Engaging Genius: President Frances Bronet on Working Across Domains and Imagining What We Can Do Together

Portrait by Lyndon French, courtesy of Pratt Institute.

By Julia Gamolina

Frances Bronet is president of Pratt Institute in New York City. An educator and leader at the forefront of interdisciplinary learning, Bronet previously served as senior vice president and provost at Illinois Institute of Technology; acting provost and dean of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts of the University of Oregon; and architecture professor, associate dean, and acting dean at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Her extensively funded work on multidisciplinary design curricula—from architecture and engineering to dance and fine arts, coupled with her own action-based installations with internationally acclaimed artists—have been highly recognized.

President Bronet holds architecture and engineering professional degrees from McGill University; she received her graduate degree from Columbia University. She was licensed by the Quebec Ordre des Architectes, and has practiced in multiple award-winning offices in New York and Canada, including her own in Montreal. In her interview with Julia, President Bronet talks about her journey to and in academia, and her core mission with higher education, advising those just starting their careers to respect everyone's genius.

JG: How did your interest in architecture first develop? What did you learn about yourself in studying it?

FB: Since I was seventeen I was interested in being the head of a think tank, working in a place where everyone is thoughtful and imagining what we could do together. That said, I’m not sure I had a specific interest in architecture, having grown up in an environment that was desperately devoid of aesthetic or environmental aspirations. I will say I always looked for the toughest challenges, so I went into engineering and architecture sat within engineering.

SpillOut, a performance piece by Bronet with the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company.

How did you get your start in the field?

I attended McGill University and studied architecture, civil engineering, and management. After I graduated, I began teaching at McGill, Vanier (a community college), and Montreal Technical College in the evenings, after working in practice during the day. The recession at the time, and losing my job, probably supercharged my teaching jobs. After seven years in professional practice, I realized I wanted to continue in the academy and went to graduate school in architecture at Columbia University.

After Columbia, as an engineer and architect with teaching experience, I was offered a few jobs, from the University of Texas to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), as a tenure-related faculty member. The rest is history and I’ve taught for nearly thirty years.

“This year’s circumstances forced us all to adapt rapidly...But the immediate reaction is not all. The higher education discourse at large is forced to rethink long-term solutions for greater accessibility and wellness for students from all walks of life.”

— Frances Bronet

Walk me through your career evolution.

I’ve worked since I was a child. From the paper route at eight, to babysitting by the time I was nine years old, to being a doctor’s aide while in college. I worked for the National Research Council, and for architects during the summers. Then I worked in the best design offices in Montreal, and eventually opened my own office. I began teaching, and then quickly realized I needed to go to graduate school. I supervised construction in Southampton while working at RPI, so I had a long commute for many years.

I began my academic career as a faculty member at RPI and as soon as I was tenured, I became Associate Dean. I should say that I also was pregnant at that moment too. I waited for tenure before having a baby, which was a huge risk — being thirty-eight with my first and then forty-three with my second.

Being Associate Dean was a wonderful experience. This position let me build relationships and engage an extraordinary amount of intelligence and ambition. Of course there are architects who would bypass administration, but it can be incredibly creative. I then left RPI to become dean of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts (now the College of Design) at the University of Oregon. Being dean across domains — from painting to architecture to public policy — gave me access to understanding the big picture. I then went on to be Provost at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago and now have the honor of being the President of Pratt Institute.

Ile des Soeurs Row Housing by Dan Hanganu, Architecte (where President Bronet was working at the time).

Looking back at it all, what have been the biggest challenges?

2020 has been extremely challenging, but I am someone who thrives with challenges. The pandemic dropped new, unforeseen obstacles and uncertainties into our lives. This year’s circumstances forced us all to adapt rapidly. Take for example the new incubators that are retooling right now, for example our partners at the Brooklyn Navy Yard who pivoted hard to turn bike magnet manufacturing to innovative ventilators or our faculty and technicians that partnered to build PPE of all sorts.

But the immediate reaction is not all. The higher education discourse at large is forced to rethink long-term solutions for greater accessibility and wellness for students from all walks of life. As part of higher education’s transformation, we must develop new models and also new degree models.

This is the moment when we are rethinking mobility and current transportation to include flexibility for close or far contact, reexamination of existing and new infrastructure, while including all populations. How will cities be informed through democratic discourse and built thoughtfully with lenses of access and equity?

“Leading a school like Pratt, where teaching is led by an interdisciplinary approach and commitment to pushing boundaries, comes with the unique challenge of preparing the new generation of graduates for careers that don’t even exist yet.”

— Frances Bronet

Leading a school like Pratt, where teaching is led by an interdisciplinary approach and commitment to pushing boundaries, comes with the unique challenge of preparing the new generation of graduates for careers that don’t even exist yet. Today’s degree programs are being revised to explore new intersections, from technology-centered programs to science-based design.

Right now, the world needs a new cadre of professionals who can work to address and mitigate the consequences of the pandemic, anticipating the ability to pivot and plan nimbly in a way that can just as readily be prepared for future opportunities as well as crises. We don’t have years to ponder the possibilities, the new approaches need to be tested quickly.

Pratt is founded on commitment to the public good, and we realize that higher education is playing a crucial role in this pivotal moment, leading the research into new solutions that help us build a safer world.

Who are you admiring now?

My own colleagues at Pratt, who have been remarkable. The huge number of people working on the election and getting out the vote - the only way to have long term change

What is the impact you’d like to have on the world? What is your core mission?

To lead the transformation in higher education from the infrastructure of delivery platforms to the social, economic, environmental, and cultural content we are collectively reimagining for equity and access.

Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their career?

Take every opportunity - minimize maximum regret; listen to everyone; respect everyone’s genius.