{"id":1307,"date":"2026-08-14T09:01:42","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T13:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/foundation\/?p=1307"},"modified":"2026-09-02T09:20:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T13:20:10","slug":"more-than-just-buildings-designworks-academy-teaches-critical-thinking-and-creativity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/foundation\/2026\/08\/14\/more-than-just-buildings-designworks-academy-teaches-critical-thinking-and-creativity\/","title":{"rendered":"More Than \u2018Just Buildings:\u2019 DesignWorks Academy Teaches Critical Thinking and Creativity"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5>Written By | Ruth Hartje<\/h5>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XOkAyST-Jww?si=e9TSfrlj-Tt5DhAd\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=knZ0QpwCbfY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener lightbox-video-0\">Watch an audio-described version of DesignWorks Summer Academy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Immersion into Design<\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">On a hot summer day, DesignWorks Academy students gather on University Green, arranging pipes and cardboard as they learn about scale in architectural design.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">During the two-week residential program in July, high school students live and learn on Ball State\u2019s campus while exploring architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning. Chris Marlow, associate professor of landscape architecture and a five-time DesignWorks Academy instructor, guides students from the classroom to the studio and field sites.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cYou\u2019re immersed immediately into the college life experience, the studio designing experience, the professional on-the-ground, built-environment experience,\u201d Marlow said. \u201cIt all matters in a big way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now in its 46th year, DesignWorks Academy engages students through projects, field trips, and interactions with professionals and alumni.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIt starts with being creative, teaching them about the studio culture, teaching them about design principles, how to make things, how to draw, and how to experience the built environment,\u201d Marlow said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe big priority is we want them to have fun. We want them to experience something that\u2019s unique and different from what they\u2019re used to.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gabi Hewlin attended DesignWorks Academy as a high school junior three years ago. She is now a Ball State junior majoring in architecture with a minor in interior design.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMy favorite part of the program was interacting with different students from different places and bouncing ideas around to get our projects and assignments done,\u201d Hewlin said. \u201cThe program really opened my eyes to how much broader the field of architecture is. It\u2019s not only designing houses or buildings but also looking at how people interact with a space and not just what a space looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">The academy\u2019s collaborative format reflects professional practice, where designers work in studios, visit project sites, and develop ideas with colleagues. Those experiences helped Hewlin understand what a future career in design could involve.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cSite visits showed me how to interact with people in a firm and how to collaborate on ideas,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aria Brown, now a Ball State sophomore, also participated in the academy as a high school student. She was drawn to architecture and urban planning because of her desire to make a difference in her hometown.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMy main goals are to go back home and do something in my community,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI have an interest in both architecture and urban planning, partly because those are issues that face my home community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brown said DesignWorks Academy helped her choose a major.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe curricula of the program helped me choose between urban planning and architecture,\u201d she said. \u201cI had discussions with the program mentors about which field I wanted to go into and which aspects were being explored in those fields. It was pivotal for my decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">In addition to introducing students to architecture and design, the academy gives prospective students an opportunity to experience Ball State and the Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">The program helps the University and college attract \u201cthe most accomplished, the best, and the brightest students,\u201d Marlow said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Each year, between 30 and 60 students learn to work together while addressing complex design challenges.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cYou get students who are used to a single correct answer for a simple problem, and now they\u2019re encountering many correct answers to complex problems,\u201d Marlow said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">That more nuanced way of thinking prepares students for what they may encounter in future coursework and careers.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIt\u2019s satisfying to see that cognitive growth from high school, junior or senior, all the way through graduation,\u201d Marlow said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen that growth several times over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>Building on Support<\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Donor support helps provide materials, field trips, housing, and scholarships that make the academy experience possible.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cPhilanthropy allows us to buy materials and to fund trips to Columbus, Indiana, for example,\u201d Marlow said. \u201cIt allows students to stay in the residence halls to get that college experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brown received a scholarship that allowed her to attend the academy.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI received a scholarship to go to the DesignWorks program,\u201d she said. \u201cI really appreciated that because my family wanted to send me and explore my interest in architecture and Ball State. My participation hinged on receiving the scholarship; without it, I wouldn\u2019t have been able to attend the program at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brown\u2019s scholarship was funded through the Strohm College of Architecture and Planning Inclusive Excellence Scholarship Fund, established in 2022 by Paul Strohm, \u201980, and Leslie Strohm. Recognizing the barriers some students face when pursuing higher education, the Strohms sought to make the program more accessible, particularly for students from underrepresented and underserved areas and school districts.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since its establishment, the fund has helped 22 students attend DesignWorks Academy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Strohms also established a separate fund, Strohm Scholars, to support DesignWorks participants who choose to attend Ball State and pursue an education in architecture and planning.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Their hope is that students\u2019 immersion in design and life on Ball State\u2019s campus will encourage them to choose the University. For those who do, the Strohms want students to know that additional financial support is available.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brown also found a support system among her DesignWorks classmates. Those relationships helped her navigate the Ball State application and portfolio-building process.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since the inaugural cohort, 100 percent of Strohm Scholars have continued their education into their second or third year at Ball State, demonstrating the powerful role donor support can play in students\u2019 academic persistence and success.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">DesignWorks Academy participants learn about the University, the Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning, and their own abilities and interests.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThey\u2019re going to create all kinds of new memories, new friends, and a new confidence in their abilities to think creatively,\u201d Marlow said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Want to learn more about the how philanthropy is impacting Ball State University? Then, check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bsu.edu\/foundation\/about\/annual-report\">FY26 Foundation Annual Report<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Written By | Ruth Hartje Watch an audio-described version of DesignWorks Summer Academy. Immersion into Design On a hot summer day, DesignWorks Academy students gather on University Green, arranging pipes and cardboard as they learn about scale in architectural design. During the two-week residential program in July, high school students live and learn on Ball [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":258,"featured_media":1304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[124],"class_list":["post-1307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-college-of-architecture-and-planning"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>More Than \u2018Just Buildings:\u2019 DesignWorks Academy Teaches Critical Thinking and Creativity - Ball State Foundation Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/foundation\/2026\/08\/14\/more-than-just-buildings-designworks-academy-teaches-critical-thinking-and-creativity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"More Than \u2018Just Buildings:\u2019 DesignWorks Academy Teaches Critical Thinking and Creativity - Ball State Foundation Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Written By | Ruth Hartje Watch an audio-described version of DesignWorks Summer Academy. 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