Sinclair360

Chris Whitney is an architect and vice president with URS Corporation – one of the top 10 architectural firms in the country – where he leads the company’s national higher-education facilities practice. Chris has spent his career designing buildings for colleges and universities, including Miami University, Ramapo College of New Jersey, The Ohio State University and University of Cincinnati. He is a graduate of Sinclair Community College (AASAT ’82) and Miami University (Bachelor of Fine Arts ’85).

Chris credits Sinclair with giving him the tools to attain his dreams. “Sinclair gave me a true foundation for learning. As a struggling student working part time and attending Sinclair part time, I was mentored by dedicated faculty who pushed me to complete my degree…although it took me five years to get through Sinclair,” he recalled. “I breezed through my bachelor’s in architecture at Miami in just over two.” 

Chris said that the funny part of comparing Sinclair to Miami was the difference in the facilities. “I was fortunate to attend Sinclair when the architectural program was moving into a brand new building. We had all new desks and custom drawing lighting, all state of the art.” When he started at Miami, he found that Alumni Hall, the home of architecture, was over 100 years old. “I believe the desks were used when that building opened.”

Affordability was a significant factor in Chris’s postsecondary-education decision. “Sinclair was a bargain financially, when I had no choice, and gave me top faculty and facilities – a truly unique learning environment.” He remains grateful to the college for setting him on the right path. “Sinclair was an integral part of what has become a rewarding career.”