In his role as a professor in practice, Lamster will teach an advanced seminar through The University of Texas at Arlington School of Architecture and will serve as a research associate with the David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture at UT Arlington.

At The Dallas Morning News, Lamster succeeds David Dillon, the news organization's widely respected architecture critic. Dillon died in 2010. "There is a palpable sense of architectural energy and purpose in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, a desire to think creatively and proactively about how to make buildings and urban spaces to best serve diverse communities,' Lamster said. "I very much look forward to becoming a part of that conversation, and to working with the students and faculty at UT Arlington who will shape that future.' He is expected to begin both positions in April 2013. UT Arlington President James D. Spaniolo said Lamster's appointment will further illuminate the reputation of the University's School of Architecture. The School is recognized for its digital fabrication and landscape architecture programs, but also for its commitment to teaching students critical thinking, freehand drawing and conceptual skills. "We are pleased to add Mark Lamster to UT Arlington's distinguished architecture faculty,' Spaniolo said. "His experience will afford our students new opportunities to interact with communities and leaders in the world of urban design. Mark will add depth and richness to our students' academic endeavors.' Lamster will conduct and publish longer-term research projects through the Dillon Center, which promotes public discourse about architecture in the North Texas region, said Don Gatzke, dean of the School of Architecture. "Students will learn from his critical eye,' Gatzke said. "His courses are certain to quickly become among our most popular offerings, not only among architecture students but across disciplines.' As The Dallas Morning News' architecture critic, Lamster will write about local, national and international developments in design, urbanism and environmental development, addressing issues of urban growth and quality of life in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, said Bob Mong, editor of The Dallas Morning News. Lamster also will develop an online presence through blogging and social media and represent The Dallas Morning News on architectural issues to other media outlets. "Mark's range of interests rivals any architecture critic in the country. He brings a fresh perspective to North Texas, one that helps all of us see our visual surroundings in new and different ways,' Mong said. "I am confident that Mark's skillful use of language and his strong grasp of architectural concepts will draw a large, thoughtful audience. He will spark the conversation in North Texas.' In addition to writing about architecture for major metropolitan newspapers and magazines, Lamster is an accomplished author. His most recent book, "Master of Shadows,' is a political biography of the artist Peter Paul Rubens, who led a double life as a diplomat and a spy. His first book, "Spalding's World Tour,' told the story of a group of all-star baseball players who circled the globe as cultural diplomats on a mission to promote America in 1888-89. It was an Editor's Choice selection of The New York Times Book Review. Lamster's research archive for this book was acquired by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. The joint position is the third major venture between The Dallas Morning News and UT Arlington this year. The Newswas a major sponsor of the first David Dillon Symposium held in April 2012. This year's Dillon Symposium is scheduled April 18-19 at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas. The News also co-sponsored with UT Arlington a regional symposium in April 2012 featuring author and urban theorist Richard Florida, who also is a UT Arlington visiting distinguished research scholar.