Philip Repp

Philip Repp has worked in higher education for over forty years. He has served at every level of university leadership - department chairperson, associate dean, director, associate vice president, and vice president. At each position, throughout his career, Repp has practiced integrative design thinking, using design methods to help others understand that listening has power, decisions have risk, and even in conflict, trust can be preserved.

Currently, Repp serves as Director of the Richmond Institute for Design and Innovation, an interdisciplinary design program housed in the College of Fine Arts at Western Michigan University. 

While Dean of the R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning at Ball State University, Repp oversaw nationally ranked programs in architecture, construction management, interior design, landscape architecture, urban design, and urban planning. The College is recognized for its community base projects, international field studies programs, and leadership in sustainability. Repp was instrumental in bringing the construction management and interior design programs into the College.

While Vice President of Information Technology at Ball State University, Repp created the Unified Technology Support [UTS]. The design of UTS fostered a technology rich gathering space to bring institutional support functions and the university community together for a dynamic, energetic, collaborative and enabling environment that encouraged the use of emerging technologies and the development of learner centered content and tools. In addition, he helped create the Helen B. and Martin D. Schwartz Digital Complex in Bracken Library as an innovative, interactive learning and teaching environment  

Repp was a co-author for the $20 million iCommunication: The Media Initiative grant Ball State University received from the Lilly Endowment, and the $20 million follow-up grant titled, Digital Exchange, also from the Lilly Endowment. These grants laid the foundation for a number of innovative digital media efforts across the Ball State University campus. From these grants Repp created the Digital Corps, a co-curricula, 100 student design team tackling complex digital media projects inside and outside the university. In addition, he was instrumental in developing the Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts that conducts externally funded research in 3-D simulation and virtual reality.

Repp has received recognition for his design work and publications. He received a regional Emmy for his work on a PBS production highlighting the career of the digital inventor Alan Kay. Repp’s professional writing appeared in leading design journals, including LOOP: AIGA Journal of Interaction Design Education, Change, and Design Issues.  His essay on teaching in a digital learning environment was reprinted in Looking Closer 2, edited by Michael Bierut. His essay on three films by Charles and Ray Eames has been included in the Charles and Ray Eames archives. 

Repp received his bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University and his Masters from Michigan State University.