Associate Professor of Interior Design Alex Poorman has received the Carolinas Chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) 2017 Educator of the Year award. Poorman, who has taught the Department of Applied Design’s Interior Design Program for 10 years, also oversees the program’s internship placements.
The Educator of the Year Award recognizes and celebrates the outstanding accomplishments and commitment to interior design education by a full-time educator. According to Applied Design Department Chair Brian Davies, Poorman’s professional experience in education, healthcare, retail and workplace environments enables him to expose young designers to a range of opportunities in the discipline.
“Professionalism is at the core of Alex’s pedagogy, whether preparing students for professional practice or coaching their individual development,” he said.
Poorman also acts as a mentor to students throughout the duration of Appalachian’s demanding interior design program, advising individuals just out of high school, guiding groups of juniors on industry outings and being available at all hours to support seniors as they complete their capstone projects.
“We don’t know what the future will demand of our design students and it’s hard to teach about the unknown,” said Poorman. “In spite of this, our job today is to train and inspire, to expose and to allow exploration.”
About the Department of Applied Design
One of seven departments housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Department Applied Design at Appalachian State University fosters excellence in design education, design research and professional placement. The department balances theoretical and pragmatic approaches while exploring an awareness of impact through design decisions on the global community. Faculty focus on a holistic approach to creative problem-solving by integrating sustainability and ethical responsibility in teaching and practice. The department offers bachelor’s degrees in apparel design and merchandising, industrial design and interior design.
About Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University, in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference. As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system, Appalachian enrolls about 18,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
Associate Professor Alex Poorman
Associate Professor Alex Poorman was named 2017 Educator of the Year by the Carolinas Chapter of the International Interior Design Association. Photo submitted by Alex Poorman