Students in CRPLAN 3600 were creating land development plans when they were unexpectedly visited by Executive Vice President and Provost Bruce McPheron, Senior Vice Provost of Academic Affairs Kay Wolf, Chief Communications Officer for Advancement Dan Caterinicchia, College of Engineering Senior Associate Dean John Horack, Knowlton School Director Mike Cadwell, and City and Regional Planning Interim Section Head Maria Conroy. The occasion of the visit was to present the course instructor, Professor of Practice in City and Regional Planning Kyle Ezell, with The Ohio State University Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Excellence in teaching is recognized and celebrated at the highest levels of the university’s administration. The Alumni Award recognizes the most exceptional educators at Ohio State, with particular focus on teaching excellence, student engagement and pedagogical innovation. Recipients are inducted into the university’s Academy of Teaching.

In addition to the consistent quality, commitment and creativity that is evident in his teaching, Professor Ezell’s students consistently point out the excitement he brings to the classroom. “Professor Ezell is a charismatic leader who inspires all of his students to become as passionate as he is. As an instructor, he challenged my class to think unconventionally, and he was supportive in our decision making. He was an influential part of my education at OSU and deserves the recognition he’s recently received,” said James Metz, a graduate student in the City and Regional Planning section.

“As a teacher, Professor Ezell is peculiarly adept in managing studio classes. I have learned from him how to respect and capitalize on students' different learning styles. He is very good at knowing when to require more effort and when to let the student find her own limits. He combines rigor with empathy and compassion,” commented Gala Korniyenko, Ezell’s Graduate Teaching Assistant and PhD candidate in City and Regional Planning. Reflecting on her time under Ezell’s mentorship, Korniyenko added, “I came to the Knowlton School knowing I wanted a career in planning research and practice. I am now enthusiastic about being a teacher as well.”  

Ezell’s work at the school engages students in experiential learning in Ohio communities and on the international travel programs he manages. Along with undergraduate studios, Ezell’s signature course, CRPLAN 6010 Innovations in City and Regional Planning, provides students an opportunity to engage in planning practice-related research associated with underserved populations.

In 2018, Ezell conducted two undergraduate studios and a graduate workshop that explored ways that planners, architects and landscape architects can create communities where adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder might thrive. At the National Planning Conference Awards Luncheon in San Francisco, Ezell’s students received the 2019 AICP Student Project Award from the American Planning Association (APA) for Autism Planning and Design Guidelines 1.0. The planning principles outlined in the students’ project helped establish the APA’s Planning with Underserved Populations Interest Group. The findings and recommendations of the students’ work have also been published as a Planner’s Advisory Service Memo on the APA web page.

The impact of the students’ work is already finding practical applications. The city of Athens, Ohio is implementing the Six Feelings Framework—an outcome of the students’ research—in its comprehensive plan update. Paul Logue (MCRP ‘08), Athen’s City Planner, is also using the students’ guidelines as a starting point in implementing new ideas governed by that city’s disability commission.

“There is no calling like a teacher’s life. Every time I step into a classroom, I am humbled and privileged to play a little part in the life of each student. I believe the key to teaching is to see students as their future selves at the top of their game. My job is to help them understand and reach their potential,” explained Ezell. “The best part of teaching is witnessing the Aha moment when I know a student gets it.”

The 2019 Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching follows several recent recognitions that Ezell has received for his exemplary teaching and service within higher education and the planning profession. He is the recipient of the Ohio State University College of Engineering’s Charles McQuigg Award for Outstanding Teaching, 2014; the 2015 Vernon Deines Award for an Outstanding Small Town Special Project Plan from American Planning Association; and a Faculty Award for University Community Members Who Have Made a Positive Influence on Ohio State Students, presented by Residence on 10th Hall (2014).