Because of the confusion, the administration is considering more “clear-cut wording for ownership of student work,” said Dean of Communications, Bruce Chong. Any revisions to the policy will be reviewed by SCAD’s executive legal counsel, Ernie Lee, but no changes will be made until the next catalog comes out. The catalog is a “promise to the students” regarding college policies, courses, and programs. Chong said if the policy is rewritten it will “be more explicit that students own their own work.”

Fourth year sequential art student Ronald Chan said, “I don’t have any problems with the wording of the policy. [It’s] quite clear, as well as easy to find.”

However, Chong said that he has fielded several student inquiries. Students have mistakenly believed that SCAD owns their art.

Executive Vice President of SCAD, John Burger said, “SCAD has no intention of owning student work. We want them to own their own work.”

Some misunderstanding may stem from a policy that used to be on SCAD’s website, but was not printed. The site “became large and had things that didn’t reflect current policy,” said Chong.

Chong explained another reason for the confusion about who owns student work could be because of other colleges’ policies. “There are a lot of different policies on a lot of different campuses on what’s considered student work.”

Research universities in particular have drastically different policies than SCAD. At most, if not all, research universities, the college retains the rights to all work created by students. If a chemistry student, for example, developed a new medicine, the college would be the one to sell the formula to a pharmaceutical company.

“For several years, there was an understanding among colleges that that’s the way it was,” Chong said. “Research universities are a different ball game.”

Burger said that SCAD’s current policy is “similar to other art colleges’.”

Typically, if the work would not have been possible without funds and guidance provided by the college, it belongs to the college. For example, SCAD owns a boat designed by students and faculty from the industrial design department. “Even though many faculty and students put time into it, the college put in a lot of resources to make it come to fruition,” said Chong.

Another reason why SCAD students own their own work is because of the volume of work they create. “There is not a warehouse in Savannah big enough to hold all of that,” Chong said. The photographs of student work at the communications department alone take up 10-12 filing cabinets.

Burger said the college has “no intention to appropriate student work.” The college does need to use it for promotional purposes though.

“SCAD reserves the right to use student work in promotions and catalogs-otherwise how would we represent the college?” Chong said.

SCAD tries to be cautious when including text with an image. “The tagline should reflect well on the student and the artwork,” said Chong. Often, the college will stick with an official slogan rather than risk making a student look bad.

Some students believe that SCAD should pay students whose work they use. “We spend hours upon hours working on projects,” said Michelle Zuck, fourth year sequential art.

Chong said that usually students are not compensated for use of their work. “It depends on how it’s distributed and whether or not the students own all rights to the work . . . Some work is based on logos or images owned by a corporation. [That type] could never be printed except as examples of student work.”
However, when the college distributed 80,000 DVDs that included an entire two minute animation, Chong said, “we came to an agreement so [the student] had some level of compensation because of the wide level of distribution.”

Chan said, “I don’t really see any problem with student work being used to promote the college without compensation or permission, but I think the artist should at least be notified.”

Whenever possible, Chong said SCAD will inform students about use of their work. For example, if a piece were to be used for an ad, the communications department would contact either the respective academic department or alumni services to make the student aware.

Chan said, “while the college isn’t obligated to do so, it would be nice if they went through that little bit of extra effort and sent emails out to the students. It’s an issue of courtesy, not of policy.”

Zuck questioned students’ ability to use published works. “Can we use it for our own personal use or will that be copyright infringement?”

Chong said “that is not an issue if the student tries to sell the work. [It’s} the same situation an artist would face if photos of their exhibition were published anywhere.”

Third-year broadcast design major, Christian Simmons, said, “I want to take History of Film and History of Graphic Design because those courses so closely relate to my field of study. History of Film would be more beneficial to me than a regular art history or architectural history elective for me simply because film is a passion of mine, and I will not only be interested, but will have a much higher likelihood of retaining the knowledge.”

Third-year media and performing arts major, Erin Rachels, said, “I think taking History of Film would be a great option as film and television is my minor and with a minor you only get eight classes to take. To me, it makes more sense to take the tech classes, and have the option of taking History of Film as an art history elective.”

Dean of the School of Liberal Arts, Desire Hounges, said that to move courses, such as History of Film, to the art history department, the professor teaching that course would need to be credentialed to teach art history. These courses are currently taught by faculty in the respective studio department.
Art history chair, Celina Jeffery, said “it’s a long standing tradition. Each studio department teaches [their] history from within.”

