sharpen edges
career & Professional Development
MCAD Continuing Education Brings Academic Excellence into the Professional Realm
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Going forward, MCAD will increasingly partner with organizations of all kinds to offer specialized training courses or workshops on topics such as computer software skills, graphic design principles, digital marketing concepts, digital photography, video editing, and more. This is one more way that MCAD is working to bring its dedication to academic excellence out into the larger community. — Lara Roy Lara Roy is director of continuing education at MCAD. She has an M.A. in art history and has worked at the University of Minnesota and the Walker Art Center.
photo by Tiffany Bolk ’98
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earning to improve practical and professional knowledge does not have to end upon graduation from a degree program. With that in mind, Minneapolis College of Art and Design Continuing Education has been reaching out to businesses and organizations, connecting employee development needs with the high quality educational experiences that MCAD offers. Recently, David Reade, a creative director at Best Buy, needed his team to develop skills in Adobe After Effects in order to create instore digital signage. He contacted MCAD's Continuing Education department and together they developed a custom training course for his employees. “The team loved the class,” Reade noted. “There was a good pace and they picked up what they needed to get them started in the digital space.” An equally exciting program took place at the headquarters of Lifetouch Inc in Eden Prairie. MCAD Continuing Education staff and faculty developed a series of three on-site professional development workshops built around fostering creativity, analyzing portrait photography, and graphic design fundamentals. These concise, highly interactive workshops provided Lifetouch employees with a chance to gather with colleagues, be energized by learning, and bring new ideas and skills into their own work.
> For more information, please contact the MCAD continuing Education de- partment by phone at 612.874.3765 or by email at continuing_studies@ mcad.edu.
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop The Alumni Association Gets Busy
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y stepping up to the plate and putting big ideas into action, this year’s Minneapolis College of Art and Design Alumni Association may have just redefined the term “busy.” In the past twelve months the all-volunteer board has nearly doubled its membership, launched an incredibly successful alumni newsletter in partnership with MCAD DesignWorks, and organized a host of innovative new programs, events, and initiatives, all aimed at strengthening the MCAD community.
Brian Gioielli, director of major and alumni giving, says that last year’s planning process for reinvigorating the board was a great success. “It’s been exciting to see the diversity of the board grow so much. We have people of all different ages from all different backgrounds and fields of study. With new members comes new energy and new ideas.” In order to have the greatest impact, the board focused its work on five main priorities: gatherings, including everything from happy hours to open critique nights; communications, with an emphasis on increasing consis-
tency and value; the massive allalumni reunion, in celebration of MCAD’s 125th year; SnackcART, a regular fixture during finals week; and graduation guides, a tangible resource for MCAD students who are just leaving the security of campus life. Though each of the Alumni Association’s programs are unique, they’re all aimed at achieving the same goal, says Gioielli. “At the end of the day, alumni are the reason MCAD is special. You’re an alum forever, and we want to create a community where the doors are always open.” — r.s.