Malcolm Cairns, FASLA received degrees in landscape architecture from Ohio State University and Iowa State University. He is a registered landscape architect with professional practice experience in several states. His teaching experience includes 8 years at the University of Illinois, and 19 years at Ball State University, where he is currently professor. His research interests are focused on the documentation and evaluation of historic designed landscapes with particular interest in the historic parks, park systems, campuses, and designed residential communities of the Midwest. Publications include a book, The Landscape Architecture Heritage of Illinois, several articles about the Frederick Law Olmsted design for Riverside, Illinois, and landscape preservation reports for historic parks in South Bend and Muncie Indiana, and Dayton Ohio. Malcolm also served as co-director of the 1995 Indiana Historic Designed Landscape Survey, and currently serves as Indiana Liaison for the Historic American Landscape Survey (HALS).

A past member and chair of the Indiana Board of Registration for Architects and Landscape Architects, past president of the Indiana Chapter, ASLA and 4 term member of the Executive Committee of the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture,  Malcolm became Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Ball State in 2001.

Honors and Awards. President=s Award, Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture. 2000; Claire Bennett Legacy Award. INASLA. 2003;Fellow, American Society of Landscape Architects. 2004. Sappenfield Award for Outstanding Faculty, College of Architecture and Planning. 2005.

Publications, Projects and Reports. “An Elegant Vision: Indiana Historic Landscape Architecture.” Traces of Indiana. 17:4 (Fall, 2005)  15-23.

“Appeal to the Great Spirit”. Historic Landscape Master Plan. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation. 2001.

“Stanley White”. G. Kesler and M. Cairns.  In Pioneers of American Landscape Design. 2000.

“Development of Landscape Architecture from 1840-1940.” In Stewards of the Land. National Council of State Garden Clubs, Inc. 1999.

“Leeper Park: Nomination to National Register of Historic Places.” for South Bend and St. Joseph County Historic Preservation Commission. 1998. Recorded on the National Register of Historic Places, 2000.

Illinois Heritage of Landscape Architecture. Ball State University. 1995