Ming-Han Li, director of the Michigan State University’s School of Planning, Design and Construction, or SPDC, has been elected to the American Society of Landscape Architects’ Council of Fellows.
Election to the Council of Fellows is among the highest honors the ASLA bestows on members and is based on their work, leadership, management, knowledge and service.
Li is one of 22 fellows in this year's class, and among three elected from Michigan. Jon Burley, FASLA, associate professor of landscape architecture at SPDC, was elected as an ASLA fellow in 2010.
“The Michigan Chapter of ASLA is excited to see Dr. Li elected to the Council of Fellows. Our chapter is always searching for members who are good candidates for this honor,” said Ben Baker, ASLA, president of the Michigan ASLA. “Dr. Li's work and research is inspiring, and we are happy to have him as a member of our chapter and an educator in our state.”
Ron Hendrick, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources where SPDC is administratively housed, said this is election points to Li’s distinguished career that has spanned more than two decades.
“Dr. Li’s works diligently to transcend boundaries as the director of the school, and its connections to the colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Social Science,” Hendrick said. “His sustained efforts to bridge landscape architecture, planning and the transportation environment disciplines through research, teaching, and leadership/service is his hallmark.”
Nominees must be full members of the ASLA, and in good standing for at least 10 years. In addition, members must be recommended for the Council of Fellows by the Executive Committee of their local chapter, the ASLA Executive Committee or the Executive Committee of the Council of Fellows.
“It is a tremendous honor to join this select group of professionals. I have great mentors and colleagues who helped me along the way. Both ASLA and the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) helped me to build and shape my career,” Li said. “I also want to thank the Michigan Chapter of ASLA that nominated me for such a great honor.”
Li was inducted as a fellow of the Center for Health Systems and Design in 2014, and the Center for Housing and Urban Development in 2012 at Texas A&M. Most recently, he was inducted into the Academy of Fellows by CELA in 2017, where he served in various positions, including president.
Li was named one of the 25 “Most Admired Educators” for 2017 by DesignIntelligence.
His publications on landscape performance, bioretention stream water management, low impact development, streambank soil bioengineering, and landscape architecture pedagogy have been widely recognized in the United States and internationally.
“Dr. Li’s interdisciplinary focus between landscape architecture and engineering, and especially his innovative and important research contributions on how to use landscapes to contribute to water management, is an outstanding example of how we use our science to transform the human experience,” said Rachel Croson, dean of the College of Social Science. “This is a well-deserved honor for Dr. Li, for the School of Planning, Design and Construction, for the two colleges of Social Science, and Agricultural and Natural Resources, and for MSU.”
The ASLA will formally recognize its 2019 Fellows at the ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture, Nov. 15-18, in San Diego.