According to the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the organization that accredits SCAD, at least 25% of professors must have the terminal degree in their discipline. All faculty must have completed at least a master’s degree with a minimum of 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline.

Hounges said that there is a distinction between a doctorate, the terminal degree in art history and an MFA, the terminal degree for most studio departments. The masters’ program is more studio orientated; it doesn’t offer enough art history for the graduates to teach art history.

Simmons said, “perhaps the faculty think we’ll ‘slack’ and only take those history classes? I’m not sure, but I know there must be a happy medium.”

Jeffery said that she would welcome greater interaction with the other departments, but that she doesn’t have the authority to integrate the history courses. “It may happen in the future, but it would have to be an institutional push.”

“I have already taken three traditional art history courses. It seems the obvious course for me now to follow is history classes that further my knowledge of the field I will be entering all too soon,” said Simmons.

Jeffery is trying to offer more courses in the art history department related to new media. Starting in the fall, students will have “three courses in the contemporary field that are media-based, geared towards video, film, performance, and even design.” Digital Art and Culture and Visual Culture will be offered in addition to the existing Survey of New Media Arts.

Jeffery also stated an interest in adding courses focusing on photography. “[It’s] something we’d like to achieve, but there is no professor within the department that’s a specialist.”

Hounges said that art history course offerings are dependent on the concentrations of the faculty members. Professors specialize in a particular aspect of art history, such as African or Asian art. Only if the college hired an art history professor with a specialization in animation would they be able to transfer the history out of the animation department.

However, Hounges said “there are not really many art history programs that offer degrees in [new medias.] It is rare for institutions to offer a PhD in art history in graphic design.” Because of the scarcity of art history programs focusing on new media, there are few faculty candidates who have the credentials to teach the courses.

“Students have asked about condensed courses in the summer,” said Jeff Eley, vice president of academic affairs. “Some students are non-traditional … the condensed classes may be a better fit.”

The five-week courses will be offered during both the first and last part of the regular summer quarter. Condensed classes will meet four days a week for two and a half hours.

Much discussion and research have gone into the program. In collaboration with faculty, the deans and chairs are determining the impact and which courses will be most successful.

Most, if not all, faculty teaching the condensed courses volunteered. Many have offered input into what classes would be best suited to the format.

Dean of Film and Digital Media Weishar said, “Some professors’ teaching styles lend themselves to a five week class.”

Many details are still being resolved; exactly what courses will be offered is still to be decided.
Eley expects to finalize the details within the next couple of weeks.

“The key thing is patience. Soon we’ll have information,” he said.

Dean of Communication Arts Andy Fulp said that the shortened sessions will only be at Savannah. Teaching the courses at Atlanta would involve too many unknowns whereas Savannah is a more established environment.

Because the five week sessions are a pilot program, students will likely be required to offer more feedback than they would in a regular class.

Dean of Film and Digital Media Peter Weishar said, “We will keep an extra eye on the five week courses and see the feedback, quality of work and popularity of the class.”

Eley said, “This is an opportunity to really carefully look at the successes and initiate positive things. We’ll see how things work and how to configure them to look for the best way to teach effectively. We’ll address the interest of students and the demands of individual courses.”

Fulp said, “[The shorter classes] have to have the success, knowledge and skill of any other course.”

Although she’s not interested in taking any summer classes, Laura Everill, an undecided first year student said, “For those that would, it’s a good idea.”

Third year film and television student Mickey Heffernan said, “I’m totally for it … It’s the way ‘real’ summer school works. It’s not anything strange or out of the ordinary.”

Although SCAD plans to offer a variety of classes in a variety of different majors and levels, the number of courses will be limited because the program is still in the testing phase. Every major under communication arts will offer a few classes, according to Fulp. Weishar said that the school of film and digital media would have approximately five courses in each session.

Fulp said, “The courses will have a condensed time frame, but not a condensed subject matter.”

Syllabi for the courses will be identical to their 10 week counterparts. Students will be required to finish in one week something that may usually be given two weeks to complete. According to Fulp, students can gain more insight into the business world by working under the tighter deadlines. By preparing for an abbreviated timeframe, students can learn to better prioritize and manage their time.

