Ringling College of Art and Design

I've been looking forward to visiting the Ringling College of Art and Design for about three years - ever since I worked with Ringling's Kimberly White in Europe and Asia. Kimberly is a professional artist and the Associate Director of International Admission at Ringling. It's my understanding that Ringling both empowers students to live their creative dreams and provides marketable technical skills to launch their careers. The latter, this technical emphasis, appeals to me. So I'm here to catch up with an old friend and to explore everything that Ringling College offers.

The drive from Orlando is a breeze. Skirting the high rises of Tampa Bay, I make my way south on the Tamiami Trail. Arriving in Sarasota and parking at the Ringling campus is easy. At the admission office I meet a Ringling student working at the admission front desk. She is from New York City and chose Ringling over other art and design programs closer to home, specifically for the top ranked animation design major.

Kimberly and I catch up and she proposes a choice: attend the student led tour - or - Ringling's Director of Admission, Gregg Prigerson, will give me an all-access tour of campus. We will meet up afterwards for lunch. As much as I love to hear the insights of current students, Gregg's offer is too kind to pass up.

Stepping back, the open garage door looks minute compared to the larger building behind it. That open vestibule door is twenty-five feet wide and fifteen feet tall!

In a region and in a climate where one wants to be outside as much as possible, Ringling's campus is expansive and inviting. There is a mix of historic buildings and stunning new construction. The mix of roaring '20s and audacious modern architecture make a pleasing combination. Palm trees sway and spanish moss hangs from the live oaks that extend their boughs. Contemporary architecture lends an avant garde feel. The campus doesn't have wide open spaces or playing fields, but I don't suspect that art and design nerds will miss them one bit. Besides, this is an acceptable trade off when you consider the world-class beaches within easy reach by foot, bike, or car.

Walking now to the southern end of campus, Gregg and I enter the Academic Center. On the ground floor we enter Ringling's Design Center to a friendly welcome. This is a professional print and web design studio in which students work alongside professional staff in every phase of a projects from ideation to final proof and production. This center holds about ten workstations as well as meeting rooms and staff offices. Among the half-dozen students working in the center today, two are students that Gregg had recruited at UWC campuses. The Design Center students are impressive, as are their projects. It's clear that students love working here. Check it out.

I'm starting to get a feel for this campus and the students that study here. First, the students remind me of students at most any college, with perhaps a bit more of a funky cool sensibility. The next thing I notice is these students smile A LOT.

I'm from rainy Oregon. Do I need some more Florida sunshine in my life?

Whatever it is, I see happy students everywhere. There is a sense of engagement here - students are totally focused on their work in every classroom I enter. In some cases I walk though the classroom and peek over shoulders as a professor instructs 12-15 students in a technical process. Students are following along and learning-by-doing. The largest classroom I see has about 20 students, others contain between 6 and 15 students.

I will also say that there is no stereotypical student that I can see here at Ringling. There are plenty of subcultures that I can pick out, but the predominant vibe on campus is diverse/progressive/cool and the mix is, well, seamless.

The college library is always the best place to people-watch. We're heading there now. First we pass what looks like a 1920's mansion. It's a college administrative building.

But we quickly transition to the new construction. This library is iconic.

It is starting to become evident: Ringling is investing massively in facilities. Gregg informs me that there is tremendous local and regional support for the institution and that philanthropic giving has increased along with the school's academic profile. He is being modest. What I can see is a total transformation occurring. This type of transformation is driven not by tuition dollars but by a vital and relevant mission that is supported by supporters with very deep pockets. This is a college that is moving forward!

The fact that Ringling was the first institution in the country to offer a VR design major is impressive and Gregg and I discussed the institution's ability to quickly pivot and evolve as technology and industry evolve. For those who don't know - rolling out a new program or a new major at a colleges usually takes between three and ten years! Institutions move slowly! In order to remain current and relevant, Ringling must be nimbler than your conventional college or university. This is a challenge for the institution but also a selling point for prospective students who need current skills on the job market.

As we make our way across campus it strikes me that this place is unlike any college or university I've visited before - it feels like 50% normal college and 50% Paramount Studios on a random Thursday. There is a sense that students are at work. It's a different vibe than I've felt on other campuses and it appeals to me.

Part of the appeal is that Ringling students are creatives, at work honing and developing their craft. There is something attractive about taking your passion, whether it be design, film, animation, or video games, and making it the primary focus of your undergraduate studies. Today people are spending more and more time engaging with digital worlds, animated films are among the most popular draws worldwide, and Ringling students are on the cutting edge.

Everything that we see here is professional grade; it's identical to what one finds on a soundstage in Hollywood or Cinecittà. The only difference here is a row of faculty offices down the hall, and the fact that students participate and learn alongside pros in the production process. Like everything I've seen here at Ringling, students learn by doing. It's no wonder that Ringling students are in high demand. This final point is something that Gregg and I discuss on our way to the final stop of our tour - the Career Support Center and the president's suite.

From what I can tell, career services are a strong focus and a well developed resource at Ringling. Having worked at an institution at which career planning and preparation is a weakness, the importance of a strong career office should not be underestimated. With the cost of education high and return on investment rightly in question, students are well advised to think not just about their dream education but also how they will parlay their education into the first stop of their career. Not all colleges and universities are equal in this area. Reputation is important, college staff and resources are important, and alumni network and alumni culture are extraordinarily important.

Below are the reasons I believe that Ringling is an excellent option for aspiring art and design students.

• Reputation as one of the world's finest art and design institutions, including top ranked animation and immersive technology programs
• Strong support from donors and philanthropists to continue advancing Ringling's vision and mission
• Total commitment to career placement
• Robust and well-placed alumni network
• Graduates possess technical skills, hands-on experience, as well as a portfolio of professional work
• Extraordinary investment in new infrastructure, new facilities, new programs, and new technology
• Commercial infrastructure on campus allows students to learn alongside professionals
• College location in Sarasota, in a region that is emerging as one of the hottest metropolitan regions in the US

This last point warrants some further discussion, and a confession on my part. I was a Florida skeptic until today, even until right now.

Despite Kimberly's description of a vital arts and cultural scene in Saint Petersburg where she lives and maintains her studio, even with my research on the Dali and Fine Arts Museums, even as young people flock to the Tampa Bay region and the new economy grows and flourishes, I didn't get it.