Category: Academic Resources and Related Programs

Educational Technology and Innovation

The Educational Technology and Innovation Office supports the technology research and training needs of all academic programs at CCS. This includes research and evaluation of emerging technologies for use in the classroom and online in consultation with the faculty and academic administration. The department also provides faculty and academic staff with technology training, support, and certifications.

The Educational Technology and Innovation  office offers regular training in the College’s Learning Management System (Canvas.) Training in additional technologies or software can be requested through the faculty member’s department and will be arranged in conjunction with their Chair. CCS also provides full access to LinkedIn Learning, an online library of on-demand and self-paced software tutorials for all students, faculty, and staff to support effective education of digital technology.

In addition to training, the Educational Technology and Innovation office supports the development of all online programming at CCS by working with faculty in the discovery, blueprint and course build phases. Details are available from the Educational Technology + Innovation office. New course or program offerings are created in collaboration with the Department Chair and Academic Affairs. Proposals for new offerings can be arranged with Department Chairs.

Design Core Detroit

Design Core Detroit is an economic development organization within the College with the mission of developing Detroit into a global resource for creative talent. Design Core serves design-driven industries that specialize in design or utilize design as a central discipline of their business strategy. The steward of Detroit’s UNESCO City of Design designation, Design Core is located on the first floor of the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education. Design Core Detroit champions design-driven businesses and their role in strengthening Detroit’s economy through its three main programs: Detroit Design Network, Detroit Month of Design, and Detroit City of Design. It offers services to strengthen, grow and attract design businesses, increases market demand for design services, and tells Detroit’s design story locally and globally. More information can be found at designcore.org.

Community Arts Partnerships

Community Arts Partnerships program develops and maintains collaborations between the College and community organizations to bring educational experiences in art, design, and new technologies to underserved populations. The Director acts as a resource for faculty and programs within the College that seek to develop community partnerships.

Precollege and Continuing Studies

The Precollege and Continuing Studies (PCCS) department at CCS offers art and design courses for people of all ages; pre-college programs such as Precollege Summer Experience, Teen Summer Camps, Dual Enrollment, youth programs such as Second Saturdays and Summer youth day camps; adult non-credit courses, certificate programs; and professional development programs.

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.

Toyota Lecture Series

The Toyota Lecture Series in Design was established through a generous $1 million endowment gift to the College for Creative Studies from Toyota Motor Company. The endowment is used to bring prominent designers and scholars in all fields of design to speak at CCS. There are between six and eight Toyota Lectures that occur throughout the academic year. Academic Affairs manages the Series, including scheduling guest lecturers and special workshops. Ideas for lecturers are generated by the Chairs and their Departments when requested in February. The Speakers and Exhibitions Committee then reviews submissions and approves six-eight with two alternatives. The lecture schedule is determined by April end for the next academic year.

Woodward Lecture Series

The Woodward Lecture Series is supported by an endowed fund to bring three visiting artists to campus each semester. Visitors may be selected from the areas of Art Practice, Crafts, Photography, Illustration, Art History and Criticism, and History. The visitors are well-established with national or international reputations. During each visit, there is a public lecture and an opportunity for students to interact with the visitor in a classroom or studio setting. 

General Motors Auditorium

The General Motors Auditorium is located on the 11th floor of the Taubman Center within the Benson and Edith Ford Conference Center. It has over 5,800 square feet of space and can accommodate a variety of configurations for any type of event. An ideal location for conferences, lectures, parties, luncheons and award ceremonies, the auditorium can accommodate 450 guests with theater-style seating and 360 guests at banquet rounds. Immediately outside the auditorium is the Knight Gallery which serves as a prefunction area for auditorium events and also a site for exhibits, meetings, and other smaller events.

Wendell W. Anderson, Jr. Auditorium

The Wendell W. Anderson, Jr.  Auditorium is located on the ground floor of the Walter B. Ford II Building. This 250-person Auditorium serves the entire college for internal events, classes and lectures, as well as College-sponsored events open to the public. It has two projectors and the capability for surround sound audio. The Auditorium further provides the capability for HD projection, lecture recording and streaming, podium-based lectures, table lectures, or panel discussions.

The maintenance and technical support for the systems within the Auditorium are provided by Audio Visual Services staff. Reservations for the Auditorium are made through the Executive Office. Since certain events will override class presentation reservations, be sure to check before committing a reservation to a class schedule.

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.