President Warrick L. Carter to Retire in August 2013
PRESIDENT WARRICK L. CARTER TO RETIRE IN AUGUST 2013
Warren Chapman Joins Columbia College Chicago as Senior Vice President
CHICAGO (May 8, 2012) – Warrick L. Carter, Ph.D., president of Columbia College Chicago announced today his intention to retire in August 2013. Carter, who took office in 2000, currently has the longest tenure of any sitting college or university president in Chicago.
“Warrick has had a profound impact on our institution, and I am very grateful for the expertise, excellent foresight and responsible planning he has provided throughout his tenure,” said Allen Turner, chairman of the Columbia College Chicago Board of Trustees. “It’s no coincidence that his tenure coincides with the college’s most significant period of growth and maturation into a world class arts and media college.”
“I have accomplished much of what I came to Columbia College to do,” said Carter. “This institution is poised for greatness and positioned for sustainability, and I know that our outstanding faculty and staff will continue to provide students with the most cutting-edge media arts education anywhere.”
To ensure a smooth transition between the current and future administration, Columbia College has hired long-time Trustee Warren Chapman, Ph.D., to serve in an interim role as senior vice president. Chapman will begin his new duties on June 1, leaving his current post as vice chancellor for external affairs with University of Illinois Chicago. He has held that position since 2006. Chapman will also step down from the Columbia College Board of Trustees, a position he has held since 2003.
A nationwide presidential search is underway, noted Turner, and will be led by a special Columbia College Chicago presidential search committee.
Carter is an educator, composer and performer who joined Columbia College Chicago in 2000. Under his leadership, the College’s South Loop presence blossomed as square footage of campus classrooms, offices and residence halls doubled to 2.5 million square feet over the past 12 years. The College during his tenure also reported a record high enrollment of 12,500 graduate and undergraduate students, up more than 25 percent from 1999 before Carter took office.
Dr. Carter successfully launched and oversaw Columbia College’s $100 million comprehensive fundraising campaign in 2010, the first in its 120-year history. The College also completed its first new-construction building, the $21 million state-of-the-art Media Production Center which opened in 2010.
Following completion of the college’s latest strategic plan, Focus 2016, Carter initiated an unprecedented and extensive self evaluation of its programs and operations in 2011. The self study, called Blueprint | Prioritization, is set to finalize recommendations this summer as the process moves into a multi-year implementation phase.
In a letter to the campus community today, Carter cited a need for long-term leadership to guide the implementation ahead of his originally scheduled retirement date of 2014.
“We are reaching the point in our transformation where I believe new leadership should shape the rollout and affect the implementation of Blueprint | Prioritization over the coming years,” Carter wrote. “After reading the recommendations from the community, it became clear that strategic implementation will take a good period of time – and we need to start now and expedite the leadership transition to support implementation before 2014.”
Prior to his tenure with Columbia, Carter served a four-year term as director of entertainment arts for Walt Disney Entertainment where he was responsible for developing global education and live arts programs for the entire corporation. Prior to that, Carter spent 12 years at Berklee College of Music in Boston, serving as dean of faculty and then as provost/vice president of academic affairs. At Governors State University in Chicago, where he served from 1971 to 1984, he began as a professor of music and was promoted to chairman of the division of fine and performing arts.
Carter began his career in higher education as an assistant professor and director of bands at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore. He received his doctorate in music education from Michigan State University.
Columbia College Chicago is an urban institution that offers innovative degree programs in the visual, performing, media and communication arts to almost 12,000 students in over 120 undergraduate and graduate programs. An arts and media college committed to a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, Columbia is dedicated to opportunity and excellence in higher education. For further information, visit www.colum.edu.
Columbia College Chicago Presents First “Mayor’s Award For Civic Engagement”
COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO PRESENTS FIRST “MAYOR’S AWARD FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT”
Annual Honor for Graduating Senior Established by Board Chair Allen M. Turner
CHICAGO (May 3, 2012) – Graduating senior Ariel Aguilera of Blue Island, Ill., has been awarded the first “Mayor’s Award for Civic Engagement” at Columbia College Chicago. The newly established award honors a senior student who has embodied Columbia College’s mission to serve an important civic purpose through active engagement in the life and culture of the City of Chicago.
The award, which includes a $500 cash gift, was created by a donation from Columbia College Board of Trustees Chair Allen M. Turner.
