i+D - September/October 2021 - 45

Shaping Creative
Business Leaders
The curriculum at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
emphasizes exposing students to interdisciplinary collaboration
with disciplines that might not have naturally been an ally
for the profession. " We're working on a project on virtual
reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for a hospice company
and with pharmaceutical people, " says Khoi Vo, vice president
for industry relations at SCAD. " We're able to expand our
scope of interest investigation when we have more people
from different disciplines collaborate in the project or in
the research. "
SCAD students also have the opportunity to observe adaptive
reuse up close and personal, and this leads to teaching
moments. " We're really proud to say we've been doing
adaptive reuse since the late '70s/early '80s, " says Vo. In
Savannah, SCAD has about 60 buildings, and approximately
90 percent have been repurposed.
Another focus for SCAD is expanding the intersection
of art, design, and business. " We try to infuse that in our
curriculum in the way we speak with our students, the way
they start to be trained as either artists or designers from
day one, and [to stress] that they also need to be really good
business people, " explains Vo.
Khoi Vo
(Image: Courtesy
of SCAD)
At SCAD, emphasis
is placed on students'
understanding of the
intersection of art,
design, and business.
(Image: Courtesy of SCAD)
SCAD provides its students with a holistic journey that goes well beyond
four years of undergraduate or the two years of graduate school. In addition to
programming for grade school students, SCAD has frequent conversations with
its alumni network. " We want to support them when they become professionals
in their industry in two ways. During that first phase-one to five years, when
they are just starting-we arm them with more business knowledge. We
support them by creating a bigger network for them. And we pair them up with
mentors in the industry, " Vo says. " All these things give them that opportunity
to grow and be successful when they first hit their profession. "
These designers and artists aspire to become directors and managers and
executives of the companies where they work. In the second phase, SCAD
puts more resources into developing them as creative business leaders.
" That's a really big focus for us right now, " says Vo. " What does it take to
be a creative business leader? How can we give those tools and skills to our
alums and even our students that are currently in school right now? "
SCAD students develop a keen understanding of business, but they are just as
socially conscious as their counterparts at other design schools. " They expect
projects with a social meaning behind them; it's not just about making money
or making a better widget, but the betterment of society, " he says. " Employers
have to step it up. "
The next generation of design professionals will be emerging soon. They will be
ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work. Employers will feel their presence.
When they make pledges toward sustainability, diversity, or inclusion as a
priority, these new graduates will expect more than lip service. They will want to
see them put into action. Is your firm ready?
DIANA MOSHER, Allied ASID,
is a New York-based interior designer and
media consultant. She was the 2017-2019
communications director for the ASID
New York Metro chapter and continues to
be active on the communications committee.
i+D - September/October 2021
45
i+D - September/October 2021

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