Writing SNHU’s Story
VOLUME XXV
ISSUE 10
APRIL 10, 2019
PENMENPRESS.COM
ceta building opening set for january 2020 Austin Bonnell Outreach Manager
Since the summer of 2018, SNHU students have seen the new CETA (College of Engineering, Technology and Aeronautics) building being constructed in between Washington Hall and the Hospitality Center. This new building is supposed to have many amenities and lab spaces for CETA program students by its completion at the end of 2019. The CETA program was established in late 2017 to expand affordable and accessible engineering degree programs in the New England region. When the parent company of Daniel Webster College (DWC) in Nashua, N.H. declared bankruptcy and
CETA building under construction. (image credit: Kim Sarah I)
announced the closing of all its schools, SNHU stepped in to help DWC students finish the year and continue pursuing their degrees. It has become rather successful due to the high demand of engineering-based jobs around New Hampshire and the United States. CETA is home to many different STEM programs at SNHU including computer science, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering and countless others. Right now, many of the CETA classes are held in the engineering annex on campus: a 20,000-square-foot facility with classrooms and computer labs, as well as a radar simulator, a tower . . . . . . . . . . . Continue to page 2
Game Art and Programming retention to be addressed
Devin Pouliot Staff Writer
Recently, rumors have been spread about many students dropping out of the Game Art and Development major and the Game Programming and Development major. However, multiple sources have confirmed that this is not the case. While an exact number of how many students have left the two majors could not be gathered, it is estimated that 300 students have changed majors “The general opinion is… it is too much,” said Benjamin Alves (‘21), a student in the Game Art major. Alves knows many friends and classmates who have switched majors from the mass amount of work and time required to complete course work. Alves also commented
that how the courses were taught, being relatively new, played a role in so many students changing majors. The Game Art and Development major and Game Programming and Development major follow a similar structure with fundamental skills taught in classes building off each other as students progress through the programs. Classes consist of, but are not limited to, 3D Modeling and Animation, Texturing for Games, Character Animation, Environment Design, and Character Design for the Game Art and Development Major. The Game Programming and Development major has classes of Game Programming I and II, Scripting for Games, Studio Environment and Game Engine
Development (Graphics Game Engines). “Most students find that what they are working on isn’t really what they want to do,” Coordinator for Game Art, Ed Brillant, said. Brillant said that he and David Carigg, Coordinator for Game Programming, found that many students simply switch from Game Art to Game Programming and vice versa. Otherwise, students leave the program entirely and find majors that have similar qualities to Game Art and Programming, like Graphic Design and Creative Writing Brillant also admitted that both degrees are not easy to complete. Many students may not fully understand the challenges of creating a video game and this leads them to change
Benny Alves working on a project (image credit: Rosa Valente) majors. When asked if he was upset by students leaving the program, Brillant said no. “I’m happy they recognize it isn’t for them,” Brillant said. To reduce the numbers of students dropping out of
the majors, Brillant mentioned the collaboration of the Game Art and Game Programming departments to create a freshman level class that incorporates aspects of game art and game programming. “We think this new in-
troduction to both majors will be something special,” he said. This class will provide freshmen who are interested in the majors with an introduction to both majors so they can decide what major to pursue.