Beginning January 2013, the Visual Publications and Graphic Design will merge to form the Graphic Design/Media Arts program.  Dr. Dennis Headrick, Vice President of Instruction at Southeast Community College is overseeing the merger.

“We were finding a low percentage of graduates in the Visual Publication area being able to find employment in their area of study,” Headrick began.

“After more than a year of looking at options… we recognized that we needed to bring more web applications into Graphic Design, and we needed more graphic skills into the Visual Publication area.”

The newly consolidated program will begin in the Winter Quarter of 2013 at the Energy Square Location at 1111 “O” Street in Lincoln.

Mike Keating, Instructor for Visual Publications, noted that “It first started…with graphic design in Milford.  They wanted to expand their program.”

Keating continued to explain that many of the Visual Publications and Graphic Design graduates were often applying for similar occupations.  “At SCC – we ask, ‘does (a program) fulfill a need in the community?’”

The concluded redundancy of necessary skills motivated the merger in the two programs.
“There is a need for graphic designers with tech knowledge, and visual publications technicians with graphic design (knowledge),” Keating surmised.

Students involved in the individual programs will be accommodated to finish their respective degrees.

“The current group of Graphic Design students will finish their program in December 2012, and we will work with the Visual Publication students through spring of 2013 to finish that program,” Headrick commented.

The merging of the two programs will bring about cooperation with other programs.

“(The Graphic Design/Media Arts program) will continue to offer an Associate of Applied Science along with a certificate in Graphic Communications in cooperation with Computer Information Technology, Office Professional, and Journalism program areas,” Headrick stated.

With the advantages being stated, Keating suggested the drawbacks were few.
“The only drawback, is a physical one…the student who lives near Milford will have to come to Lincoln.”

He went on to suggest that he sees “a lot of potential for SCC to lead the way, if you will, of preparing artists to work in a technical community.”