Alice J. Raucher Named Architect for the University of Virginia

Alice J. Raucher has been appointed Architect for the University of Virginia, officials announced today. The appointment is effective Sept. 14.

Raucher most recently served as senior architect, major projects planner and chair of the Design Steering Team for Yale University’s Office of Facilities, Planning, Construction and Renovation.  Over the past eight years, Raucher has overseen and held key roles in many high-profile capital projects at Yale that included the 900-bed, 590,000-square-foot New Residential Colleges building project; the design of the Greenberg Conference Center; the renovation of and addition to historic Ingalls Rink; and the restoration of the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. She also directed the University Commons and Old Campus Master Plans, the planning and design of the Yale School of Management and Yale Health Center.  

Prior to joining Yale University, Raucher worked as an architect for several firms based in New York City and managed several significant restoration and renovation projects, including preparations for the centennial celebration of Carnegie Hall and the renovation of Union Theological Seminary. She also held faculty positions at the Syracuse University School of Architecture, including serving as director of the school’s Florence Program in Italy, and the New York Institute of Technology School of Architecture and Design.

Raucher succeeds David J. Neuman, who announced last year his decision to begin a private practice after serving in the role for 11 years. During his tenure, Neuman led significant planning and design efforts for construction and renovation projects that included a $50 million restoration of the iconic Rotunda.

Reporting to the U.Va. Board of Visitors, the Architect for the University is charged with advising the board and, more specifically, the board’s Buildings & Grounds Committee, on its development of the University’s general design guidelines, as well as specific building design guidelines. 

“Alice’s breadth of work during the course of her career makes her the ideal candidate to oversee the architectural design efforts of the only American university recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site,” U.Va. President Teresa A. Sullivan said. “As we enter the University’s third century, we will look to Alice and her team to ensure that we have the optimal physical space to achieve our core missions in teaching, research and service.”

“The Board of Visitors is very pleased Alice has agreed to serve in this leadership role,” Rector William H. Goodwin Jr. said. “Her experience overseeing significant capital projects at one of the nation’s premier private higher education institutions, coupled with her expertise working in the private sector, will be a tremendous asset to the University as we move forward with many important projects, particularly the restoration of the Rotunda. She clearly respects and understands the importance of preserving Jeffersonian architecture.”

Board of Visitors members Kevin J. Fay and Barbara J. Fried, co-chairs of the Buildings & Grounds Committee, echoed Sullivan’s excitement for Raucher to join the University.

“Alice appreciates the significance our buildings and grounds play in the life of this great institution,” Fay said. “We are thrilled she will be joining the University community in this important leadership position.”

“We have confidence in Alice’s ability to sustain Jefferson’s architectural legacy for years to come, while injecting new design elements as Jefferson would have appreciated,” Fried said.

“The University of Virginia is the prime example of utilizing design and architectural principles to support higher education values,” Raucher said. “I look forward to working with University stakeholders to balance the preservation of the University’s historical excellence with the enhancement of facilities on Grounds to meet the current and future needs of student learning, faculty research, public service and patient care. I am also very pleased to be joining the dedicated team that has so caringly stewarded Mr. Jefferson’s academic and architectural vision for the next generation.”

Among Raucher’s responsibilities will be to:

• Manage University-wide land-use and campus planning, and engage in community and agency interface in these areas, including with the U.Va. Foundation;
• Oversee architectural design of all capital projects and engage and support planning and programming of significant interior changes to existing facilities;
• Provide professional guidance on the selection of landscape architectural consultants and the landscape and site designs associated with building projects;
• Collaborate with the Provost’s Office, Facilities Management, the Health System, auxiliaries and the University Budget Office to develop and implement the University’s capital planning program;
• Work closely with Facilities Management to develop guidelines and priorities for the restoration and maintenance of the Academical Village and U.Va.’s other historic facilities;
• Coordinate with the University Advancement office on the Jeffersonian Grounds Initiative; and
• Participate with stakeholders around the Grounds to advance the University’s sustainability goals.

Raucher earned a bachelor’s degree in studio art/art history from Queens College of the City University of New York and her Master of Architecture degree from the Syracuse University School of Architecture. She is a registered architect in New York and Connecticut, and looks forward to becoming registered in Virginia, she said. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects and holds AIA, and LEED, AP BD+C certifications.