“We are fortunate to have an incredibly active and engaged student body, and this award is one way we can honor outstanding students who bring our mission to life and encourage other students to do the same,” said Turner, who made the presentation to Aguilera with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel at City Hall on April 27.
Turner added that Aguilera is the ideal recipient because she reaches beyond the campus and uses her talents to make meaningful, positive contributions to the welfare, culture and vibrancy of the city of Chicago and its people. Aguilera has been an active member in her community as a volunteer at local after-school science programs, rehabilitation centers, food banks, community shelters, and various film and music festivals, as well as a volunteer for the National Association for Chicano Studies Conference.
A marketing communications major with a concentration in public relations, Aguilera was awarded the Emerging Leader Award from the Illinois Latino Council on Higher Education earlier this year. She hopes to one day work with an agency or a non-profit organization specializing in Hispanic affairs.
Aguilera is a 2009 graduate of Dwight D. Eisenhower High School in Blue Island, Ill. At Columbia College, Aguilera has been president of Students Helping Humanity, the finance director of the Student Organization Council and served as a member of both the Latino Alliance and the First Year Advisory Board.
Columbia College Chicago is an urban institution that offers innovative degree programs in the visual, performing, media and communication arts to nearly 12,000 students in over 120 undergraduate and graduate programs. An arts and media college committed to a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, Columbia is dedicated to opportunity and excellence in higher education. For further information, visit www.colum.edu.
Manifest Urban Arts Festival To Highlight Graduate Talent
FOUR-BLOCK MANIFEST URBAN ARTS FESTIVAL TO HIGHLIGHT GRADUATES
Free Public Street Festival to Showcase Creativity, Talent & Bodies of Work
for Columbia College Chicago Students in Full Day Celebration
CHICAGO (April 26, 2012) – Summer street fests haven’t started yet, but the South Loop will be buzzing with outdoor activity on May 4, when Columbia College Chicago celebrates the work of more than 2,000 graduating students with its annual urban arts festival, Manifest 2012. From art exhibitions to slam poetry, from original fashion designs to singer showcases, the talent will spill out from Columbia’s South Loop campus and onto the streets of Wabash Avenue, with main stage performances from student bands creating the musical backdrop to the Manifest 2012 showcase.
The 11th annual full day event, free and open to the public, will be filled with engaging, thought provoking and playful art, music and interactive experiences that only Columbia students can create.
For the full schedule of more than 100 showcases and events, visit colum.edu/manifest. For a better idea of what’s in store, check out video highlights from Manifest 2011.
Manifest 2012 highlights include:
The Great Convergence
Noon – 1 p.m.
Student Government Association (SGA) Festival Lot, 1001 S. Wabash Ave.
Follow the Manifest Emissaries and Columbia's 2012 honorary degree recipients as they lead you to Manifest's culminating experience, The Great Convergence is an enigmatic and magical, Columbia-created concoction of spectacle, ritual, music, theater, and dance, that will re-ignite your imagination, spark your spirit, and remind us of the power and beauty of our remarkable community! Prepare to be touched and taken away by the talent of our faculty and students.
Manifest Showcases
Visit colum.edu/manifest for times and locations along Wabash Avenue
Immerse yourself in the music, performance, and art of the next generation. Manifest celebration will consumes the South Loop with more than 75 departmental showcases highlighting the talent and abilities of the graduating classes, from photography and fine arts to dance, film screenings, fashion shows, music and more.
Pedal Powered Amusement Park
1 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Student Government Association (SGA) Festival Lot, 1001 S. Wabash Ave.
Have you ever experienced a Lowrider inspired Bicy-Carousel? Seen a story painted on a 50-foot canvas unfold on a Crankie Bike? Heard a musical composition performed by an ensemble of handmade instruments whose conductor is on a unicycle? Had a smoothie made by a pedal-powered blender, or seen a puppet bike? Join us for some serious playfulness at the Pedal Powered Amusement Park!
PGA Miniature Golf
1p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Conaway Center, 1104 S. Wabash Ave.
Columbia’s graduate community makes the PGA their own, asking participants to ‘Please Generate Art’ as they play the classic game of miniature golf through art installations created and curated by graduate students from different departments. Golfers will “power their own reality” through play, touch, sound, color, dance and video brought to life by the talents and dedication of Columbia graduate students.
Papermakers Garden
1 – 5 p.m.
