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The University of Oregon School of Architecture is moving its master’s program in historic preservation from Eugene to Portland.

The program, founded 35 years ago, will be led by an endowed chairperson the university announced this week. The Venerable Chair in Historic Preservation is funded through a $2.5 million endowment from the late Art DeMuro, who was a leader in Portland’s historic preservation and real estate development community, UO spokeswoman Karen Johnson said.

The program currently has only one full-time faculty member, Kingston Heath, but employs many architecture professionals on a part-time basis, Johnson said.

鈥淚t’s important to provide continuing education for practice requirements, what’s going on in the field and bring it into the classroom,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat’s such a benefit to the graduate program for students to meet and work with participating professionals.鈥�

Johnson said the school would eventually like to see about 30 students in the architectural preservation master’s program, and that the selected chairperson will help determine the curriculum.

The chairperson will replace Heath, who will retiring at the end of the school year. Applications will be accepted until Jan. 4, 2016, Johnson said, and can be accessed at . Plans call for the chairperson to begin work in Portland next fall.

鈥淚t is a full-time, tenure-tracked faculty position, and (the chairperson) will guide the curriculum, provide instruction and mentor all graduate students,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e already have a strong architecture program at White Stag (UO’s Portland campus), and it’s important they have a chance to do thesis work on actual (projects) and work with practicing architects as well as faculty.鈥�

It was DeMuro’s goal, Johnson said, to see UO’s architecture preservation program expand by not only funding the chairperson’s position, but also increasing student scholarships and facilitating the move of the master’s program to Portland.

Although Heath will soon step down, he said seeing the historic preservation master’s program move to Portland fulfills a goal that began when he met DeMuro at a banquet about eight years ago. Heath said that DeMuro, a former history teacher, was very interested in UO’s historic preservation program and donated $300,000 initially to help expand the curriculum. DeMuro later donated $2.5 million to fund the chairperson’s position and facilitate the move to better quarters in Portland.

DeMuro didn’t stop there, Heath said.

鈥淗e also gave us $1 million for student scholarships,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was his belief in my vision and my respect for him as a person who put heritage before development. It was a unique partnership of business and (academia) to enrich the future of the academic program.鈥�

Many of UO’s architecture graduates practice in Portland, Heath noted. Plus, the city has many historic preservation resources as well as a 鈥渓ongstanding commitment to sustainability, adaptive reuse and preservation of historic buildings,鈥� he said.

But that doesn’t mean the master’s program will be 鈥淧ortland-centric,鈥� Heath said.

鈥淲e want our students to be effective leaders anywhere in the country or abroad,鈥� he said.

Heath said that DeMuro hoped the UO program would become one of the best in the nation, and the move to Portland should provide a boost.

鈥淐hange is always a little discomforting if you’re invested in Eugene, but this is just a second phase,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut we will have better facilities, better funding, and I’m very optimistic this is going to be a program that will be getting a lot of national attention.鈥