Meet the dean
A message from Dean Renée Cheng
In a time marked by uncertainty and rapid technological evolution, the world needs the optimistic and courageous vision that design and the arts uniquely provide.
At the Herberger Institute, we believe:
- design and the arts are not luxuries—they are essential forces with the transformative power of creativity to solve real-world challenges and transform society.
- in the age of AI, we are called to be more profoundly human—bringing empathy, imagination, and contextual thinking to the forefront.
- creativity belongs to everyone—from every place and every background, at every age.
We need solutions at the scale of our global challenges. That’s why we’re investing in the creative power of people who are committed to shaping a more abundant, compassionate and connected future. Our students learn to synthesize ideas across disciplines—from ecology and behavioral science to engineering and storytelling—creating work that benefits not only humans, but all life.
We are building a future where every child born in Arizona and California has access to a personal pathway for lifelong creative growth. We’re expanding enrollment, removing barriers, and supporting students with the resources they need to succeed—because the talent that will shape our world is already here. Our role is to help it thrive.
Together, we are designing not just new careers and new futures, but new systems of care, connection and possibility.
Renée Cheng
Senior Vice Provost, Dean and Professor
About Dean Renée Cheng
Cheng was named ASU Senior Vice Provost and Herberger Institute Dean in 2024, and started in her new role on Nov. 1, 2024.
Prior to ASU, she served as the John and Rosalind Jacobi Family Dean of the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington, where she helped increase enrollment by 35%, tripled research funding and shifted the culture to encourage interdisciplinary and collaborative work. She has also served as head of the School of Architecture at University of Minnesota and as associate dean for research for the College of Design and assistant professor of architecture at the University of Arizona.
In addition to being an industry leader, an academic leader, an educator and an architect, she is also a painter, a draftsman, a ceramicist, a weaver and an early adopter of VR.
Cheng believes that design and the arts have a critical role to play in advancing solutions to the world’s most pressing and complicated problems.
Education and experience
- Dean, University of Washington College of Built Environments, 2019—2024.
- Research Committee, Lean Construction Institute, 2017—2024.
- Professor, School of Architecture, College of Design, University of Minnesota, 2002—2018.
- Licensed architect and worked for Pei, Cobb, Freed and Partners, and Richard Meier and Partners before founding Cheng-Olson Design.
- Master of Architecture, Harvard University Graduate School, 1989.
- Bachelor's, psychology and social relations, Harvard College, 1985
Recognition
- Honored twice as one of the top 25 most admired design educators in the United States by DesignIntelligence.
- Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture's College of Distinguished Professor.
- American Institute of Architecture’s College of Fellows.
Featured stories
"It is actually through design and the arts, facilitated by and provoked by things that design and the arts can do — to pose the what-ifs, to show what the possible futures are, to inspire people, to challenge people in ways that are accessible and profoundly connected — that we will advance toward solutions."
— Renée Cheng