Balbo and S. Wabash Ave.
Papermaking demonstrations and discussions about growing usable papermaking plant fibers kicks off the construction of Columbia’s new papermakers’ garden during Manifest. The garden will produce usable fibers for hand papermaking, art and botany educational purposes, as well as beautify and give purpose to a currently unused space on Wabash Ave.
Main Stage Concerts
Student Government Association (SGA) Festival Lot, 1001 S. Wabash Ave.
5:45 – 6:30 p.m.: Kids These Days
7 – 8 p.m.: Allen Stone
Manifest 2012 is made possible through the contributions of its sponsors, including Blick, a presenting sponsor, and the creativity and gifts of the Columbia faculty and graduating student body.
Columbia College Chicago is an urban institution that offers innovative degree programs in the visual, performing, media and communication arts to more than 12,000 students in over 120 undergraduate and graduate programs. An arts and media college committed to a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, Columbia is dedicated to opportunity and excellence in higher education. For further information, visit www.colum.edu.
###
Columbia College Honors Outstanding Alumni
COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO HONORS OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AT COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES
Cartoonist, Jewelry Designer and Animator Embody Columbia Spirit
CHICAGO (April 25, 2012) – Continuing an annual tradition, Columbia College Chicago will honor outstanding alumni during the college’s commencement ceremonies on May 5 and 6. These alumni, who have taken the Columbia College spirit and translated it into successful careers in the arts, entertainment and media industries, have utilized their talents and experiences at Columbia, creating names for themselves far beyond the college community.
The alumni honorees whose time at Columbia College helped shape them into outstanding professionals with careers allowing them to live represent the School of Liberal Arts and Science, School of Fine and Performing Arts and the School of Media Arts, respectively:
Art Baltazar - Undeclared (BA ’92), cartoonist
A cartoonist born and based in Chicago, Baltazar defines cartoons and comics not only as an art style but as a way of life. His career began in 1994 with his self-published comic book, “The Cray-Baby Adventures.” Since then, he has created other comics such as “Gyro-Man,” “Captain Camel & the Space Chicken,” “Jimmy Dydo,” “Lunar Lizard,” “Meteor Mite,” and the famous “Patrick the Wolf Boy.” He is the creative force behind The New York Times-bestselling, Eisner Award-winning “Tiny Titans,” and the artist of the “Super Pets” children’s book series, and many more projects.
Lana Bramlette - AEMM: Fashion/Retail Management (BA ’97), jewelry designer
Lana Bramlette is the face and force behind Lana Jewelry and the “Lana Look,” a term that has come to stand for the world’s most delicate and modern jewelry. She launched Lana Jewelry in 2002 with her boyfriend (now husband) Rob Bramlette and today, Lana Jewelry is in more than 150 retailers worldwide. Her collections can be seen in magazines and on numerous A-list celebrities. Lana is also the founder of the Chicago Fashion Foundation (CFF), a nonprofit that gives annual scholarships to deserving Chicago-area design students.
Marlon West - Film & Video: Animation (BA ’85), effects animator/supervisor at Walt Disney Animation Studios
After graduating from Columbia College in 1985, Marlon West started his career producing educational films for Encyclopedia Britannica. In 1989, he moved to Los Angeles, working on special effects for music videos, television commercials, and motion pictures. Marlon joined Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1993 as an effects animator on “The Lion King.” Since then, he has worked constantly as an animator with Disney, on many of its blockbuster animated classics. As effects lead, West has worked as a digital artist on Disney CG-animated films, as well as helped to usher traditional, 2-D back to the studio, as evidenced by Disney’s recent releases.
Columbia College Chicago is an urban institution that offers innovative degree programs in the visual, performing, media and communication arts to nearly12,000 students in over 120 undergraduate and graduate programs. An arts and media college committed to a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, Columbia is dedicated to opportunity and excellence in higher education. For further information, visit www.colum.edu.
###
Columbia College Announces 2012 Honorary Degrees
COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO ANNOUNCES 2012 HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS
Six Honorary Degree Recipients Range from Music Legends, Critically Acclaimed Filmmaker and Photographer to Marketing Executive and Video Game Producer
CHICAGO (April 18, 2012) –Columbia College Chicago will celebrate spring commencement ceremonies May 5 and 6 in the Chicago Theatre, honoring its 2,000-student graduating class as well as six individuals in the entertainment, media and arts fields whose careers and legacies have been inspirational to Columbia College students.
