Mississippi

Law Passed: 1928 • Joined NCARB: 1940 • Region 3—Southern (1963)

The Components of Licensure

Education

1973: Mississippi State University School of Architecture opened, earning NAAB accreditation in 1979.
 
1983-84: Applicants for initial licensure must have a degree from a NAAB-accredited program.
 
1985: The board adopts an exception to the degree requirement for reciprocal applicants who were licensed prior to January 1, 1987.
 

Experience

1978: Mississippi is the first state to adopt the IDP although the board allows candidates to demonstrate equivalent experience through other means.
 
1984: The IDP is required, with an exception allowing applicants from a state that did not offer IDP to substitute three years of experience.
 
2009: The board removes Mississippi-specific requirements and requires that IDP must be completed per the NCARB rules.
 

Examination

1963: Mississippi begins administering NCARB’s national exam.
 
2017: Students in an IPAL program are allowed to take the ARE.

Noteworthy

The board’s first president and secretary, Frank Gates and Vinson Smith, were also instrumental in establishing the Mississippi Chapter of AIA in 1929.

In 1978, Mississippi became the first state to adopt the IDP, thanks to the efforts of board member Robert Harrison, who was appointed to NCARB’s inaugural committee on internship and served as Mississippi’s first IDP Coordinator. In 1979, Carl Franco became the first Mississippi candidate to complete NCARB’s IDP program.

Mississippi board member John L. Turner played a primary role in establishing NCARB’s Southern Conference. He attended the first meeting of Region 6 (the Western Conference) as a guest, and expressed the importance of establishing a southern conference on his return. Turner was elected to serve as chairman of the newly formed region in 1963, although the region would not be finalized until 1965.

Notable People

NCARB President

2007: Robert E. Luke, FAIA (Meridian)
 

Additional Members of the NCARB Board of Directors

1968-70: John L. Turner (Jackson)
1980-83: Robert V. M. Harrison (Jackson)
 

First Chairman/President

Frank P. Gates (Jackson)
 

First Board Members

Vinson B. Smith (Gulfport/Long Beach)
R. C. Springer (Meridian)
W. A. Stanton (Vicksburg)
C. H. Lindsley (Jackson)
 

First License Issued

1928: W. A. Stanton
 

NCARB President Medalists

1999: Karen L. Owen (Jackson)
2015: Jenny S. Owen (Jackson)

Mississippi History

Karen Owen and Member Paul Ingram prepare to vote on resolutions at the 2002 Annual Meeting in Boston.
Mississippi MBE Jenny Owen speaks from the floor at the 2008 Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh.
Mississippi Member Robert E. Luke (center) with Arkansas Member Blakely C. Dunn (left) and North Carolina Member Jeffrey Huberman (right).
Karen Owen and Member Paul Ingram prepare to vote on resolutions at the 2002 Annual Meeting in Boston.
Mississippi MBE Jenny Owen speaks from the floor at the 2008 Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh.
Mississippi Member Robert E. Luke (center) with Arkansas Member Blakely C. Dunn (left) and North Carolina Member Jeffrey Huberman (right).