STATEMENT OF service
i view my service to the institute as existing on multiple levels that stretch well beyond attending kcai faculty assembly and basic committee work. i take both of those important components seriously, with regular attendance and meaningful work done on committee, and complement them with a good amount of department-level work alongside my colleagues, as well as service to the discipline of graphic design at a local and national level.
service highlights that exemplify this breadth and depth of service:
being invited twice to read abstracts for the national-level aiga faculty research grants
serving multiple years on local advisory boards for both the penn valley community college graphic design department and the e-communications department at olathe northwest high school
being asked to co-curate and design the exhibition for the local aiga “get out the vote” poster show
authoring and implementing the “design diversity” series, which has brought six graphic design alumni to campus to interact with our department as a whole, over multi-day visits
active involvement and collaboration with colleagues on our annual freshmen presentations and open studios recruitment events
serving on no less than ten hiring committees for everyone from kcai president to staff members
chair-related service
the privilege of serving as chair of the graphic design department brings with it obvious requirements such as evaluating full-time faculty, budget oversight, hiring adjunct lecturers, and schedule planning, among other things. many other service needs and opportunities also arise out of this position for which i consider it an opportunity to demonstrate initiative and leadership for my department. for brevity, i will only mention a few of the most significant. oversight of our annual senior show is a large undertaking that weaves together collaborative promotion [print and web], exhibition, and event coordination at both the student and faculty level. i am thankful for faculty willing to share in this heavy lift. since about 2011, i have been setting aside funds to outfit what we call our “analog studio” – a dedicated space for making apart from the computer – which contains letterpress and bookbinding equipment, a small photo studio, light table and spray booth, manual typewriters, and a host of other small tools and toys with which students can experiment. upkeep of this space has required at different times a part-time tech or multiple work-study students [our current solution] but is a great resource for our students to explore new techniques, tools and processes. finally, being able to administer and work with my colleagues to bring noteworthy designers to speak and do workshops has been very rewarding for the department as a whole. related to service, there is the coordination of course schedules, flights, accommodations and meals – alongside the myriad other events and activities that need to be coordinated for the department. again, i have two hard-working and eager colleagues who willingly share in this service to make our student experience great for our department.
joyce c hall distinguished professor of design
it is difficult to overstate the long-term impact this visiting professor position has had on our department. from katherine mccoy – my first exposure to this position – to our current professor, renda morton, the lectures, long-term projects, informal talks and meals, and guest critic comments in classes has been a continual enrichment for our students. managing this position, however, is no small feat. it is always a team effort for full-time faculty involving extra work and planning, but i ultimately consider myself responsible for the organization and quality of this position. it involves faculty discussions around selection, extending the invitation, working out details of the engagements throughout the school year, consulting with the professor on a potential project, and setting detailed itineraries for each visit. after all the work, everyone in the department is better for the engagement and learning it fosters and the students have had innumerable amazing opportunities to interact with top-level designers and design educators through this program.
recommendations, references, and job-seeking
i have only recently begun keeping track of the recommendation letters i write, as i have always just considered it part of my faculty duties, so that cv detail is fairly incomplete. like many faculty, i have written these letters or served as a reference for many of my students throughout my career and regularly field reference calls for job-seeking alumni. i regularly work with interested seniors to identify studios and cities of interest and seek to connect them to our ever-growing network of kcai graphic design alumni across the country. also with great regularity, i field and disseminate many full-time job openings, freelance projects, and internship opportunities to alumni and current students further strengthening our graphic design alumni network. evidence for this can be seen in our long-standing “designalogue” departmental job board, though a good amount of more specifically targeted work is simply done via email and through online social networks.