This UC alumnus credits co-op with launching his 40-year career

More than 40 years later, the DAAP alumnus reflects on how his UC education prepared him for success at leading design firms and helped him find his place in a field he never expected to pursue.

Jim Prendergast enrolled in UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) to study architecture, graduating in 1984 with a Bachelor of Architecture. Growing up in Cleveland, he had not initially considered UC and didn’t even know it existed, but his mother introduced him to the university as a solid option. Its six-year architecture program, which incorporated two years of professional co-op experience, ultimately set UC apart from other options he was considering. 

The opportunity to gain hands-on experience before graduation appealed to Prendergast. While other students might spend six years completing undergraduate and graduate degrees, DAAP students could enter the workforce with professional experience already behind them. That advantage became especially important as he prepared to begin his career in a difficult job market for architecture graduates. 

“I knew it was going to be a competitive field,” Prendergast said. “I believed that co-oping was going to give me an advantage. It was going to give some upside over other graduates. I was going to have two years' worth of work experience, so that was really the tipping point.” 

Prendergast initially planned to pursue traditional building architecture, looking for opportunities to design structures rather than focus on their interiors. However, an unexpected connection during his senior year changed the direction of his career. 

A classmate encouraged Prendergast to interview with ISD, an interior architecture firm whose president, Mike Pinto – a UC DAAP graduate – was visiting UC. Although interior architecture was not the path he originally envisioned, Prendergast was impressed by the firm's work and accepted a position in Chicago. 

The decision quickly exposed him to the professional responsibilities and creative opportunities that would define his career. Working in a young, energetic office, he gained experience presenting designs to executives, collaborating with clients and watching projects move rapidly from concepts to completed spaces. By age 25, he had already presented to a chief executive officer, taking on responsibilities that helped accelerate his professional development. 

His career continued to grow as he moved into leadership positions. By age 36, Prendergast had become a principal and partner at Perkins & Will, where he helped lead the firm's interiors practice. He later joined Goettsch Partners in 2004 before moving to Gensler in 2014. Throughout those roles, he worked with major clients, including law firms, and contributed to projects that combined interior design with broader architectural thinking.

Over time, however, he came to recognize the value of the work he had built and the opportunities that interior architecture had provided, with advice from his mother. 

“I remember her telling me, ‘Jim, honey, do you realize how many people go through their entire lives never being good at what they do? Maybe you're just good at this,’” Prendergast said.  

“Who exactly am I disappointing if I don't follow through on the promise of being a building architect? My friends, and my colleagues, my classmates at school were just worried if I was happy and doing good work. I only had to forgive myself for not following through on this promise of being a building architect. It was my decision to make.” 

Four decades after graduating, Prendergast remains connected to UC and DAAP. He has encouraged firms throughout his career to hire UC co-op students, returned to campus to speak with students and participate in thesis juries, and maintained relationships with former classmates and professors who became friends and professional collaborators. 

For Prendergast, DAAP's lasting influence extends beyond technical skills or a degree. The program helped him develop confidence, communication skills and professional awareness to contribute from the beginning of his career. 42 years later, his journey from an architecture student with a clear ambition to a design principal at one of the world's leading design firms continues to trace back to the education and experiences he gained at UC. 

“When you arrive at a new office as a freshly minted Cincinnati grad, you are literally going to be two years ahead of everyone else,” Prendergast said. “Your poise in presentations is better. Your organizational skills are higher. Your critical thinking is more highly tuned. UC puts you in the best spot to succeed.”

Featured image at top of Jim Prendergast walking through his office building. Photos/provided.