolled in school. The interest can be capitalized
before school starts. Some students bring their partners and/
and deferred until repayment begins. Direct PLUS loans are
or children to the area for the year. Within a 15-minute drive or
available up to the total cost of attendance less any other
bike ride from school, students can find supplies and services,
financial assistance, including Stafford loans. These loans have
professional consultants, recreational facilities, bookstores,
an interest rate slightly higher than the Stafford loans and are
natural food stores, pharmacies, hospitals and clinics, theatres,
subject to a credit check. Repayment of these loans begins as
and restaurants.
soon as the loan is fully disbursed; however, you may automat-
Students also have access to town and college libraries,
ically apply an in-school deferment of your loan as long as you
including that of the University of Massachusetts which, as a
remain enrolled. There is no grace period on these loans when
land-grant college, also provides many non-academic resources
you stop attending school; however, you can request a six-
which relate to landscape design, including the Cooperative
month deferment from your graduation date. Both Stafford and
Extension Service, a soil testing center, the Massachusetts Data
Direct PLUS loans have a standard 10–15 year repayment term.
Bank, and the Earth Science Information Office, which has
Alternative or private student loans may also be available. It is
extensive land use maps of the region. Franklin, Hampshire, and
important to keep in these factors in mind:
Hampden Counties are home to regional resources such as the
Natural Resource Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
loans require a cosigner.
Service, and regional planning agencies.
• The interest rate is often based on your credit rating.
• Fees vary among programs.
HEALTH INSURANCE
• Not all alternative loan programs have a grace period.
Massachusetts law requires that all full-time students enrolled in
All students who are considering applying for financial
a college, university or other institution of higher learning in the
aid must complete the Department of Education’s Free
state must participate in a health insurance plan with reasonable
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Student
coverage. Students must sign up for a health plan through the
Aid Report (SAR) generated from the FAFSA application
Massachusetts Health Connector or show proof of comparable
will be used by the school to help determine loan eligibility.
coverage in an alternate health plan. Prior to the first day of
FAFSA can completed online. Loans can be originated by the
school, students must submit the following documents to the
school only after a student has been accepted, confirmed
school:
attendance by countersigning and returning the enrollment
• Alternative loans are usually credit-based and many
• Signed health insurance waiver.
agreement, returned the signed financial aid award letter
• A photocopy/scan of your health insurance plan’s summary
received from the school, completed the online financial
of coverage (Massachusetts’ Department of Public Health
aid entrance interview, and completed a Master Promissory
requires that students enrolled at an institution of higher
Note(s). To ensure that loan funds will be available when school
education have health insurance coverage comparable to
begins in September, applicants can and are strongly advised
www.csld.edu 21
to start financial aid applications at the same time they apply
credit hour as “an amount of work represented in intend-
for admission.
ed learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institution-established equivalence
SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS
that reasonably approximates not less than: (1) One hour of
Need-based grants are often available from the school. Conway
classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two
gladly assists students who are applying for other sources of
hours of out-of-class student work each week for approxi-
funding. A list of potential scholarship resources is available on
mately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of
our website. More information on financial aid is available at the
credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit,
Conway website (csld.edu), from Conway’s Executive Director
or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of
(stedman@csld.edu), or from the Department of Education
time; or (2) At least an equivalent amount of work as required
(studentaid.ed.gov).
in section (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work
TRANSFER CREDITS Conway’s program is highly integrated and intensive, and the school does not accept academic credits for previous education and training.
projects in studio (with faculty supervision) and outside of 5pm, with some exceptions). Classwork, assignments, speak-
Students accepted into the program are automatically enrolled in and approved for the program courses. Students learn through required regular attendance and full participation in classes, field trips, lectures, and workshops, and through completion of exercises, assignments, and projects. The graduate degree requires consistent attendance. Learning is applied in one site-scale and two community projects. Students demonstrate learning and skills in the following products and performance areas, for which credits toward the master’s degree are granted. Grades are not given. Partial credits are not awarded. A student either satisfactorily completes work in each category or is given an incomplete. Students should regularly check her/his list of completed work. Unfinished work at the end of a term will be noted.
