Dear Students,
Time is flying as we near the end of spring semester. I want to take this opportunity to do two things.
First, I’d like to thank you for your time and engagement this year. My most rewarding days as president of MCAD are those when I get to visit your classes, learn from you individually about your work, and attend your exhibitions and presentations. I have enjoyed going on field trips with you, and joining you for gatherings on campus. I am always happy to hear your ideas about the college, work through concerns with you, or just hang out and chat.
Student voices are vital to decision making at MCAD. Student Union representatives have been key partners for my colleagues and me this year. Student Union representatives have invited your questions and suggestions, advocated for your interests on campus, and developed a productive rapport with me in my first year. I thank them for sponsoring my welcome gathering with you this fall, as well as the Town Hall last month.
Second, I want to recap several topics discussed at the Town Hall, and to provide updates where applicable.
Communication
At MCAD, like all colleges, students expect transparency and open lines of authentic communication with college leadership.
Here are just a few things we are doing along these lines. Student Union representatives will join next week’s Student Experience Committee meeting, as we seek to provide more opportunities for direct and substantive student engagement with MCAD’s Board of Trustees.
I have started weekly open office hours—thank you to my first attendees!—and I look forward to having a student shadow me next week. Our CFO, Mary Alma Noonan, invites students to meet with her anytime to learn more about how the college puts together its annual budget. Next academic year, we will open time for student participation during President’s Cabinet meetings once per month. If you are interested in these activities, please contact Chief of Staff Nick Raverty to sign up.
In our fast-moving environment, President’s Cabinet is prioritizing timely communication about decisions to those who are affected—students, faculty, or staff. I have begun the practice of soliciting Student Union feedback on some of my broader student communications. We recognize the need to continually provide clear guidance to students on where they can direct specific concerns and recommendations for the outcomes they seek.
ICE Response
The end of Operation Metro Surge does not mean the end of campus concerns about immigration enforcement and student safety. Nor does it mean that, individually or as a community, we are past the traumatic effects of January 24th. This will take time and continued care for one another.
Our ICE Policies and Protocols remain in place. We maintain vigilance, and Campus Safety is always in close touch with local officials to monitor activity in the neighborhood. Our Emergency Operations Group (a cross-functional leadership team) continues its work preparing for a wide range of potential safety scenarios. For any safety concerns, please contact Campus Safety.
Dining Services
Campus dining has been a frequent topic of our conversations with students. The Student Union conducted a survey about campus food this spring, and recently met with our Associate Vice President of Operations and Chief of Staff to review the findings. Some takeaways: While much has improved, we continue to work with our chef to provide more variety and flexibility, particularly in support of student dietary restrictions. We are also looking at our tiered dining plans in response to a Student Union request for an additional option.
Following Town Hall, I received some questions on additional topics. To briefly highlight a few we will look at over the summer:
- We are thinking about ways we can expand or enhance our Free Shelf program. In the meantime, please refer to information on the Emergency Parachute Fund and other resources page.
- We will discuss reprising our annual Career Fair to help prepare students for work in creative industries.
- In addition to developing an Emerging Technologies Committee and our AI guidelines (page 80) in the Student Handbook, we will introduce more ways for students to contribute to AI policymaking at MCAD. For questions about this committee or suggestions, please reach out to Vice President of Academic Affairs Melissa Rands (mrands@mcad.edu).
Thank you, as ever, for all you do to make MCAD a wonderful campus community.
Warm regards,
Gwen