Whole Systems Design Completes New Studio

Our friends and colleagues at Whole Systems Design in Moretown, VT have recently completed a beautiful new studio and shop. The WSD team includes many Yestermorrow faculty and alumni, including Ben Falk, Michael Blazewicz, Buzz Ferver, Keith Morris and Micah Whitman. The WSD team now operates out of a dual purpose studio-workshop that models principles in passive solar design, site-building integration, site-based materials use, optimized indoor air quality and more. View Photo Gallery

Yestermorrow Public Lectures

Interested in finding out more about Yestermorrow but can't make it to Vermont? We'll be doing public presentations at a variety of schools this fall and winter:

October 22
School of Architecture Media Classroom, 6 - 6:45 p.m.
Philadelphia University
Kyle Bergman

November 7
Ecosa Institute
Steve Badanes

November 19
Berea College
Steve Badanes

December 12
Rural Studio
Steve Badanes

March 27 or 28
BAC
Steve Badanes

June 3
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (Newport VT)
Kate Stephenson

Music at the 'Morrow

Who knew the acoustics in the shop were so good when you turn off the dust collector??? Regular jam sessions have been happening all over campus-- on this occasion it was the last intern morning meeting with both the summer crew and the incoming fall interns, led by Dave Warren, facilities manager on standup bass.

Kate Stephenson to serve as interim director of Yestermorrow

The search for Yestermorrow’s next Executive Director is underway. The Search Committee is made up of current and former members of the Board of Directors and will conduct a nationwide search for the individual to succeed Bob Ferris as executive director of Yestermorrow. Director of Operations Kate Stephenson has agreed to serve as interim director beginning October 1, and to remain in that role until a new director is employed. She will then remain as Director of Operations for the new director’s orientation period. Stephenson, who early on alerted the Yestermorrow Board of Directors that she had decided not to be a candidate for the executive director’s role, has been at Yestermorrow since 2002. Her commitment to continue to manage Yestermorrow’s exceptional 9 member staff—and the full scope of Yestermorrow operations in general—provides the School with extraordinarily valuable administrative leadership and continuity and provides the Search Committee and the board of directors with the opportunity to engage in a thorough search for the next director without any deadline constraints.

More information on the executive director search will be published at www.yestermorrow.org in the coming weeks.

Mac Rood
President, Board of Directors

$25,000 in Scholarship Funds Available

A generous anonymous donor has created a $25,000.00 scholarship fund at Yestermorrow Design/Build School. The donor has urged the School’s staff and Board of Directors to spend these monies before the end of the School’s fiscal year in March of 2009.

This fund will be used for potential students who want and need to take a Yestermorrow course, but do not have the resources for tuition, travel expenses or child care. Those interested in applying should do so as soon as possible, either by visiting the School’s website at www.yestermorrow.org, or calling the School at 888.496.5541. Email questions about the scholarship application should be directed to designbuild@yestermorrow.org.

“I don’t think that I have to tell anyone that times are tough out there,” stated Bob Ferris, Yestermorrow’s Executive Director. “As a hands-on school we obviously believe that thinking and doing go hand-in-hand — teaching and action. And the action in this instance is to see what we can do to help those that need a little extra help.”

“We value diversity here at Yestermorrow and want to spread what we teach and how we teach it to the widest possible audience. We owe a lot of thanks to our donor for helping us to open our doors wider to the very students who will benefit most from a Yestermorrow experience,” added Yestermorrow’s Board President Mac Rood.

Potential students interested in the scholarship program will be asked to complete an application that includes financial information and personal life-long learning goals. Decisions about disbursement of the funds will be made by a committee comprised of Yestermorrow staff and Board members. Scholarships will be awarded on a rolling and timely basis.

A Note from Bob

Dear friends,

It is with a mixed sense of accomplishment and the regret associated with moving from one challenge to looking for the next, that I announce that I'm leaving Yestermorrow Design/Build School. (Now, I have said the difficult part.)

During my tenure we accomplished great things in terms of building needed infrastructure, increasing the visibility of the school, and managing our often extraordinary growth. I firmly believe that the school's reputation, overall visibility, and staff strength have never been better or higher than at this point in time. But they need to and will improve.

The bottom-line is that as Yestermorrow enters this next and important phase of its growth, the organization needs an Executive Director to be someone with well-developed skills in architecture and design rather than my wider experience in natural systems, advocacy, and sustainability. I believe this is the right decision for the school and for me, but I will miss working with this dedicated staff, the instructors, students, and board.

I have grown so close to many of you and thank you all for you loyalty, cooperation and friendship. I sincerely hope to retain these relationships long after I leave my current position at Yestermorrow.

Here is looking forward to our next encounter,

Bob Ferris
Executive Director