I returned to Boston this evening after visiting my favorite connoisseurs of fine textiles, NY-based Michael and Stephen Maharam where they were celebrating the achievements of their top employees worldwide in Miami. During the festivities I learned that there are at least nine (9) RISD alums working at their prestigious firm. Among the five alums that I had the opportunity to actually meet, each of them expressed the strong sentiment that their RISD education enabled them to not just think differently, but gave them the ability to solve problems of any scale or level of challenge. Given the many prestigious awards that Maharam has garnered over the years like the National Design Award — I felt immense pride that in the many good things out there, you can usually find a little (or a lot of) RISD inside.

I am a earnest fan of coincidences, and when I opened my morning paper I found it important how the word “trust” sat at the top of the fold in bold type. I continually feel that my effectiveness as the incoming president at RISD will depend upon how far I can serve the RISD community in achieving an ongoing environment of complete trust. Perhaps we will get there by simply realizing that it is not about me or you — it’s about us and we — for this reason this site is not my.risd … it’s our.risd and I’m really glad that you’re here visiting with us.

This morning I opened my hotel newspaper this morning and was inspired by this article about Ms. Nancy Barile who teaches in Revere, Massachusetts. It made me reflect upon my own experiences as an educator and also my own experiences as the recipient of a traditional public school education in the US.

Coincidentally at the recent Davos meeting I attended a special dinner on the topic of global issues in learning hosted by several luminaries including famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma — I was lucky to have the opportunity to sit next to him at dinner. Yo-Yo confirmed my own belief that a preeminent practitioner is often the result of a pedagogy that when carefully defined, realizes the secret to their own raison d’être as he brilliantly outlined in his four challenges for future learners:

1. Make all communications memorable. The deeper impression ultimately means more and lasts longer than just the trivial act of making any impression at all. In other words, your thoughts and actions should always have meaning.
2. Realize passion-driven education. The idea that when learning is “self-sustainable,” the need for requirements and other extrinsic incentives can take back seat for the simple desire and hunger to learn. When a learner is passionate, there are few hurdles they will jump in order to realize their goal; and better yet when that goal is reached, they will immediately look to the next goal, and the next one and so on.
3. Form disciplined imaginations. The concept that being creative may be the first step for an artist or designer, but to understand the implications of the learner’s local actions as they map onto the global sphere of influence in the world. That the elegant vacuum in which pure knowledge exists can only escape into our regular world by knowing the greater context and processes necessary to make an impact — change requires discipline.
4. Foster empathy for all. The moral implications of our actions in the world are only felt when we know how to care for others. Without knowledge of how what we do affects another, then the effect of our actions are not only meaningless but can be harmful. An artist is often in the unique position where she/he focuses attention on a particular issue which can cause pain, but releases understanding. Empathy must pervade all aspects of expression to achieve true meaning for one’s audience.

I also found it a point of pride that Yo-Yo is involved with RISD through his Silk Road Project which is a great opportunity for students here at RISD to embrace a new world perspective.

I am currently at the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland where I have some of my artwork on display, and was also sharing my perspective on art, design, technology, and creativity in a few of the panel sessions. It was the first time I was able to present myself as “President Elect” of RISD and I found a great deal of support there from all corners of the world and across academia, corporations, and individuals.

Since the recent announcement of only a month ago that I would succeed RISD President Roger Mandle in June 2008 as the 16th President of RISD, I have been blogging with the RISD community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni one.risd.edu on an internal blog; this blog here as our.risd.edu is designed to be external facing, and I will be regularly posting here my various perceptions of RISD and its relation to the world at large as I travel along the road to becoming president. I have so much to learn, and am grateful to all the people that have stepped forward in the RISD community to help me wear RISD eyes. I see better day by day.

I hope you’ll find this addition to RISD’s communications network engaging and informative and begin to make it a part of your regular RISD reading. Although our.risd is open to “the world,” we intend for this blog to be a place for the entire RISD community — faculty, staff, students, alumni and parents — to find news and information on a variety of topics of particular interest to RISDoids.

For example, there was a great article on risd|works in the January 20 New York Times, but some folks may have missed it. our.risd gives me a chance to bring that piece to your attention.

Interested in ALL of the media coverage RISD has garnered lately? Check out the quarterly summary of placements by External Relations’ Jaime Marland and the lists of blog, print and broadcast coverage of John Maeda’s appointment as RISD’s 16th president.

We want to use our.risd as one more means of making information accessible. If there are topics you’d like to have addressed here, please don’t hesitate to contact our mailbox for suggestions (our-suggests AT risd.edu), me (eoneil AT risd.edu) or Christina Hartley (chartley AT risd.edu), director of Alumni Relations + Special Events.

Welcome!