Florida Southern College hires Dr. Payne as the first dean of a new architecture school that will incorporate innovativeness, interior design, and architectural heritage.

Florida Southern College has appointed Dr. Andrew Phillip Payne as a foundation dean and professor of architecture of its innovative School of Architecture that will be launched in fall 2025. Having a profound knowledge of architecture, interior design, and academic leadership, Payne has decades of experience with institutions like Kennesaw State University, Indiana State University, and SCAD.

The school will be based on the Frank Lloyd Wright campus and combine both classical and innovative methods of architecture and interior design lectures, design studios, fabrication labs, and research facilities will be available. Payne focused on the possibility of forming future leaders in the sphere of architecture through practical education and admiration for architectural traditions.

The location of his academic interests in interior design and accessibility suits the school because of its modern dedication to innovative design in the built environment. This is an aspiring national program that would be used as an example of excellence in architecture and interior design education.

The college is hoping to receive its first classes of undergraduate architecture students this fall, with the graduate programs to follow.