The College of Architecture at Texas A&M University joined the ranks of the nation's leading preservation education institutions in April 2002 when it was awarded membership in the National Council of Preservation Education.

"We have always actively contributed to the dialogue within the NCPE — from the technological, philosophical and educational point of view — without being a school that grants a degree in historic preservation," explained Anat Geva, assistant professor of architecture and a faculty fellow at A&M's Historic Resources Imaging Laboratory. "Now, as NCPE members, A&M can play an even larger role in shaping the future of preservation education in the nation."

Though Texas A&M does not offer a degree in historic preservation, the College of Architecture has maintained a graduate certificate program in historic preservation since 1995. That program has attracted students from anthropology, archeology, civil engineering, agriculture, business and other fields, as well as from the disciplines within the College of Architecture.

"The NCPE was very impressed with the interdisciplinary nature of our historic preservation program, and how it engages students from a wide variety of academic backgrounds," said Geva, who also serves as NCPE secretary.

Currently the NCPE encompasses over 50 member institutions that are nationally recognized leaders in the increasingly important role of heritage conservation. In addition to developing guidelines and standards for preservation education degree programs in the United States, the organization sponsors internships, preservation conferences and publishes research on a wide range of preservation topics.

According to Geva, membership in the NCPE lends considerable prestige to the College of Architecture, to the college's Historic Resources Imaging Laboratory and to the A&M historic preservation certificate. It also provides a forum through which A&M preservation faculty and students can share their work and be exposed to the research of other member institutions.

Additionally, the College of Architecture's NCPE membership will allow students to participate in research, competitions, conferences and other events pertinent to the heritage conservation community.

Texas A&M's role in historic preservation education began over 25 years ago, when the faculty began teaching students how to document historic buildings for the National Park Service's Historic American Buildings Survey. In 1991, the Historic Resources Imaging Laboratory was established in the College of Architecture and in the years since, A&M preservationists have been on the vanguard of U.S. heritage conservation initiatives.

To learn more about Texas A&M's Historic Resources Imaging Laboratory and historic preservation program visit the Web site at . For additional information about the National Council of Preservation Education, visit its Web site at http://www.uvm.edu/histpres/ncpe/index.html.