Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/511209
www.postmagazine.com 28 POST MAY 2015 s the academic year draws to a close at many educational institutions, it's a good time to reflect on how schools are preparing students for careers in post production. It's not just a matter of classroom learning and acquiring tech skills: Experiential learn- ing, sometimes alongside top industry names, makes them job-ready for the real world. SCAD The Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) confers Fine Arts degrees upon students enrolled in film and televi- sion production, animation, VFX, game design, interactive media, sound design, branded entertainment and more. SCAD (www.scad.edu) boasts almost 12,000 students at its unique locations. The majority attend the flagship Savannah, GA, campus, which includes 67 restored historic buildings in town. The Atlanta location, whose facilities include a former TV studio and the Ivy Hall antebellum mansion, opened in 2005; the Hong Kong location is housed in the historic North Kowloon Magistracy Building, and the Lacoste, France study-abroad loca- tion is in local medieval structures. These fields of study have grown con- tinuously, reports Tina O'Hailey, dean of digital media at SCAD. "We've seen more growth than we predicted, and we're looking at expanding to meet exciting changes in the industry. There's a lot of cross-collaboration between our depart- ments, like sound design working with animation, advertising with motion me- dia. Students are getting a wide skill set: You can't be a one-trick pony anymore." SCAD strives to "futureproof" stu- dents by ensuring that they are "creators, first and foremost, then specialists in the areas they're most passionate about," O'Hailey says. "We give them business and collaborative skills, and put them in touch with other passionate people: A Experiential Learning Preps Next Generation of Post Pros BY CHRISTINE BUNISH MAKING THE GRADE