Fulp said that there are several other benefits to the condensed sessions. By taking a prerequisite the first session and the follow-up the second, students can take a sequence of courses in one quarter. Students can leave Savannah earlier by taking courses during the first session, possibly enabling them to start their careers sooner. The condensed class work may also teach students new solutions to problems that might not come up in a regular length class, such as techniques to speed drying times.

Most likely, there won’t be as many studios available in shorter sessions because of the tremendous amount of time required to fulfill the requirements. Many agreed that there are certain courses that are just not feasible under a shortened time frame.

Professor Roger Walton said, “Some classes would lend themselves well to five weeks of Monday through Thursday classes such as Life Painting. Other courses would not work well with fewer weekends of homework, such as the Materials and Techniques of Rubens.”

“Lecture courses would work well, but there’s not very many [in film and digital media]. Usually a class with a technical aspect, building upon a skill day by day, lends itself to a five week schedule,” Weishar said. “Sometimes 10 weeks is too long.”

“There won’t be any thesis classes in five weeks. That’s just not enough time. Some film classes need time to edit, which isn’t doable in five weeks,” he said.

Heffernan said, “It would be impossible to do film in five weeks; the 10 week quarters can be too short.”

Some classes Heffernan said that he would be interested in taking at a faster pace would be Screenwriting or Intro to Film in the film department or an art history or foundations course, such as Life Drawing.

Fulp said that he encourages students interested in taking a course on an abbreviated schedule to speak with an adviser or professor first. “Students have to know what they’re getting into. We don’t want to surprise anyone and have them not able to handle it.”

First year industrial design student Maddy Gibson said, “[The condensed courses] would probably be best to take one at a time only.”

Fulp said that SCAD would likely limit the amount of accelerated pace classes students can take to prevent them from becoming overloaded.

As to whether or not the condensed sessions will be offered in subsequent quarters, Weishar said that it depends on the success of the pilot.

Heffernan said, “It would be nice to have some sort of school financial aid for the summer. Tons of other colleges have things such as school-funded scholarships for summer sessions.”

But why should I get involved you say? “It’s rewarding to do something other than schoolwork, to impact and influence people’s lives,” said fourth year animation student, Aaron McGriff, who been active in community service since high school. “It’s also a way to feel good at the end of the day.”

McGriff said he has been working both with his residence hall council and SOS’ service club coordinator to set up more opportunities for students. He said, “Boys and Girls club desperately needs help. They’re turning kids away because they’re so severely understaffed.”

First year illustration student Mimia Johnson said, “It is important that we share our time, talent, and resources with others that are not as lucky as ourselves. Just think if everyone only took an hour or so out of their week to volunteer, what an impact we could make.”

Johnson said that she was very involved in volunteer work while in high school. Now, in addition to volunteering as one of SCAD’s student ambassadors, she is setting up some projects with the Montessori school.

Student Director of Service Opportunities for Students, Mark Roma, said there are numerous activities for students to get involved in. Some activities, such as building homes through Habitat for Humanity and serving in a soup kitchen through Deli Project, are ongoing. Union Mission and the Salvation Army are always looking for help. Students seeking more information about SOS’ events can contact the office through email at sos@scad.edu, by phone at 525-8800 or they can simply stop by their office in Dyson Lobby. Roma said SOS serves to supply food, supplies, transportation and communication with the volunteer sites.

Many times students have found these opportunities on their own. “We’ve stumbled across students who have been volunteering at a site for years who have never been involved with SOS,” he said.

Most students get involved because of passion for a particular cause, according to Roma. “These students extend themselves and ask questions about how they can help.” He said that SOS’ Art Educators program is one of the most popular. Many students who are passionate about the environment work with Students for a Better Environment. Roma and McGriff said they most enjoy working with kids. I’ve always been passionate about animals so I’ve spent time volunteering for a no-kill shelter for sick, abandoned and abused cats. Help the cause you’re passionate about.

Other students may get involved because they are new in school without much to do with their time; they’re looking for something to do, according to Roma. Also, many clubs get involved as a social activity or to get more funding through USF’s service grant.

According to Roma, most of SOS’ volunteers and coordinators would be just as involved even if there were no SOS. He said he himself hadn’t known much about what SOS did until this year’s Splash. As director, he was required to go to all 8 different sites. “It was an amazing time. It’s so great to see students involved,” he said.

