John Scott Poole, FAIA, was appointed dean of the College of Architecture and Design in spring 2011 and stepped down to return to teaching in June 2021, when he was named Dean Emeritus by the University of Tennessee. During his tenure as dean, his primary strategic initiatives were to build collaborations and external partnerships, elevate the academic profile of the college’s students, and recruit and retain superior faculty members. 

Over the course of his academic career, Poole’s primary scholarly and outreach contribution has been increasing the awareness of contemporary Nordic architecture. Through publications, lectures, exhibits, symposiums, conferences, study tours, professional continuing education, and academic exchanges, he has elevated appreciation and understanding of Nordic architecture within America and across the globe. 

His book, The New Finnish Architecture, has been published in three languages and reprinted twice by Rizzoli International. 

He has been a guest professor at the Royal Academy of Technology in Stockholm, the University of Texas, Austin, the University of Calgary, and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. 

In 2012 and 2014 he was named one of the 25 Most Admired Educators in America by DesignIntelligence. He was elevated to Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2016 and was named a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council in 2021. 

In support of his scholarship, he has received grants from the Fulbright Scholar Program, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, the American-Scandinavian Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Education 

Master of Architecture., The University of Texas at Austin, 1983 

Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology, Temple University, 1973