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
Architecture Studio II, Spring 2025
Architecture Studio VIII, Spring 2025
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).