Fall Term
ers, field sessions, and other school activities and academic work are integrated with and support project work, and work on projects informs learning in other academic activities. Students typically work many hours every week on their projects, either individually or with team-mates, though the degree credits are not allocated separately for project work (as some institutions award for theses, for example). Students report that they work typically 50 to 58 hours per week during each term, on average. Over the 40 weeks of the Conway academic year (not including winter and spring breaks), students can expect to work a minimum of 2,000 hours. This exceeds the minimum hours (900) required by federal regulations for a 30-credit degree over three terms. Attendance Policy Eligibility for financial aid will be jeopardized if satisfactory ac-
Courses and Credits Awarded
Ecological Design Workshop
attend scheduled classes and also work on classwork and scheduled school hours (generally Monday to Friday, 9am to
COURSES AND CREDITS
Course
leading to the award of credit hours.” Conway School students
ademic progress is not maintained. Attendance is kept inforWinter Term
2
Spring Term
mally by faculty - by observation and interaction. As graduate
2
students working in a studio setting with a maximum of 18, it is always clear when students are “attending”. In addition, fac-
Ecological Planning Workshop
ulty members regularly confer with students individually and
2
in design teams and have close daily and weekly contact with students. A student may be placed on academic probation
Digital Design & Planning Methods
2
Site Analysis & Design
2
Site Engineering & Design
2
2
if he/she fails to attend classes, presentations, field trips or guest lectures, and/or is chronically late.
SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS Once per term, students will receive formal notice of their 2
2
academic standing. “In Good Standing” status indicates that the student is satisfactorily completing class and project work and participating appropriately in the academic life of the
Humanities
2
2
2
school. (This can be summed up as “effort” [working hard
Ecology and Field Work
2
2
2
even if the results are not what you hope for], “attendance” [showing up, being present, supporting classmates in their
Total Credits = 30
work], and “attitude” [showing a willingness to work through challenges both on your own and in collaboration with faculty
Note on Credit/Clock Hours: Federal regulation defines a
and classmates].) “Not In Good Standing” status indicates to
22 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
the student that some improvement is needed; this status may
fessional development and practice. The student must apply
result, for example:
and demonstrate understanding by carrying out three major
• If observation shows the student is regularly failing to com-
design projects from initial contact with an outside client to
plete adequately assignments or project work;
final delivery of all necessary drawings, reports, public pre-
• If the student fails to attend classes, presentations, field
sentations, technical data, research, and recommendations.
trips, or guest lectures;
Throughout the ten-month program, regular attendance and
• If the student is chronically late to classes, presentations,
active participation in classes, presentations, workshops, ed-
field trips, or guest lectures; or
ucational field trips, and special events offered at the school,
• If the student’s work is seriously incomplete (for example,
and satisfactory completion of academic exercises, assign-
several major or many smaller assignments are missing at the
ments, and readings are all required. Conway students who
end of a term).
successfully complete the program of requirements outlined
If the performance of a student receiving such status does not
above will earn 30 credits and will graduate. Candidates who
improve, the student will be placed on Academic Probation.
have fulfilled all degree requirements will be granted the Mas-
Students placed on Academic Probation will receive written
ter of Science in Ecological Design. A checklist is provided to
notice of probationary status and a record will placed in their
students at the end of the year to ensure all academic require-
permanent file. A student who is placed on academic proba-
ments have been met and that all other obligations to school,
tion may appeal this decision by submitting a written request
clients, and other students have been fulfilled. This checklist
to the Academic Director explaining in detail why they should
must be turned in before the degree can be granted.
not be placed on probation. The Academic Director will review the case, confer with faculty, and meet with the student be-
Written evaluation of the program, core faculty, adjuncts, and
fore determining if the probation should stand or be revoked.
