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On Campus
Intelligent (Graphic) Design
It has been just three years since Susquehanna University began offering a major in graphic design. In that short amount of time, enrollment has grown by leaps and bounds, and its students, by winning some of the most prestigious design awards in the industry and securing outstanding jobs and internships, have already put the program on the map among peer schools and professionals. Under the guidance of Department of Art chair Mark Fertig, graphic design students have consistently placed in the country's foremost design competitions. Leslie Hanson '08, of New York, N.Y., is the program's most recent and distinguished winner. Hanson won a silver medal this spring at the National ADDY Awards competition in San Francisco, Calif. Out of 60,000 entries and 170 student and professional awards, Hanson was the only student from a college or university in the Northeast to win an award. He earned the chance to compete nationally after winning gold medals at both the district and regional levels. Another winning student is Amanda Lenig '07, of Liverpool, Pa., whose recognitions include a district-level Gold ADDY. “There is an extreme sense of positive validation when the time and effort put into the poster, cd, or stationery package you've created is recognized by a professional in the field,” says Lenig.
“It is also important, in such a competitive field, to know and understand what people outside of Susquehanna University are looking for in design work. Juried competitions are a gamble because we have no idea what the judges are looking for or what they will be drawn to. We can only send our best work and hope that it is recognized and respected as a good design,” she says. Awards aren't the only things the graphic design program is racking up, though. For the 2006-07 academic year, 55 graphic design majors are anticipated. In addition, students are earning highly-coveted internships. One example is Isaac Johnson '07, of Rockton, Pa., who is spending the summer in Washington, D.C., interning at The Kennedy Center. (Read the story here.) Graduates of the program aren't doing too poorly either. Several have landed jobs in major markets like New York City and Washington, D.C. Taylor Buckholz '06 secured a full-time position as a graphic designer with the up-and-coming-firm Design Army (www.designarmy.com). He attributes his success in finding a job so readily to Fertig's teaching methods. “Our classes, projects and learning stress real-life applications. I have not felt overwhelmed by the professional design world, and I attribute that to the way the graphic design major is run,” Buckholz says. As Fertig explains, “I focus on problem-solving as opposed to making things look pretty. And because we are a B.A. program rather than a B.F.A. program, students have the freedom to take more elective courses, which gives them a broader range of experience in which to approach clients' needs when they begin working in the profession.” – Victoria Kidd
Inspiration from Jaime EscalanteSusquehanna's Graduation Day 2006 proved to be “inspiration day” for teachers who gathered at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 14, 2006, to breakfast with famous public-school teacher Jaime Escalante, along with his son and assistant, Jaime Escalante Jr. Four Selinsgrove-area teachers, representing math, social studies and English departments, Visiting Assistant Professor of English Michael Hardin and Carol Scherb '70 Ray, a member of Susquehanna's board of directors and English teacher, were thrilled to glean unusual teaching techniques from the man about whom the 1988 film Stand and Deliver was made. Escalante transformed gang-member Mexican-American teens in an East Los Angeles high school into math experts. When his students passed Advanced Placement exams, the developers of the test accused them of cheating! Escalante had convinced those disaffected youth that they had the ganas (desire) to succeed. Motivation is all any learner needs. Escalante was awarded an honorary doctor of education degree by Susquehanna during commencement ceremonies. The recipient of the Presidential Medal and member of the Teachers Hall of Fame, he was born in Bolivia, and arrived in California in 1964, via Puerto Rico, as a qualified physics and math teacher. However, the state did not recognize his credentials; he then attended college at night, while holding down menial jobs, until earning a mathematics degree in 1976. Graduates of Mr. Escalante's controversial calculus classes are now NASA engineers and Harvard alumni. Angel, the wildest of the boys featured in the movie, became an Air Force pilot. Escalante advises that parents practice his formula: – Carol Scherb '70 Ray
— Victoria Kidd
Innovative Program for High Schoolers Marks Milestone
Fall means back to school. And for hundreds of high-school students, fall means learning in university classrooms and laboratories at Susquehanna's In-Action days. In-Action days provide opportunities for prospective college students to investigate particular academic disciplines in a college environment. A window into Susquehanna, In-Action days also provide students with a chance to talk to professors and college students. This annual tradition began in 1986 when the science department was struggling with low enrollment.
“When I became dean, the sciences were in trouble,” said Donald Housley, professor emeritus of history. “We needed to work at getting them some students to avoid shutting down a program or two.” Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Tom McGrath suggested the idea, which turned into a 20-year-and-counting tradition. “I proposed we talk to high-school students – bring the high schools here,” he said. According to current program coordinator, Wendy Lauer '80 Mull, this program is unique to Susquehanna. “I think Tom was quite a pioneer among faculty in those days,” Mull said. “No other school that we know of does a program quite like this.” During Science In-Action Day, students experience college science by participating in a two-hour lab, a session about careers and a guest lecture – which was delivered one year by a NASA astronaut. The program was designed to promote Susquehanna to both high school students and their teachers. Parents were also invited to attend information sessions about admissions and financial aid. And the program proved popular. About a dozen students attended the first Science In-Action Day, Housley recalls. By the fourth or fifth year, 250 students were coming. “It just grew exponentially,” Housley said. And it was just what the science programs needed. “We went from being in danger of people losing their jobs to hiring more people,” Housley said. Now, according to Housley, Susquehanna employs twice as many biology faculty as it did in 1986. After other departments saw the success of Science In-Action Day, they got on board with their own programs. Susquehanna now hosts five In-Action days, recently renamed Action days, each year.
— Jennifer Sprague '06 Sprague, of Glastonbury, Conn., attended the journalism workshop at the 2001 Writing In-Action Day. She majored in journalism and is a reporter with the Smyrna/Clayton Sun-Times in Delaware. She said: “My favorite part of Writing In-Action Day was meeting the faculty. It was nice to know my academic adviser before I even came to campus as a freshman.” |
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