Kent State University alumnus Sherm Moreland focuses on three simple things to guide his life: patience, dedication and hard work.
These are three values that he has lived by since his days as an architecture student at Kent State, which he now passes on to others through his role as CEO at DesignGroup, an award-winning architecture firm in Columbus, Ohio.
Moreland channels his hard work and dedication into his passion for healthcare design. He has been working in the healthcare side of architecture since 1991 because he believes it is the architect's job to develop spaces and buildings where care teams can be at their best to provide patient care. Moreland also is interested in the trend of healthcare equity and the ability to provide healthcare access to everyone.
“When I started doing this healthcare work in 1991, healthcare was sort of transactional,” Moreland said. “The buildings weren’t seen as a place to have a patient experience. But, healthcare spaces have really evolved and changed. The quality of design has really elevated during my career.”
The project Moreland says he is most proud of focuses on healthcare design and is in collaboration with Ohio State University. Moreland served on the DesignGroup team to plan a 1.9 million square foot hospital tower that is now under construction and is expected to be complete in 2025.
“It’s a very iconic project here in the city of Columbus. There are a few main highways that run right through town; it is the largest project on 315. You can’t miss it,” Moreland said. “Again, thinking about the quality of care and the way that this is going to elevate the patient care experience is a very proud moment for me.”
Moreland grew up in Columbus, and has always been a visual thinker. In high school, he began doing freelance drafting and drawing work for his older brother, which eventually led to his interest in the field of architecture.
After attending another university and studying engineering for two years, Moreland knew his true calling was in the field of architecture. As Moreland states in his life philosophy, patience was the key to making the transition into the field he was truly passionate about.
Moreland transferred to Kent State University at Stark and was quickly accepted into a summer program to study architecture at the Kent Campus. He graduated from Kent State in 1988 with his Bachelor of Science in Architecture and went on to pursue graduate school at the University of Colorado.
In 1998, Moreland started his career with DesignGroup as a managing principal to a healthcare practice group. He has now been with the company for nearly 25 years. In 2008, Moreland was named CEO of DesignGroup and has served in that role since. Moreland credits his success at DesignGroup back to his core life philosophy. He got to where he is today in his career through dedication and hard work.
Kent State prepared Moreland for the professional field in many ways, but more than anything, it taught him how to balance design and theory in his work. He says he still sees this today when he interacts with current Kent State students, or when DesignGroup hires other Kent State alumni.
“I feel that Kent State graduates are the most prepared coming out of college with the right balance of design and theory. They’re grounded in technical excellence and understand how things go together and what it really takes to be an architect,” Moreland said.
Moreland also credits his success to the professors at Kent State who always challenged him. One professor in particular, Joseph Schidlowski, stands out as the most influential professor Moreland ever had. The late Schidlowski was a professor of architecture at Kent State for many years before his passing in 2008.
“I went to college for eight years, and he stands out as the No. 1 best professor I’ve ever engaged with. He meant a lot,” Moreland said.
During his time at Kent State, Moreland says there are too many good memories to count. One that stands out, though, is a float that the architecture students entered into a Kent State Homecoming Parade.
“We created a device inside a car that from the outside looked like a giant record album, as you spun it, it went from a model of Stonehenge to the skyline of the city of Cleveland,” Moreland said. “My job was to wear a paper mache piece that looked like a stone from Stonehenge, and I ran around and threw candy along the parade route.”
As an alumnus, Moreland is still very active in the Kent State community. He has served as a juror of student work in the architecture department and often attends symposiums on campus that highlight student work. Moreland also loves to see the innovative new ideas that Kent State graduates are bringing to the field.
“Working with people, particularly young new graduates, the caliber of talent coming out of college, the speed at which they can deliver work, it’s really sharp,” Moreland said. “I really enjoy working with, mentoring and training young staff and learning from them as well.”
Outside of work, Moreland loves fitness and running, having participated in five marathons so far. He’s also found a love of golf and said on most Friday afternoons you’ll find him on the course. The most important thing in his life, however, is family. Moreland recently became a grandfather and enjoys spending time with his growing family.
Finally, Moreland shared the advice he wishes he could give his former self. “If I could go back to give my former self advice, it would be to take greater advantage of opportunities and to appreciate my time in college more because you don’t get those days back,” Moreland said.
Learn more about Kent State’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design.