guest teachers by the students is required by the school’s
If revoked, no record of academic probation will appear in the
accrediting agency, the New England Commission of High-
student’s files. Academic Probation puts the degree candidate
er Education. Evaluation forms will be provided to students
on official notice that the master’s degree will not be attained
several times a year and must be completed promptly. This
without significant improvement. Academic Probation puts
obligation must be fulfilled before graduation.
the non-degree candidate on official notice that the awarding of a certificate from Conway will not be achieved without
POLICY ON SUSPENSION & DISMISSAL
significant improvement. While faculty will make efforts to
A student enrolled in the program may be issued a warning or
give any student on Academic Probation extra assistance, the
suspended upon unanimous recommendation of the coordina-
ultimate responsibility for fulfilling requirements lies with the
tors, and may be dismissed upon unanimous recommendation
individual student.
by the coordinators to, and approval by, the Chair of the Board of Trustees.
Reinstatement A student on Academic Probation is reinstated when all work
Causes for warning, suspension, or dismissal are illegal acts,
is competently completed, the student is up to date with
violation of behavioral standards as set forth below, plagia-
ongoing assignments, and is participating appropriately in all
rism, failure or inability to meet basic program requirements
academic activities. Procedure for reinstatement: the student
of attending classes and completing assignments and project
first completes all required work due, submits it to the appro-
work to an acceptable standard, or not paying tuition and
priate faculty for review, and gains approval. The student then
participation fees. In the last two instances named, students
requests a meeting with faculty and shows at the meeting that
must be officially notified at a conference with faculty that
missing work is complete and ongoing schoolwork is up to
(a) incomplete or unacceptable academic performance or (b)
date and meets the required standard. If faculty unanimously
nonpayment is causing dismissal to be considered, and faculty
agree that acceptable improvement and performance have
will discuss solutions other than dismissal with the student.
been demonstrated, the Academic Director takes the student
In these instances, the student will be given at least four
off Academic Probation by placing a written reinstatement
weeks to demonstrate academic improvement or to provide
in the student’s permanent file, and provides a copy of the
funds or an acceptable plan for meeting financial obligations.
reinstatement to the student.
The criteria for academic performance are those listed in this student handbook. The schedule for payment of tuition
Financial Aid
and fees is listed in the agreement form each student signs
Eligibility for financial aid will be jeopardized if satisfactory
before entering the program. Faculty and trustees honor the
academic progress is not maintained.
school’s commitment to try to understand and assist students experiencing difficulty; however, the school is an educational
Graduation Requirements
institution which can operate only if students meet academic
To receive the Master of Science degree, a student must
and financial requirements. In the rare event of dismissal, the
demonstrate understanding of design theory, of natural and
student will be given written notification. Dismissal will be
built environments, of design communication, and of pro-
effective immediately. The student will no longer attend the www.csld.edu 23
school and will remove personal belongings. The student will remain responsible for all payments owed to the school according to guidelines in the refund policy. Appeal may be made in writing to the Board of Trustees. Refer to the Student Handbook for detailed information about Behavioral Standards, Ethical Practices, and Legal Compliance.
REFUND POLICY Conway has no insurance plan to compensate for loss of tuition due to unanticipated separation. You may be able to acquire an independent tuition refund insurance plan to help reduce financial loss should you not complete the academic year. Contact your insurance representative for details. If the student terminates the agreement with Conway in writing, or if the student must withdraw from school for any reason, the following refund policy will apply:
Therefore, the student may still owe a balance to the school to cover unpaid institutional charges. To calculate the percentage of Title IV aid earned: Divide the number of days to be completed in the term as of the last date of attendance in the payment period by the total days in the term. If this percentage is greater than 60%, the student earns 100%. If less than or equal to 60%, the calculation is: % earned times total aid disbursed or could have been disbursed = AMOUNT STUDENT EARNED. Subtract the Title IV aid earned from the total disbursed = AMOUNT TO BE RETURNED.
