Va. Tech names College of Architecture, Arts and Design dean

Virginia Tech has named a new dean to lead its College of Architecture, Arts, and Design (AAD) following an international search.

Tsai Lu Liu will start July 1. He has led the Department of Graphic Design and Industrial Design at North Carolina State University, in Raleigh, since 2012 and has a background in industry and academia.

Liu succeeds Rosemary Blieszner, who had served as interim dean of the college since August 2021 and led a realignment of its programming. He will also be a professor of industrial design within the college’s design school.

“During this important transitional period for the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design, Lu brings a wealth of academic and industry leadership experience to the college and a vision for working collaboratively to elevate its programs, faculty and national reputation,” Executive Vice President and Provost Cyril Clarke said in a statement. “His expertise and perspectives will be invaluable to our academic leadership team and to creating a strategic path forward for AAD that aligns with the goals and priorities of the university.”

Liu established corporate-sponsored research and partnerships and improved faculty and student diversity during his time at N.C. State. He also helped mentor and facilitate faculty grant applications totaling more than $2.3 million since 2019 and led the university’s efforts in “Design It Forward,” a partnership with IBM to help nonprofit organizations rethink how to understand, empathize and design for client needs. In 2021, Liu directed a team from the design college that developed public service announcements for North Carolina county governments.

Liu’s research and teaching interests include user-experience centered product/service innovation, user-centered design methods, inclusive design, design education and the social responsibility of designers. He earned a bachelor’s degree from National Cheng Kung University, in Taiwan, an MBA from George State University and a master’s of industrial design degree from Auburn University in Alabama, where he worked as a professor starting in 2004. He was appointed associate dean for research and academic affairs at Auburn’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction in 2011.

Liu has also worked in private industry, including helping create solutions in health care and telecommunications as well as the design, production and marketing of semiconductors, toys and electronic gaming systems.

“I am very humbled and honored to serve as the dean of the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design at Virginia Tech,” Liu said in a statement. “The academic strengths of AAD, the commitment to excellence, and tradition of service: These attributes place the college as an integral leader in the pursuit of inquiry, discovery and understanding. I am excited to be part of this extraordinary community as we explore scholarship, expression and inspiration and create experiences that will positively enhance and impact our world.”

AAD has more than 1,700 students and 200 faculty and staff members and includes the schools of architecture, design, performing arts and visual arts. The college offers 11 undergraduate degrees, five master’s degrees, a doctoral degree and a graduate certificate program.