In response to trends in education and professional industries and student and faculty needs, The College of Fine and Applied Arts is pleased to announce a reorganization of the Department of Technology and Environmental Design into two new departments.
“This restructuring allows for increased opportunities for growth and a concentrated focus in the areas of design and sustainable technology,” says Dr. Glenda Treadaway, Dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts. “I am very excited to see this transition come to fruition and know it will yield new successes for our students and faculty.”
The two new departments will be the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment and the Department of Applied Design. The reorganization will be effective July 1, 2015 and a search for chairs for both departments is underway.
The new Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment will house three programs and faculty in the areas of Sustainable Technology; Building Science, with concentrations in construction Management, Architectural Technology and Design, and Sustainable Building Systems; and the Graduate Program.
The new Department of Applied Design will house three programs and faculty in the areas of Interior Design and Industrial Design, with concentrations in Furniture Design and Product Design, as well as Apparel Design and Merchandising, which is currently housed in the Reich College of Education. In addition, this unit will contain the non-degree granting Michael R. Patricelli Craft Enrichment Program.
The division of the Department of Technology and Environmental Design into two departments will create better alignment of programs based on their disciplines, highlight areas of excellence and promise within the college and university, will allow more focused assessment of program, policy, and student outcomes and allow better mentoring of young faculty seeking to attain promotion and tenure. With closer coordination of more related disciplines in each of the new departments, there will be greater efficiency in program delivery and department management.
As an additional component of the reorganization the Commercial Photography program and the Graphic Arts and Imaging Technology program will move into the Department of Art to better align related disciplines.
This alignment provides numerous opportunities for the Commercial Photography and Graphic Arts and Imaging Technology programs including the opportunity for growth within each program, faculty and course sharing for greater efficiency, facilitates greater collaboration between programs, and, most importantly, improves the educational experience for students.
“Educators are innovators, especially in higher education where we are constantly reaching for new academic goals and responding to industry needs and changes,” Dean Treadaway says, “I wish to applaud the faculty for their continued desire to make our College and their respective departments and programs the very best for our students and, by extension, our community and world.”