Crystal Williams

Spring is one of my favorite times to be on campus. The air warms, daylight lengthens, energies shift and the flowers teach us a great deal as they gear up to unleash their individual and unique beauty on the world. So, too, in each of the senior shows, exhibitions by alums and end-of-year activities, we witness the new creative languages of our students and the essential and unique beauty of what they can and do offer to the wider world. Spring is a time of profound and motivating beauty in the RISD community, both here in the US and across the globe.

Recently, I was in Qatar speaking about RISD’s role in educating the next generation of artists and designers at the Doha Design Biennial. It was incredible to connect with so many of our thoughtful and talented alums there and to experience the ways in which they are making an impact on the art and design scene in the region and the world. This week, some of our students are traveling to Milan for their exhibition Objects May Shift at SaloneSatellite. These students, cast from across the disciplines, will represent the very best of RISD in one of the world’s most prestigious design shows. Then, shortly after, a number of our alums will participate in the Venice Biennale—in major shows of their own, in their country’s pavilions, in the arsenale and in the vast number of wonderful, intimate gallery shows that will populate Venice for the next several months. What an exciting way to usher in spring! As I have shared previously, I believe our students, these young artists and designers, are our best-case scenario and never is that clearer than at this time of year.

Enjoy it all!
President Williams

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 for Preparedness for Life After RISD

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 - co-founder, INDO
Antonia Steinberg 22 FD - president, Buck’s Rock Art Camp
Ayako Takase - associate professor & graduate program director, Industrial Design
Ray Quirolgico - vice president, Student Life
Mighty Wanitprapha 24 GD - co-president, E’ship Club

Dear RISD Community,

It is my sad duty to share with you that our student Everett Moore 25 AP passed away off campus today. This is a tragic loss for Everett’s family, friends, peers, and our entire community. We all mourn the loss of such promise.

At this time, plans for celebrating Everett’s life have not been confirmed. We will share information as it becomes available.

As we all process this tragic loss, please support each other and keep Everett and Everett's loved ones in your thoughts.

Below are support resources that are available to our community.

Sincerely,

Crystal Williams  she/her
President
President's Office

Support resources

For students: Student Affairs and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) staff are here to support you. CAPS is available for any student wanting to access mental health support throughout the day, after hours, or on the weekend. Students can be connected with a counselor by calling 401 454-6637 to connect with CAPS during business hours (counseling@risd.edu) or ProtoCall after hours, which offers 24/7 therapeutic support.

For faculty or staff needing personal support: Please contact Coastline EAP, our Employee Assistance provider, for confidential counseling and referral/resource services 24 hours a day at 800 445-1195.

If you are immediately concerned about a RISD community member’s well-being, contact RISD Public Safety at 401 454-6666. To alert RISD professionals (including CAPS and Student Life) of a non-urgent concern, please submit a Concern Assessment Response Evaluation (CARE) referral.