John Gaber, the director of Clemson University’s City and Regional Planning program, has been elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), the highest honor awarded by the organization.
Election to the College of Fellows (FAICP) recognizes planners who have made significant contributions to the profession and society through sustained excellence, leadership and impact.
Gaber’s selection reflects a career spanning teaching, research and service, with a focus on preparing students to engage thoughtfully with the challenges facing communities and the built environment.
“I enthusiastically celebrate Dr. John Gaber’s election to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners,” said Ece Erdogmus, founding dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Construction. “This national honor reflects the strength of his scholarly contributions as well as his leadership within our College and across the broader planning community. His collaborative work with South Carolina cities and communities, which brings our City and Regional Planning students into the process as learners and contributors under his mentorship, directly advances all three pillars of Clemson Elevate.”
At Clemson, Gaber works closely with students to connect planning theory to practice. His teaching emphasizes ethical decision-making, collaboration and community engagement, hallmarks of Clemson’s approach to design and planning education.
According to the AICP Selection Committee, Gaber’s career demonstrates “sustained excellence, leadership and impact consistent with the highest standards of the profession,” along with a legacy of advancing planning practice and supporting future planners.
“Under John Gaber’s direction, the City and Regional Planning program at Clemson has become a model for what engaged planning education looks like,” said Dan Harding, interim director of the Richard A. McMahan School of Architecture. “His students do not study communities from a distance. They enter them, listen carefully and produce work that communities can actually use. That is a standard John sets and holds.”
Gaber said the recognition reflects the collaborative nature of planning and the influence of the Clemson community.
“Planning is fundamentally about people and communities,” Gaber said. “I’m grateful to the colleagues, students and partners who have shaped this work and made it meaningful.”
As a newly elected fellow, Gaber will continue contributing to the profession through mentorship, leadership and service, including supporting underserved communities and helping guide the next generation of planners.
He will be formally inducted into the College of Fellows as part of the FAICP Class of 2026 during the American Planning Association’s National Planning Conference in Detroit on April 26.
