SDSU’s Design Program Provides Broad Overview

BY DENNIS PAPINI

At South Dakota State University, the difference is design.

The university’s new School of Design is changing how students learn in their chosen fields of design, building on a rich tradition in art and instruction that goes back to 1887, when then-President Lewis C. McLouth and another faculty member first taught freehand drawing.

The school — which brings together 28 faculty members and some 450 students from architecture, graphic design, interior design, landscape architecture and studio arts — enrolls all first-year students in a curriculum of collaborative design studies where they explore a range of interests including creativity, design thinking and design theory and practice.

This allows them to create unique pathways for themselves before moving into more focused upper-level course work and collaborative design projects. Previously, students simply chose a major, often without any exposure to other design opportunities that might be available. The collaborative design format allows students to discover each major’s offerings, then tailor their educational experiences to their specific interests.

The objective is to provide a broader, more comprehensive overview of design, offering both students and faculty a higher-quality academic experience, one that individual units or departments would not be able to provide.

The school also is able to offer cross-disciplinary opportunities to work with other students in disciplines like engineering, construction and operations management, as well as hands-on, real-world experiences, working on collaborative projects with faculty and working professionals in communities across the state of South Dakota.

Students also can participate in professional study trips — national and international — to study first-hand examples of art, architecture and other types of design that have endured and are now recognized as classics.

The ultimate goal is not only to meet the changing needs of today’s students, but to better align their professional preparation with the ever-evolving workplace they will enter upon graduation.

By offering innovative instruction in high-demand areas of professional design, the School of Design is building for the future today. Combined with a range of collaborative academic and internship opportunities, students will graduate well-prepared to launch their professional careers, and prospective employers can have confidence that graduates not only have that unique preparation, but also the real-world experience that will allow them to excel. PB

Dennis Papini Dean, College of Arts and Sciences South Dakota State University Brookings, S.D.

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