What’s that? You say you’re too busy to help? Volunteering at the shelter was often the highlight of my week. Roma said that he often feels more energized after volunteering.

“At the end of last quarter, when I was the most stressed, working with the kids at East Broad Elementary reenergized me. It was like an emotional recharge. I had more energy than I had before from being around those kids,” he said.

Johnson said, “Sometimes it feels like I am in the constant juggling act just trying to keep up with everything … For me, it is figuring out what is important, and doing what I have to do to get it done.”

“A lot of times it’s more rewarding when you have to sacrifice,” said McGriff.

“I volunteer because I know I will never realize what it meant to even the one person who I helped. Granted, I don’t know what it is like to be an abused child, have a child who is extremely sick, or not know what it is like to own my own home, or even get to just sleep under a roof every night, but I can help my fellow human beings who know these realities all too well,” said Johnson.

Even though volunteering is a way to share your love with the community, many feel the love being returned to them. Johnson said that she has always received a positive response from those that she has helped. Many of the cats at the shelter who had been afraid of people warmed up to me and begged for attention. Eventually, many found permanent homes.

McGriff said about his experiences working with the kids at East Broad, “A lot of times, you can tell on their faces … They light up when you walk in the room.”

He has had similar experiences through his work as a student ambassador. “Students have come up to me and said, ‘You led my tour. You’re one of the reasons I came here.’”

“I don’t do it for the praise,” he said. “It just makes you feel good inside.”

Although most, if not all volunteers are doing so to help others, many find that they get just as much, if not more, out of it than those they are helping. Even the students who were only volunteering because they were required to do so enjoyed themselves at the end of the day, according to McGriff.

“It gives you a different outlook. You think differently and take less for granted … It’s more rewarding than people give it credit for,” said McGriff.

You can also help in more passive ways. Donate items you no longer need. McGriff said that all of the residence halls have a clothing drive going on for the next few weeks. Johnson has helped in the past by donating more than 10” of her hair to Locks of Love, an organization that uses donated hair to make wigs for kids who suffer from long-term medical hair loss.

Or if you’re one of those rare students with deep pockets, get out your checkbook. Instead of spending $100 on a nice dinner, think about how that money could help the world around you.

McGriff said that he “encourages everyone to be able to look back and see how you’ve helped someone other than yourself.”

Most SCAD students have probably heard discouraging comments from their friends and relatives such as: “Art school?!” “What are you going to do when you get out?” “Are you going to be able to get a job when you graduate?” What’s worse is some students may actually believe these negative sentiments.

That simply isn’t the case, according to writer Dan Pink. He said that he believes those with artistic backgrounds will have an advantage over their business world counterparts.

“Soon those seeking art degrees will be seen as making a wise, shrewd, hard-nosed decision. I have three children. When they go off to college, I would rather see them pursue MFAs than MBAs,” said Pink.

A piece he wrote in Feb. 2004 issue of the Harvard Business Review pioneered the concept of the MFA becoming more valuable than a MBA. Pink wrote a book, A Whole New World, to be released March 24, about the career fields of the future.

Pink’s research for a Whole New World didn’t come from just one source. He said he “created a mosaic” of how the western world is shifting from many different articles and interviews.

Pink’s writing has been published in Wired, Harvard Business Review, NY Times, Fast Company and many other publications. His bestselling book, Free Agent Nation, is also being used in various MBA curricula. He has also worked as a speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore and advised numerous start-up and Fortune 100 companies.

The Conceptual Age

According to Pink, in the 1700s our economy shifted from agricultural to industrial. Within the past century, the American economy has moved from technological to information and now we are moving into what Pink calls “the Conceptual Age.”

The shift in the business world parallels the shift in the art world towards desiring more conceptual work. Just as in the art world concepts are just as important as the appearance (if not more so), thoughts, ideas and emotions are becoming the driving forces of the business world.

The American economy is going through another change towards putting more value on creativity than on knowledge-based workers, according to Pink. He said that careers likely to be more valued now and in the future are those that “can’t be done by foreigners cheaper or automated by computers.” He suspects that occupations such as accounting, computer programming and engineering will go the way that factory work did 20 years ago. They will still exist, but not nearly to the extent that they do now.

While according to Pink, the US will still have a service economy, the difference will be what services are provided. Pink said art, leisure, design, entertainment and counseling are likely to be the type of services provided by American workers.

