Founding dean of CAVAD reflects on past 13 years

Riverside, Calif. (June 11, 2024) – Mark Roberson, founding dean of CAVAD, is a woo man. Years ago he took a strengths finding assessment. He was 98% woo, meaning he loves the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over.

That helped in the early years of CAVAD. Roberson visited high schools and community colleges to recruit students, and he reached out to local professionals to make connections.

“I think it was my ability to connect people and get people excited about what we're doing here, which is, I guess, what needed to be done in those early years,” he said.

Roberson is leaving CBU this month, moving back to Texas for a different endeavor. He came to CBU in 2011. CAVAD started in 2012 with three programs – art, film and graphic design. The architecture program began in 2013.

With no experience starting a new program or school, Roberson spoke to anyone in the country who would talk to him, including deans and heads of architecture schools.

“I’d ask them ‘If you were going to start a new program, what would you do?’ And I got a lot of really good advice,” he said. “I've thought many times that my complete unpreparedness might have been my best asset because I didn't have an agenda.” 

One vision Roberson had was an architecture school that was good at teaching design and also preparing students for the profession. At the time, schools often did one or the other.

“I wanted to ensure everything we did was founded on a biblical worldview. I wanted our students to understand success differently,” Roberson said. “It wasn't necessarily about getting a picture of your project on the cover of a magazine, although I'm not against that. But it’s about serving people and caring for people.”

When CAVAD began, it had about 160 students. Now there are more than 600 in nine programs.

Roberson credits a lot of the success to the faculty, many of whom are high-level professionals in their respective industries. He tells students the faculty will prepare them differently than a college where people haven’t touched their field in years.

“The faculty bring a real connection to the profession, plugging our students into the professional world,” he said. “The faculty love what they get to do here and to be part of students’ lives. Our faculty are good enough that they don't come here for the job. They come here for the calling.”

The faculty also give Roberson high marks.

“One thing that I truly admire about Mark is how personable he is. Yes, he is an architect, and yes, he is a good teacher, but it is his gentle personality that makes him such a special person,” said Keelan Kaiser, professor of architecture. “It has been an honor working with him as we have built a very special program in architecture together.”

Dirk Dallas, lead of the CBU graphic design program, will assume the role of dean on July 1.

“Throughout my tenure as a professor under his mentorship, I've learned many invaluable lessons from his leadership, most notably the importance of genuinely caring and always having a listening ear,” Dallas said. “His dedication to fostering an environment of trust, open communication and collaboration has truly left a lasting mark. As I take on the role of the new dean for CAVAD, I hope to build upon the strong foundation laid by his legacy.”

Not only has CAVAD grown, but students are winning prestigious awards. They are also making a name for themselves in the various fields.

“It's something we stress over and over — you have to be better. You have to be more dependable. You have to have more integrity. You have to be a person that they can count on to be there on time every time and do it right all the way,” Roberson said. “Our students are having an amazing impact and success in all these areas and winning award after award.” 

Both Roberson and his wife, Leslie, were born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. Leslie’s longtime dream was to have a restaurant. So they bought one – Circa 1880 – in Baird, Texas. She is already there running it. His wife has told Roberson he is not to be in the kitchen, he needs to be out talking with the diners.

He’s still about the woo.