RISD Students Speak Out on No Confidence Vote

RISD Students Speak Out on No Confidence Vote

Faculty at the Rhode Island School of Design last night were set to take a vote of no confidence in President John Maeda following their rejection of his proposed new strategic plan for the university.

However, the people to be most affected by the decision — RISD students — remain divided over what course of action the school should take.

"[Maeda] needs to go," said Julia Min '13, a Jewelry/Metalsmithing major. "He's trying to make changes that will ruin the RISD name."

"I like him," disagreed Lauren Allegrezza '14, a Painting major. "He definitely has a different take on art school, and it's nice to have a real personality as President."

Maeda has been President of the University since 2008, when he took over the position from Roger Mandle — the longest-serving president in the school's history — who stepped down after receiving a vote of no confidence from RISD department heads in 2007. Mandle, like Maeda, came under fire by faculty members after proposing significant changes to the structure of the traditional RISD curriculum and accompanying financial decisions.

‘Mostly due to fear’

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"I think it's mostly due to fear," said David Harris '13, an Industrial Design major, when asked why the RISD faculty seems so resistant to change at the university. "People are comfortable now, and they don't want the work that change brings."

"RISD's traditions give it identity," said Allegrezza. "A lot of faculty members went to school here, they know the system works, and they want to keep it the same for current students."

"If something is going well, why change it?" asked Min.

Proposed changes include decreasing the number of credits required to graduate — from 126 to 120 — as well as emphasizing interdisciplinary courses that aim to integrate art into emerging economic fields. The assumption is that such changes will make RISD graduates more employable post-graduation.

"A lot of the credits are necessary," said Harris, "but they can be a bit excessive. It's often hard to get ahold of the classes that I need to take. There's just not enough time." He said that the reduced number seemed "reasonable," but that increased access to required classes and shop hours were more important to him than seeing less requirements overall.

Students confident in RISD degree

"I don't want to pay current tuition for a lesser education," said Min. She and Claire Goetschel '13 agreed that "more flexible class times and more studio hours" are the answer, not fewer requirements.

As far as confidence in their employability after graduation, the students were generally optimistic, but emphasized the need for personal motivation in order to maximize the resources that RISD offers.

"I think it all depends on the person," said Harris. "I think people will struggle [to find employment] if they're not proactive, but the resources are all here."

As for what changes could be made in the curriculum, Allegrezza said that "some majors lend themselves to interdisciplinary study more than others."

"I'd be interested to see what changes would be made," she added.

New plan for RISD

She's not the only one. According to a statement released by Maeda to the RISD community, the RISD Board of Trustees "unanimously endorsed in concept the draft... and continuation of the planning process" for his new plan, entitled "Connecting the Dots."

"Collectively, the initiatives in this draft plan ensure that RISD will continue to be a preeminent institution of art and design education, solidly positioning us for the future by strengthening our academic core and enriching opportunities for our students," Maeda wrote.

One initiative of the draft — the merging of the Division of Fine Arts and the Division of Architecture and Design into the Division of Undergraduate Studies — however, caused particular unrest amongst faculty members. According to Henry Ferreira, President of the Full Time Faculty Association "any major academic reorganization needs to follow a process laid out in our contract. In this case, the process was not followed."

Maeda will have to address this issue in order to secure the future of his plan — and his position — at the school.