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CREATE 2020

The CREATE 2020 Fund is a key component in elevating LAEP's national competitiveness, which resulted from 5 years of intensive rebuilding and investment in the Department. The Fund’s purpose is to position students in LAEP to compete effectively with peers from leading programs nationally by elevating excellence in design education. The Fund provides strategic resources for this purpose through differential tuition.

During fall and spring semesters, students, faculty and LAEP Advancement Board members submit proposals outlining how they would like to see differential tuition funds spent. Proposals are then voted on by the student body and faculty and funded until the semester's resources are exhausted. Some on-going proposals may be funded for up to two years. The CREATE 2020 Steering Committee, comprised of both students and faculty, ensures no more than 20% of all available funds will be earmarked to meet the needs of on-going proposals.

What we've done*:

Total - $245,000 | 75 proposals funded

2019 - $52,797

Visiting Practitioner Fund | New Projector in Junior Studio | Overhead Power Source | Screening of Five Seasons | ASLA Student Chapter Support | Mindfulness Workshop | Grad Research Fund | CliftonStrengths Assessment for Students 

2018 - $63,091

National ASLA Conference Attendance | Portfolio Design Workshop | Bioregional Planning Forum | 3D Printers | Sketch Workshop | Watercolor Class | Thesis Review | Studio Storage Space

2017 - $82,155

Standing Desks | Digital Plant Library | LARE Prep Materials | Cafe Tables and Chairs in Common Studio | Mike Lin Workshop | Studio Rendering Stations | Internship Bulletin Board | Graduate Studio Gathering Space 

2016 - $32,436

National ASLA Memberships | Speaker Series Support | Careers Coordinator Support | Laser Cutter in Maker Space | Drones | Trace Paper in Studios | Plotter Printer in Maker Space | ASLA Design Competition Workshop

2015 - $14,519

Chairs for Common Studio | Access to Leading Publications | Recording of Speaker Series | Professional Cutting Board in Maker Space

*Totals are categorized by fiscal year, July 1 - June 30. For a complete list of funded proposals, and the dollar amount contributed to each, please see the LAEP front office staff.

Students at the National ASLA Conference in 2019

Students at the National ASLA Conference in 2019

Jim Richards presents to LAEP students

Jim Richards presents to students during sketching workshop

Questions regarding CREATE 2020:


What is the goal of CREATE 2020?

The Fund helps elevate the national ranking of LAEP’s students and programs, and seeks to transform the creative, entrepreneurial process of students by enabling the best solutions for competitiveness to be proposed, funded and implemented.

Why is CREATE 2020 needed?

LAEP is proud to offer some of the lowest tuition in the nation for design and planning programs, however its degrees are expensive to operate. With a small student body and inadequate budget, it is impossible to provide the top quality experience desired by students. However, through only modest increases in funding we can offer top-ranked degrees that carry the benefits of programs costing 2-5x as much.

What is the strategy behind CREATE 2020?

The Fund helps close the gap between LAEP students and peers in other leading programs nationally, while maintaining an exceptionally low degree cost. By investing in strategic areas of need, the financial pool created by differential tuition directly benefits LAEP students.

Was CREATE 2020 reviewed by others?

The proposal was first proposed to our College administration in 2010. Beginning in 2012, graduating LAEP students also provided their input, during their exit interviews, on implementing differential tuition. CREATE 2020 was shared with student ASLA leaders, the LAEP alumni Advancement Board, two deans, the Provost, and Pres. Stan Albrecht. The current process is a result of the unanimous support of all of these groups, and the President’s direction to seek input from the full student body.

How are CREATE 2020 funds used?

CREATE 2020 focuses on six strategic areas of need. Those areas form the acronym CREATE: Careers, Recognition, Entrepreneurship, Access, Technology, Emerging areas. An explanation of each area is provided in the CREATE 2020 Fund Proposal. Also described is a sample of what the Fund could enable during one academic year. However, specific investment of the funds vary from year to year as students and faculty provide new and innovative ideas through proposals.

Who will decide how the CREATE 2020 Fund is invested?

Twice a year, a call for proposals will ask all students and faculty to submit ideas for how to utilize newly granted funds. The 2020 Steering Committee, made up of students, faculty, and an alumni rep, will oversee submittals. Faculty and matriculated BLA and graduate students may vote upon the approved proposals, ranking their capacity to advance LAEP’s student national competitiveness.

What amount do students pay toward the CREATE 2020 Fund?

Only matriculated BLA and graduate students in LAEP programs will pay the differential tuition. Tuition is per student credit hour (SCH), with rates set at $59/SCH. Only LAEP-prefix courses have differential tuition charged to them.

How can I provide input on CREATE 2020?

Student input is critical to the success of CREATE 2020. The Fund relies upon students and faculty annually bringing their best ideas, evaluating proposals, and choosing the most effective strategies for each year’s funding. In addition to submitting and voting on proposals, students can serve as one of the 5 graduate or undergraduate Steering Committee members.

CREATE 2020 Resources:


Initial CREATE 2020 Proposal
Initial CREATE 2020 Slideshow
Salary Data for Landscape Architecture Profession