News
Welcome to the new Department of Visual and Media Arts
August 03, 2017
Students will be returning to GVSU this fall to a brand new academic department. Former Provost Gayle Davis announced to the GVSU community last winter that the organizational structure of the School of Communications would be going through changes to better accommodate the size and complexity of its former eight separate programs.
From the School of Communications, the Film & Video Production and Photography programs were realigned with the Department of Art and Design. As of August, this new unit is called Department of Visual and Media Arts, a name chosen after thorough consultation with the three units' faculty and staff. The changes are aimed to better support the educational needs of students, faculty, and staff. It should increase opportunities for visibility, collaboration and innovation since the three units share many operational parallels. From an administrative standpoint, it will also meet the accreditation bodies better.
The Department of Visual Arts will start the 2017–2018 academic year with 626 majors, 123 minors, 40 full-time faculty, and 9 staff members, all committed to teaching excellence and student success after graduation. We will continue to be housed both at the Calder Arts Center and Lake Superior Hall. Over this past year, faculty and staff from Art and Design and the School of Communications have been diligently working on a smooth transition that will not disrupt any academic operation. A task force and many committees were formed to develop strategies on staffing, budgets, personnel, facilities, equipment requests, visual identity, among other needed changes. No curricular changes have occurred because of this change.
Faculty, staff and the GVSU administrative body are enthusiastic about this new opportunity and is looking forward to a successful future.