Author: ccswpadmin

Community Outreach

Located in the heart of a complex urban region and possessing unique resources of value to that region, CCS recognizes a responsibility to serve the community of which it is a part. Thus, its mission includes not only collegiate education in art and design but community education as well. The goals of its community outreach activities include:

  • bringing the enrichment of art and design education to a wider population
  • illuminating the satisfying career opportunities available in the art and design fields
  • increasing the representation of minorities in the art and design professions
  • promoting economic and community development in Detroit and Southeastern Michigan

Community outreach occurs in many ways at CCS, through the activities of individual faculty members, through the academic departments, and through special projects and programs. These offices play key roles in outreach and comprise the Community Arts Division: Center Galleries (described above), Pre-College and Continuing Studies and Community Arts Partnerships.

Knight Foundation Gallery

The Knight Foundation Gallery is located on the 11th floor of Taubman Center and is part of the Benson & Edith Ford Conference Center. It has 5,600 square feet of space designed for exhibition and other social events such as receptions, banquets, or seated presentations. This space can accommodate 200 guests for a sit-down dinner, 300 for a reception or 350 guests for theater-style seating.

Center Galleries

Center Galleries, located on the Ford Campus in the Manoogian Visual Resource Center, presents the work of faculty, alumni, and local and nationally prominent artists for the education and enjoyment of both the students and faculty of CCS and the community at large. The programs of Center Galleries are accessible to and encourage the participation of the widest possible audience consistent with its mission and resources.

Center Galleries is dedicated to exploring the relationship between culture and artistic practice, fostering intellectual inquiry, and creating multidisciplinary exhibitions and educational programming that enable diverse audiences to connect their experiences of art to everyday life. Center Galleries recognizes a special responsibility to support the academic and teaching missions of the College through close collaboration with academic departments on campus. Off-campus, Center Galleries places special emphasis on serving the cultural needs of the people of southeastern Michigan, while simultaneously participating as an active member of the national art community.

Center Galleries also showcases the work of alumni, faculty, and staff in its Alumni and Faculty Hall and the College’s own art collection in the Permanent Collection Gallery. Additional programming by Center Galleries includes film, literary and performance events, benefits and artist receptions, and occasional special exhibitions throughout the campus. Center Galleries’ educational programs are designed for the education and enjoyment of CCS students, and to help build audiences for contemporary art. Lectures, gallery talks with artists and curators, workshops, catalogs, and other publications, and ongoing gallery tours for art educators and their students introduce visitors to new artists, new work, and other issues and ideas about contemporary art practice.

Library

The CCS Library, housed in the Manoogian Visual Resource Center on the Ford campus, serves both undergraduate and graduate programs. The Library contains over 70,000 print volumes, 238 print periodicals, 4,690 video/DVDs, and an extensive material sample collection. Approximately 90 percent of the Library’s holdings are related to art and design. 

The online Library catalog, accessible through the Library website, allows students to review their check-outs, renew materials, and place holds on materials.  The Library provides access to wi-fi and computer workstations for students, faculty, and staff. The Library provides access to over 100 databases with curated database lists available for each academic department. Remote access to all electronic resources is available through e-z proxy via the College’s portal. Interlibrary loan services are available for resource needs that extend beyond local holdings. In addition, currently registered students have borrowing privileges at Detroit Public Library, Wayne State University libraries, and a number of other academic Detroit area institutions.

Reference services are available to provide support to students on an individual basis. Library instruction sessions are offered to classes to provide tailored information literacy and research assignment support. Classes are offered in the Library lab on the Ford campus or via in-class instruction. The Library website includes links to worksheets and resource guides on numerous topics including writing, research, citation, and academic integrity.

Off-Campus Study

Off-Campus Study

CCS is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD). AICAD operates two programs that offer the benefits of study at other institutions and locales to CCS students. In addition, CCS offers a variety of opportunities to study abroad.

Mobility Program

The Mobility Program allows students to spend a semester at another AICAD institution. A student may see that an AICAD college other than their own can accommodate specific educational needs due to special facilities, curricular offerings, particular faculty competencies, or other resources appropriate to the student’s development. The request for a Mobility semester must be approved by both institutions.

Students are eligible if they are in good standing and with a GPA of at least 2.7 are eligible after completing 51 credits. The Mobility Program is restricted to second semester sophomores and juniors (exceptions may be granted by the Department Chair to allow first semester seniors to participate). A student must be enrolled full-time while on Mobility at another institution. Students on Mobility will pay tuition to their home institution. The student pays the same tuition to CCS as they would if attending CCS. Details and information packets may be obtained from the Academic Advising and Registration Office.

Admissions

The Admissions Office is responsible for recruiting new students through various activities such as high school visits, campus visits, virtual and on-campus events, college fairs, portfolio days, international recruitment fairs, direct mail, email, social media, and telephone campaigns. In addition to the full-time staff, a team of Admissions Student Ambassadors assists with tele-counseling, campus tours, and various Admissions events.

Department Chairs and faculty play an important role in the student recruitment process. Chairs and faculty may be asked to participate in a variety of activities including, but not limited to: Portfolio days, open houses and department-specific events, high school visits, college fairs, portfolio reviews, the review of transfer student work for the placement of transfer credit in upper-level studios, incoming student events, and phone calls/virtual meetings with prospective students, applicants and accepted students on a case-by-case basis.

In addition to the activities above, Chairs may be asked to participate in annual department liaison meetings or reporting of department highlights, art educators breakfasts, workshops for prospective students, and other events that showcase their program to prospective students and parents.

Center for Tutoring and Writing

The Center for Tutoring and Writing (CTW) provides academic support for all students. It is staffed by full-time higher education professionals, as well as departmental tutors who are juniors or seniors in their major. CTW services include one-on-one tutorial assistance tailored to each individual’s learning style and academic needs, writing support services, and academic coaching on topics like time and project management.

CTW services are free to all students and offer the possibility to boost classroom performance, develop better learning strategies, and hone study, writing, and time management skills. Workshops highlighting these types of topics are conducted throughout each semester.  Writing assistance is also available for any type of assignment, including research papers, essays, artist’s statements, and resumes. International students can receive assistance specific to their needs as English Language learners.  Many services are available to students both in person in the CTL office, but also remotely through Zoom meetings.

Students come to the CTW on a voluntary basis but should be encouraged by faculty to utilize this resource. If a student is struggling in the classroom for any one of a multitude of reasons including, missing assignments, poor academic performance, faculty can contact the CTW with questions as well as refer the student directly. Faculty may use the form available on the College’s learning management system or email or phone to discuss. CTW personnel work closely with faculty, Academic Advising and Registration staff, and other Student Affairs offices to build a network of support for students challenged by their workload. Communication between these various parties aids significantly in students’ success.

In addition, faculty allowing a student to make up a test can work with the CTW to provide time for that student to come and take the test in the CTW.