CELA Fountain Scholar Program

CELA Fountain Scholar Program

The CELA Fountain Scholar Program is an endowed annual award to acknowledge Black, Indigenous, and persons (students) of color in landscape architecture with exceptional leadership and design skills, and who use their skills and ideas to influence, communicate, lead, and advance design solutions for contemporary issues in a manner aligned with the original goals of Dr. Charles Fountain.

Named for Dr. Charles Fountain, a leader and educator at North Carolina A&T. The program recognizes outstanding students nominated from each landscape architecture program from CELA member institutions.

Each year, member programs are asked to identify two students who communicate and advance design solutions for contemporary issues in a manner aligned with the goals of Dr. Charles Fountain during his time at NC A&T. Students are honored for past achievements and recognized for their future potential to influence and become leaders in the landscape architecture profession. Students selected by their programs are recognized as Fountain Scholars and eligible to compete for one undergraduate and one graduate award.

Step 1. Scholar Nomination Process:

• Each CELA member institution may nominate two students, regards of their status as graduate student or undergraduate student. (Eg: two graduate or undergraduate students may be selected by a member institution).

• The student must be a graduate or undergraduate landscape architecture student from a CELA member institution in good standing.
• Undergraduate students must be in their final two years of study.

• All nominated Scholars are eligible to compete for the awards. Students must complete the full Nomination Submission Packet to be considered.
• One graduate student and one undergraduate student will be awarded a scholarship and recognized on the website and social media. Finalists will also be recognized.
• Identify a Fountain Scholar by submitting (their name, biography, letter of introduction, and photo) using this linked submission form.  Only after submitting their name for nomination as a Fountain Scholar will students then be sent a link to apply for the Fountain Scholar Scholarship. We will follow-up with the nominees to obtain an essay, sample works and resume, to be considered for the awards. All submissions must be received by October 31.2025.

Recognition: All Fountain Scholars are asked to provide a headshot and short bio. This information will be used by CELA to recognize their accomplishments on the website and social media.

Dr. Charles Fountain was a Professor at North Carolina A&T State University, an 1890 Land-Grant Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Dr. Fountain was the founder of the first accredited landscape architecture program at an HBCU. Dr. Charles Fountain was an innovator, educator, and visionary landscape architect. As one of the first five African-American scholars to earn a professional degree in landscape architecture, he cultivated broad impacts in the field by actively recruiting and mentoring a new generation of African-American designers. Realizing the need for minorities in design in the early 1960’s, Dr. Fountain left a tenured position in Plant Science at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T) to pursue a Master of Landscape Architecture degree at the University of California, Berkeley, in an effort to make landscape architectural education available to African-American students. After graduation, he returned to North Carolina and founded the NC A&T Landscape Architecture Program, the first landscape architecture degree offered by an HBCU. He made it his mission to serve as an important advocate for diversity through national, state, and local committees, programs, workshops, and boards. While diversity in the profession of landscape architecture has yet to reflect the population it serves, it has been greatly shaped and cultivated by the life and contributions of Dr. Fountain.

Links to Research and Other Awards:

1. Charles Allen Fountain Obituary passed 8/26/2000

2. Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture Conference Proceedings, Baltimore, Maryland. March 26-29,2014. “A Forgotten Giant: The Life and Contributions of Dr. Charles Fountain” By Anna Reaves, Claudia Dinep, Page 98

3. Robinette, G. O. (1975). Landscape Architecture: a Profession Designed for Minorities. American Society of Landscape Architects, Minority Recruitment Task Force.

4. Charles Fountain Internship (Culberson)

5. Charles Fountain Listed in Hall of Fame

6. Endowments