VETERANS The Conway School welcomes applications from military veterans and military-connected students. We are committed to making our program accessible for veterans and their dependents. Conway works with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide one-on-one assistance to covered individuals (any individual who is entitled to educational assistance under chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, or chapter 33, Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits) concerning GI Bill®
First Payment Period Time of Withdrawal
Refund Amount of First Tuition Payment
Prior to the first day of school
100%
From the first day of school through October 4, 2021
50%
October 5 through November 8, 2021
25%
After November 8, 2021
No Refund
Second Payment Period Time of Withdrawal
Refund Amount of Second Tuition Payment
Prior to February 1, 2022
100%
February 2 through February 28, 2022
50%
March 1 through March 31, 2022
25%
After March 31, 2022
No Refund
The school complies with all laws and regulations that govern governmental student loan programs. Any student who participates in a governmental loan program, which program allows termination of enrollment and tuition refund, may terminate theis Agreement at any time. The termination by the student must be in writing and will be effective when received by the school. The tuition and fees refund policy is stated in the enrollment contract. Before leaving school, the student is obligated to pay in full any debts owed the school. The student’s diploma may be withheld until payment is received.
Title IV Credit Balance Policy Any Title IV credit balance due a student will be refunded within 24 hours of being posted to the student’s Conway School account. Return to Title IV Policy RETURN OF TITLE IV FUNDS. [For the full policy, please use this link.] The US Dept. of Ed. specifies how the Conway School must determine the amount of federal student financial aid (Title IV) program assistance that has been earned if a student withdraws from school. In some cases, the student will be required to return unearned Title IV funds. The Return of Title IV process may also result in the student owing the school for unpaid tuition and fees. The requirements for Title IV program funds when a student withdraws are separate from the Conway School’s institutional refund policy.
benefits, as well as other financial aid benefits and needs. Please contact us for more information. We look forward to helping you understand and maximize your veterans benefits. GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/ gibill. The Conway School additionally participates in the Yellow Ribbon GI Bill Education Enhancement Program, also known as the Yellow Ribbon Program. This participation permits the school and the VA to provide matching funds to cover all or a portion of the outstanding amount of established charges not covered under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The Conway School will provide a contribution of $1,000 to each Yellow Ribbon participant during each academic year. The Conway School’s billing adheres to the requirements of and complies with S2248 PL 115-407 Section 103. The Conway School will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds, on any covered individual because of the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement funding from VA under chapter 31 or 33. The Conway School will allow any covered individual to attend a course of education during the period beginning on the date on which the individual provides to the educational institution a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under chapter 31 or 33 (a “certificate of eligibility” can also include a “Statement of Benefits” obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ [VA] website eBenefits, or a VAF 28-1905 form for chapter 31 authorization purposes) and ending on the earlier of the following dates: - The date on which payment from VA is made to the institution. - 90 days after the date the institution certified tuition and fees following the receipt of the certificate of eligibility. This allows a student to attend the course until VA provides payment to the institution. Section 103 requires a State Approving Agency (SAA), or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) when acting in the role of the SAA, to disapprove certain courses of education. VA can grant a waiver to these requirements. The VA must make payments to schools no later than 60 days after receiving the tuition and fee certification from the school, and they would have to report semiannually to Congress any cases in which VA fails to make such payments within 60 days of certification. Compliant with Section 702 of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 (“Choice Act”), the School does not charge qualifying Veterans and dependents tuition and fees in excess of the rate for resident students for terms. All students are charged the same tuition rate.
24 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
POST-GRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES
PARTNERS
The Conway Network
The Conway School collaborates with other educational
The Conway community includes about 700 graduates who
institutions. We have an agreement with the University of
work in a variety of different fields all over North America.
