Dr. John I. Carruthers, the founding director of the Sustainable Urban Planning program, left GW this summer to join Cornell University’s Department of City and Regional Planning as an associate professor.
His contributions to GW include eight years as leader and program director extraordinaire. He excelled in growing and shaping the SUP program to the point where it could pass the rigorous test of accreditation by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB). This high academic standard recognizes professional planning programs in North America based on performance, integrity and quality.
“PAB accreditation has elevated the Sustainable Urban Planning (SUP) program into the ranks of the truly elite planning programs, nationally and internationally. And, beyond the classroom, it places our program in a strong position to partner to the profession - in the National Capital Area and beyond," said Dr. Carruthers.
GW recognized the impact he has made at GW by selecting him as one of three university-wide recipients of this year’s George Washington Award, presented to students, faculty and staff who have made extraordinary contributions to the GW community.
“The program flourished under John's leadership. He formed it, grew it and brought it to national prominence. We will miss him at SUP, said Dr. Sandra Whitehead, new interim program director.”
About Dr. John I. Carruthers:
Dr. Carruthers holds a Ph.D. from the University of Washington. His areas of expertise include economic geography, urban and regional economics, environmental quality of life, and geospatial and econometric analysis. He is widely published in both regional science and urban planning publications.
Prior to joining the George Washington University, he served as an economist in the Economic Development and Public Finance Division of the Office of Policy Development and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He has previously held faculty positions at the University of Maryland, the University of Washington and the University of Arizona.