Preparedness for Life After RISD Initiative
At RISD we have an opportunity to creatively and boldly build a set of systems, structures and practices that prepare our diverse student body to thrive in their chosen professional practices. Given how profoundly many aspects of creative-industry careers have changed over the past decade, we must assess and reimagine the effectiveness of our curricular and co-curricular offerings for professional preparedness.
With this context in mind, we have established the Preparedness for Life After RISD working group in order to examine this opportunity. The working group will focus on the following:
- identifying new approaches to prepare each student, regardless of background, for life after RISD, and presenting a plan that specifies budget, timing and milestones
- forming clear definitions of “prepared for life after RISD” and “post-graduation success” that are sensitive to the essential difference between vocational education and art and design education
- obtaining and analyzing relevant data (e.g., qualitative and quantitative, including longitudinal) regarding post-graduation success at RISD, among AICAD schools and art and design majors at research universities, etc., and taking special care to understand disaggregated demographic data where possible (e.g., gender, race, nationality, first-generation-to-college status, etc.)
- identifying ways we might effectively engage alums on a larger, more strategic scale in promoting post-graduation success (e.g., scaling or expanding current programs, sunsetting existing programs to accommodate new ones, creating new technology-based interventions, etc.)
- gathering information about how industry professionals are engaged across the college and assessing whether different, added or more systematic frameworks are needed
- gathering information about successful mentorship programs, including costs, administrative structures, etc., and, if mentorship is a key finding of the analysis, articulating such distinctive qualities at RISD, including staffing, structure, etc., in a mentorship program proposal
- suggesting specific ways we can create more robust, productive, systemic and strategic networks to benefit post-graduation success, paying particular attention to the global nature of our student body
Should any members of the RISD community, including alumni and family members, have questions and wish to be involved, please email us at strategy@risd.edu.
Updates and progress
April 3, 2024
Announcement of Preparedness for Life After RISD Working Group
March 26, 2024
To: Staff, Faculty
Subject: Preparedness for Life After RISD Working Group
RISD graduates emerge into a complex, global, interconnected, transdisciplinary, competitive and costly landscape. It is vital that they have command of their chosen discipline; possess the habits of mind and action that characterize artists, designers and creative leaders of genuinely original and transformative practice; and are prepared to engage the world of work effectively upon graduation. I am pleased to announce a new initiative, Preparedness for Life After RISD, a multifaceted effort based on equity principles focused on further bolstering post-graduation success.
Composed of students, faculty, staff, alums and art and design professionals, this working group is charged with producing a comprehensive report and set of recommendations that envisions a strategic and comprehensive direction for post-graduation success that is sensitive to the differences between vocational and art and design education.
Indeed, good work is already happening across the institution focused on preparing students to lead productive lives as artists, designers and creative leaders. Offices like the RISD Career Center, faculty members who integrate students into a collective network of experienced working artists and designers, academic departments that incorporate post-college preparedness into their courses, visiting artist series, student-led clubs like E-Ship and programs featuring or capitalizing on alums reflect a strong and collective commitment to ensuring post-graduation success.
There are wonderful programs across campus. Integrating them more deeply and systemically across the student experience will further strengthen student outcomes. Further, through robust analysis, discernment and visioning, we have a vital opportunity to also address existing gaps and create a more cohesive and integrated approach to supporting students—one that capitalizes on and deepens existing good work and ambitiously and appropriately augments that work. To achieve this goal, we will be devoting greater focus in the months ahead to ensure that, coupled with the exceptional art and design education they receive, RISD students are also prepared for a successful professional life after RISD—no matter what field(s) or course of action they choose to pursue.
Among the scope of its charge, the working group for Preparedness for Life After RISD will focus on the following:
- Clear definitions of “prepared for life after RISD” and “post-graduation success” that are sensitive to the essential difference between vocational education and art and design education.
- Obtaining and analyzing relevant data (i.e., qualitative and quantitative, including longitudinal) regarding post-graduation success at RISD, among AICAD schools and art and design majors at research universities, etc., taking special care to understand disaggregated demographic data where possible (e.g., gender, race, nationality, first-generation-to-college status, etc.).
- Identifying ways alums might be effectively engaged on a larger, more strategic scale in promoting post-graduation success (e.g., scaling or expanding current programs, sunsetting existing programs to accommodate new ones, creating new technology-based interventions, etc.).
- Gathering information about how industry professionals are engaged across the college and assessing whether different, added or more systematic frameworks are needed.
- Gathering information about successful mentorship programs, including costs, administrative structures, etc., and, if mentorship is a key finding of the analysis, articulating such distinctive qualities at RISD, including staffing, structure, etc., in a mentorship program proposal.
- Suggesting specific ways RISD can create more robust, productive, systemic and strategic networks to benefit post-graduation success, paying particular attention to the global nature of our student body.
We aim to emerge from this project with an overarching and cohesive strategy and, potentially, a centralizing structure predicated on a deeply informed landscape analysis, data and consultations with key stakeholders on and off campus. The resulting exploration and recommendations will be ambitious and worthy of our students.
I have asked Bill Foulkes, senior critic in Industrial Design, to chair this working group. The members of the group are listed below. Their report and recommendations are due in December 2024.
We realize that their efforts will be complex and involve many on this campus and beyond, including faculty, staff, students, alums, parents and employers. I thank all participants in advance for their time and energy in strengthening our work in this area.
Sincerely,
Crystal Williams (she/her)
President
Working group
Chair
Bill Foulkes - senior critic, Industrial Design
Members
Brooks Hagan - professor, Textiles; dean, Fine Arts
Kevin Jankowski - director, RISD Career Center
Bethany Jankunis - vice president of Strategy and Planning
Karma Johnson 26 SC - student
Tony Johnson - associate dean, Student Social Equity & Inclusion
Alex Posen P 27 - artist/entrepreneur
Dallas Pride - executive director, Alumni and Family Relations
Urvi Sharma 17 FD - cofounder, INDO
Antonia Steinberg 22 FD - president, Buck’s Rock Art Camp
Ayako Takase - associate professor and graduate program director, Industrial Design
Ray Quirolgico - vice president, Student Life
Mighty Wanitprapha 24 GD - co-president, E’ship Club