Dr. Nancy Panak Kwallek Endowed Chair in Design & Planning

Mar 8, 2016 | Chairs

The University of Texas at Austin honored Dr. Nancy Kwallek for her long service and significant contributions to the school and to interior design by creating this distinguished faculty chair. She is the first woman from the faculty to earn this honor. The endowment was created using generous gifts from alumni and friends, and matched by funds the University received from Longhorn Network revenue allocated by UT Presidents Powers and Fenves.

The chair supports visiting faculty recognized in the field. It is a fitting recognition of Dr. Kwallek as a leader in industry and at the university. Her research, frequently cited in professional publications, examined the responses to elements of office environments such as color, including variable impacts on mood, productivity, health, well-being and satisfaction.

Dr. Kwallek was director of the Interior Design Program for 32 years, and inaugural holder of the Gene Edward Mikeska Chair for Interior Design before retiring in 2015. In 2009, she established a multi-disciplinary Master of Interior Design Program, one of a handful in the United States housed in a school of architecture. Students create individual programs with broad access to UT’s resources in, for example, historic preservation, architectural design, arts education, theater and dance, American studies, anthropology or museum studies.

“Serving as head of the Interior Design program shaped me in indelible ways, and having the opportunity to share my knowledge and love of design with hundreds of students over the years was a true privilege.”  – Dr. Nancy Kwallek

Attention to elements of interior design by definition changes the way people experience their environment. Thanks to the vision and energy of Dr. Kwallek, generations of students start here and change the world, one idea at a time.

Revised on April 10, 2018

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