These career fields that are likely to be more in demand are those that “computers can’t do faster and foreigners can’t do cheaper.” Just as manufacturing jobs moved overseas because it was cheaper to do so, now white collar jobs, such as accounting and computer programming are being outsourced. The rate of pay for Americans as opposed to emerging countries is drastically higher. For example, while programmers in the US could make a $75K yearly salary, their counterparts in India could be paid $12K a year.

The issue of technology taking away jobs will continue to be a problem. While these jobs will not disappear altogether, the amount of people needed to perform these tasks will drastically reduce as computers can allow one person to do the job of what used to take many.

Because many fields are dwindling due to outsourcing and automation, the business world is focusing less on left-brain qualities, like number-crunching, than right-brain attributes. Right brain qualities are those that come easily to artists, such as thinking holistically, emotionally and innovatively.

“Design is an approach to the world that is more artistic, innovative and memorable,” said Pink.

With society’s desire for things such as designer toilet brushes, it’s only natural that careers such as designers would be more in demand. It is no longer enough to just create function to prosper in today’s world, according to Pink.

Education

“Art school is better for equipping for the economy that is emerging,” said Pink. “Graphic design, industrial design, even the fine arts, it doesn’t matter what medium you use; it’s about the broader array of abilities.”

Terminal degrees are becoming less important. “It matters less what words are written or even if having a piece of parchment,” said Pink.

Many MBA programs are changing to keep with what the business world desires. It used to be laughable for MBA programs to include coursework on subjects such as design and philosophy. Now, these same programs must include these subjects in order for their graduates to stay competitive.

Director of Career Planning and Placement, Pat Helbig, who holds a MBA, said Pink’s ideas aren’t completely new concepts. When she was in school, she was encouraged to pursue her undergraduate work in humanities or liberal arts and then go for a MBA.

Many of the qualities business schools are trying to install in their students are naturally inherent in artistic types. For example, through coursework on spirituality, value and meaning, many schools are trying to get their students to “contemplate why they’re here. Artists are inclined to do this anyways,” said Pink.

“Don’t go to school to be employable. School is not only vocational. Expand your mind,” said Pink.

Art students are more likely to pursue their education simply because they are interested in the subject. Artists genuinely enjoy what they do. They aren’t motivated by money as much as the desire to do what they like.

First year sequential art student Del Borovic said, “I’ve always done art. I wanted to pursue and study art.”

Liz Robertson, who graduated in 2004 with a BFA in illustration, said, “I always wanted to be an artist.”

Although art students they don’t tend to study subjects they don’t like simply to improve their career options, career prospects after college are still a concern.

Jamar Gooch, second year sequential art student said, “I wanted to learn more about comic books. I want to learn comics for a living.”

Robertson said that she is currently working as a bank teller. “SCAD taught me about the field of illustration, but didn’t really help me career wise. I freelance on my own.”

Spreading the concept

Since Pink’s original article was published, numerous other articles on the same concept have been published in business trade periodicals such as Fortune and Wired. Graphic design journal, HOW, also had an interview with Pink in their last issue.

Very few SCAD students read business magazines and journals. Borovic laughed when asked about the subject.

Helbig said she read Pink’s Harvard Business Review article when it was first published and has been waiting for the idea to be discussed in art and art-education related publications. She said she hasn’t seen any mention of the concept in these types of magazines and trade journals.

According to Helbig, one possible reason this concept hasn’t been included in many publications that those in the art field would tend to read is that those in business may believe that because art school graduates don’t realize how valuable they are, businesses can pay them much less than they are really worth.

Pink’s ideas are gaining recognition among the movers and shakers of the business world, according to Helbig, but haven’t trickled down to recruiters yet. She said she hasn’t heard any mention of art school graduates being favored over business school graduates from companies that have come to visit SCAD. She said she hasn’t noticed a change in the types of positions or the types of companies seeking employees.

Helbig doesn’t want SCAD graduates to be underpaid; she wants to empower students with the knowledge of how valuable their talents are. She is in discussions with Pink to have him visit SCAD in the spring to let students know about the opportunities awaiting them.

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Sadly, there are those who send html emails without realizing that most email browsers have images turned off by default. A well-designed email should look good even without images displayed. Especially now that the latest version of Outlook doesn’t support background images–and Microsoft has no plans to fix it.

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