The college will present honorary degrees to the following individuals:
Phil Ramone, Music Producer
To be honored May 5, 9:00 a.m.
Phil Ramone is one of the most respected and prolific music producers in the recording industry. With 33 Grammy nominations, 14 Grammy Awards, including a Technical Grammy for his lifetime of innovative contributions to the recording industry, an Emmy, and numerous honors and accolades to his credit, Ramone’s musical acumen and his use of audio technology are unmatched among his peers. Acknowledged as one of the top creative producers, Ramone has also played an integral role in pioneering many of the technological developments in the music industry over the years. He ardently supported the use of the compact disc, digital video disc, high-definition recording and surround sound, receiving the first Grammy given for Best Surround Sound Album.
Lee Flaherty, CEO, Flair
To be honored May 5, 12:30 p.m.
In 1964, after working in San Francisco and Chicago at different promotional marketing companies, Lee started his own business, Flair Communications Agency, a full-service marketing and communications company for business clients, in a dilapidated brownstone. By 1965, Lee Flaherty had bought the brownstone, restored it to its original Victorian splendor and named it Flair House. Today, Flair House has received eight awards, including designation as one of the Top Ten Working Environments in America and the National Gold Award for Victorian Preservation, and was voted the most admired agency in the marketing industry by Interactive Media Works. Flair has major blue-chip clients that are serviced from the Chicago headquarters and offices in New York and San Francisco. In 1977, Flaherty founded the Chicago Marathon.
Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Photographer
To be honored May 5, 4:00 p.m.
One of the most influential and innovative photographers working today, Philip-Lorca diCorcia is known for creating images that balance between documentary and theatrically-staged photography. His work has been exhibited across the world, with solo shows at the New York's Museum of Modern Art, Paris’ Centre National de la Photographie, Tokyo's Art Space Ginza and more. His practice takes everyday occurrences beyond the realm of banality, infusing what would otherwise appear to be insignificant gestures with psychology and emotion. DiCorcia employs photography as a fictive medium capable of creating uncanny, complex realities out of seemingly straightforward compositions. As such, his work is based on the dichotomy between fact and fiction and asks the viewer to question the assumed truths that the photographic image offers.
Steve James, Director
To be honored May 6, 9:00 a.m.
Steve James is best known for directing “Hoop Dreams,” winner of many critics’ prizes, including a Peabody and Robert F. Kennedy Award. His other films include festival winner “Stevie,” which landed on a dozen year-end ten best lists; the acclaimed miniseries “The New Americans”; “At the Death House Door,” James’ fourth film short-listed for an Academy Award, “No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson” for ESPN’s Peabody winning “30 for 30” series; and “The Interrupters,” winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Miami Film Festival, Sheffield Documentary Festival and Minneapolis Film Festival, along with a Special Jury Prize at Full Frame, the Audience Award at Philly Cinefest, and the True Life Fund Recipient at True/False Film Festival.
Warren Spector, Video Game Designer/Producer
To be honored May 6, 12:30 p.m.
Even a cursory review of the video game titles Warren Spector has been involved with clearly shows the depth of his impact. Few have had their hand on as many genre-defining titles or franchises as Warren has, both as designer and producer. Warren is best known for the “System Shock” and “Deus Ex” series of games which arguably changed how games approach blending storytelling, gameplay, and atmospherics. In addition to his game production, Warren has pushed the game industry and academia with constantly evolving ideas of gameplay theory and execution.
Mavis Staples, Singer
To be honored May 6, 4:00 p.m.
Born in Chicago in 1939, Mavis Staples began her gospel career with the Staple Singers, a family soul-gospel ensemble that flourished in the 1950s through the 1970s and beyond. Staples’ first solo foray came in 1969 with the release of her self-titled album, and she has continually released solo and collaborative music since, with her most recent CD winning a 2011 Grammy for “Best Americana Album.” Staples is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and a National Heritage Fellowship Award recipient, and has also released a series of solo albums. VH1 named her one of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, and Rolling Stone listed her as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Columbia College Chicago is an urban institution that offers innovative degree programs in the visual, performing, media and communication arts to more than 12,000 students in over 120 undergraduate and graduate programs. An arts and media college committed to a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, Columbia is dedicated to opportunity and excellence in higher education. For further information, visit www.colum.edu.
# # #
