Faculty Member
Paul Monson, AIA, NCARB is an award-winning architect and educator who worked for a decade with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an architect on temples and joined the faculty at UVU in 2021.
BACKGROUND
Paul was born in New York City and raised in Michigan and Pennsylvania, returning to his parents' home state of Utah as an undergraduate student. Growing up, he loved art, design, and building things. After traveling and studying in his teens and twenties, Paul became a licensed architect and has enjoyed a successful career as a designer and educator.
EDUCATION
Paul Monson received a Masters of Architecture degree from The University of Notre Dame in 2008. Prior to that he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University.
TEACHING
Professor Monson has taught as an adjunct professor at UVU and helped establish a curriculum here rooted in classical architecture and the craft of building. He has served as the president of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art's Utah Chapter since 2017, teaching students of all ages and backgrounds. His professional experience designing buildings and overseeing their construction informs the way he teaches architectural theory and design. Professor Monson has served as a guest critic in many architectural studio classes and given presentations and lectures at conferences and institutions.
AWARDS
Henry Adams Medal – AIA award to first-ranked graduate student at the University of Notre Dame
Hammond Beeby Rupert & Ainge Graduate Prize
Architectural Explorations through Study Abroad, Summer 2026
Architecture Internship, Spring 2026
Architecture Studio II, Spring 2026
Architecture Studio VIII, Spring 2026
Paul Monson was one of three faculty members at UVU in 2025 to receive the UVU Distinguished University Employee Faculty Senate Award for Service in recognition of his exceptional leadership, service, and transformative impact on the UVU Architecture Program. Over the past three years, he guided the program through rapid enrollment growth, curriculum development, and the successful NAAB accreditation process. His efforts in faculty recruitment, student mentorship, community partnerships, fundraising, and university-wide initiatives—including the Thriving Communities Initiative and UVU’s proposed new Oxford Center—demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence, student opportunity, and public engagement.
The purpose of the Faculty Senate Award is to recognize full-time and adjunct faculty who have made significant contributions to UVU's mission through demonstrated excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. Through this award, UVU intends_
To publicly acknowledge the achievements of its faculty members in creating an academically engaged environment at UVU.
To demonstrate to the community the exemplary standards of academic professionalism to which the faculty members of UVU are dedicated;
To encourage faculty within UVU to pursue the highest levels of excellence in every aspect of their work (consistent with the best of academic traditions).
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art’s Arthur Ross Award is the most prestigious honor in the fields of classical architecture, urbanism, craftsmanship, and the allied arts. Established to recognize individuals and organizations who advance the enduring traditions of classical and traditional design, the awards celebrate excellence in architecture, education, preservation, publishing, patronage, and the visual arts. Past recipients have included some of the most influential architects, scholars, artists, and institutions working internationally in the classical tradition.
For the UVU Architecture Program, being nominated for the Arthur Ross Award in Education is both a significant honor and an important affirmation of the program’s mission and impact. Since its founding in 2019, the UVU Architecture Program has worked to provide an affordable architectural education rooted in the enduring principles of classical and traditional architecture while embracing innovation, technology, community engagement, and international research. The nomination recognizes the program’s distinctive contribution to architectural education at a time when many schools have moved away from the study of traditional design, craft, and urbanism.
The nomination also reflects the growing national and international recognition of UVU as an emerging leader in classical and traditional architectural education. It highlights the program’s commitment to rigorous design training, historic preservation, civic engagement, and meaningful applied research, while remaining accessible to students from a wide range of backgrounds. This nomination is an encouraging acknowledgment that our work is contributing to a broader movement dedicated to creating beautiful, durable, and humane built environments for future generations.
