Professor

“We’re setting up agreements with several universities to accept the first two years at SMC as completely transferable to their design programs. That’s what we’re shooting for, and it’s happening.”

One of the ‘new’ arrivals on the SMC faculty is actually a very old hand. “I’ve been an adjunct teacher since 1987,” says Stuart Sam. “And it feels great to be a full-time instructor now, because it’s like I have a whole new family. Now I feel that my input gets heard and my ideas get carried out a lot more.” Stuart’s input is going to be strikingly felt at SMC’s Academy of Entertainment and Technology.

“The Architecture Department is now going to be developing the full curriculum for the whole Academy,” says Stuart. He adds that the Academy program is extremely innovative on several fronts. “Design technology means that we’re really integrating our fields of study much more than they have been in the past. Our design, research, and graphic skills are becoming much more interlinked than they were traditionally,” he says. And though computers and digital technology have turned the world of design on its head, Stuart stresses that “manual skills will continue to be an important and time-consuming part of design. To study in this field requires discipline,” he adds. “And lots of time.”

Stuart reports that “my grandparents were some of the first Chinese-Americans to arrive in Santa Monica. So, hey! I’m a complete native!” And to promote ties between SMC and the community, Stuart is helping to set up the ‘Architectural Forum’ at the Academy. “We want the Forum to be a social thing, but we’ll concentrate on architectural tours and events. In this way,” he says, “we’ll build lasting links between students, the profession and the community itself.”

SMC Architecture Professor Stuart Sam began full-time at SMC in Fall ’99. Welcome!

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