Massachusetts at Amherst and the University of Georgia
The best career development resource the school can offer
allowing qualified Conway graduates to enter into the
is access to this network. Staff and faculty are happy to help
second year of the schools’ MLA (Master in Landscape
prospective students, current students, and graduates make
Architecture) programs.
connections based on geographic area and/or profession. We also highly recommend using LinkedIn for career networking.
Conway also collaborates with non-profit organizations,
Dual Degree Programs: MSED + MLA
Design/Build School, TerraCorps, and the Permaculture
such as the Ecological Landscape Alliance, Yestermorrow
Some Conway students choose to continue their education
Skills Center. Learn more about our partners online: csld.
and pursue a Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA).
edu/partners.
This is a more traditional three-year program that prepares students to become board-certified landscape architects. We’ve made it easy to take this step at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the University of Georgia, where Conway graduates who are accepted to these schools may enter the second year of their MLA programs. Graduates have also made similar arrangements of their own at a range of other schools around the world.
Governance The Conway School of Landscape Design, Inc., is a Massachusetts non-profit corporation organized under Chapter 180 of the General Laws as a school of landscape design and land-use planning.
BOARD OF
Mollie Babize ’84
TRUSTEES
Walter Cudnohufsky
William Dwight Chair City of Northampton Theresa Sprague ’08 Vice Chair BlueFlax Design LLC Stephen Thor Johnson Treasurer Sage Advisors John O’Keefe Clerk
EMERITUS TRUSTEES
Associates (retired) David Bird (d. 2007) Emily Davis ’14
Gordon H. Shaw ’89
Consultant & Planner,
Virginia Sullivan ‘86
JD Candidate ‘22
Bruce Stedman ’78
Kathleen McCormick ’08 David E. Pascucci Pascucci, Teixeira & Co., PC (retired) Jenna Webster ’09 Larry Weaner Landscape Associates
Harvard Forest (retired)
www.csld.edu 25
Dear prospective student, We hope that you have enjoyed reading this catalog. At Conway we emphasize site analysis and information gathering before proposing design solutions. Hopefully, this catalog has provided some of that context for your future career choices. We’d be thrilled if that discovery process led you to apply to our school. The most rewarding part of working at Conway is the sense of purpose shared by students, faculty, and staff. The multiplicity of perspectives and skills we bring will help us face challenges at both local and global scales. It is clear that every person at Conway acts with a sense of responsibility to nature and to humanity, and this ties Photo of Adrian
us together. This passion is probably best displayed during students’ project presentations. We encourage you to join us for one of these days, which take place three times a year. They are informative, fun, and inspiring. Please reach out, whether you have a simple question about the program or you’re trying to figure out if ecological design is the right career path for you. We would be happy to have a phone conversation, exchange email messages, or schedule a visit to campus. Warmly,
Professor Kim Erslev and visiting instructor Jono Neiger discuss functional relationships between site program elements. Students built models (foreground) to experiment with methods for shaping space using hardscape and vegetation.
Faculty and Staff of the Conway School admissions@csld.edu (413) 203-6774
“Conway offers the kind of education you need not just to make a living but to make a difference.” —B ILL MC K IBB E N, AUTHO R, EDUCATO R, ENVI RO NME N TA L I ST, A N D CO FO U N D E R O F 35 0.O RG
“The school’s graduates are experts, without a doubt, but experts with a professional ethos very different from the doctrinaire theoretician designer, who brings her or his vision to impose on the project. Instead, they are experts at understanding human desires and finding the way to express them in ecologically sound design.” —DR. JILL K E R CO NWAY, FO RMER PRESI DENT, SMI TH CO L L EG E , MASSACH U S E T TS www.csld.edu | (413) 369-4044 | 88 Village Hill Road, Northampton, MA 01060 26 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
the
Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design
ConwaySchool 88 Village Hill Road Northampton, MA 01060 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Conway students work on real projects for real clients. Cara Montague and Shaine Meulmester (Class of 2020) produced a stream restoration plan for a municipal park in Longmeadow, MA.
