After four decades of teaching, leadership and service, Sharon S. Baum Kuska, associate dean and professor of architecture, will retire from the College of Architecture, leaving behind a lasting legacy of academic excellence, innovation and mentorship.
Kuska has been a cornerstone of the college community. Over her 40-year tenure, she held numerous leadership roles, including serving as interim dean from 2022–2023; three associate dean appointments—faculty and academic programs, student affairs and research; as well as program director of the Architecture Program and dONE Program coordinator. In these roles, she helped shape key academic and administrative initiatives and guided the college through periods of growth and transition.
In the classroom, Kuska taught generations of students in courses including Fundamentals of Structures, Structural Mechanics, Structural Optimization, Women in Design, Sustainability Basics and design studios. Known for her rigorous yet rewarding teaching style, her structures courses became a hallmark experience for students. She mentored numerous master’s thesis students and played a pivotal role in supporting underrepresented students in architecture, helping to establish the local chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS).
“I will always admire Dr. Kuska. She was an incredible role model,” said alumna Stephanie Nielsen. “Taking her Women in Architecture course in 1997—and seeing women professionals brought into the classroom—made a lasting impact on my career.”
A trailblazer in the program, Kuska was the first tenured female faculty member in architecture and built a distinguished career bridging architecture and engineering. A graduate of the University of Nebraska, she went on to earn both a master’s and doctorate in civil engineering, shaping her interdisciplinary approach to teaching and practice. She also became the first female president of the Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers. Her work emphasized the essential collaboration between architects and engineers, a philosophy she carried throughout her career.
Kuska’s professional service extends well beyond the university, with contributions to numerous organizations that have shaped architectural education and practice. Among these, she spent 11 years serving the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) as a coordinator and writer for the Architectural Registration Examination (ARE) Structures Committee, contributing to the development, refinement and maintenance of one of the profession’s most critical licensure tools.
Kuska’s scholarly contributions extend well beyond the classroom. She co-authored the 13th edition of Simplified Engineering for Architects and Builders, a foundational textbook first published in 1938 and widely regarded as a gold standard in structural design education. She also co-authored Sustainometrics: Measuring Sustainability: Design, Planning and Public Administration for Sustainable Living (2011) with W. Cecil Steward, further demonstrating her leadership in integrating sustainability into architectural education and practice. The new edition of Simplified Engineering includes extensive updates, including expanded content on mass timber and sustainability, and aligns with current building codes. The book is used in classrooms nationwide, including at the University of Nebraska.
Her excellence in teaching and leadership has been recognized through numerous honors, including the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Architecture Excellence in Research and Creative Scholarship Award (2025) and the Distinguished Teaching Award (2021), with earlier nominations in 1991 and 1994. She was named one of DesignIntelligence’s 25 Most Admired Educators (2016) and received a nomination for the university’s Annis Chaikin Sorensen Award that same year. Kuska also held several distinguished professorships during her tenure, most recently the W. Cecil Steward Distinguished Professorship (2006–2008, 2010–2012) and the H. Robert Douglass Distinguished Professorship (2004–2006), and was a two-time recipient of the college’s Hawthorne Faculty Award (2010, 2019).
Throughout her career, Kuska has witnessed and contributed to the college’s growth from multiple perspectives—as a student, faculty member and administrator. She credits the college’s close-knit culture and collaborative spirit as central to its success.
“The college has been like a family,” Kuska said. “There exists an unbreakable spirit that unites us… a shared commitment toward transforming the built environment into a better world.”
Dean Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg praised Kuska’s enduring contributions: “Dr. Kuska has been an extraordinary leader, mentor and guiding force for this college. Having served as interim dean before I arrived, she has been my mentor and the pulse of the College of Architecture for decades. Her insight, experience and steady guidance will be deeply missed, both professionally and personally.”
Reflecting on her career, Kuska often returns to a guiding principle that shaped her work and teaching: “There can be structure without architecture, but no architecture without structure.”
As she retires, Kuska leaves a profound legacy—one defined by intellectual rigor, interdisciplinary collaboration and a deep commitment to student success. Her influence will continue to be felt in the college and across the profession for years to come.
