Rhode Island School of Design - Portfolio Yearbook (Providence, RI)

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ADMINIS- sieeve | ON WW)

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PRESIDENT JOHN FRAZIER is the first R.I.S.D. graduate to become head of his Alma Mater. President for an interim period, faculty, students, and alumni, too, have found reason to commend the wisdom of the Board of Trustees in entrusting to him the exacting responsibilities of the presidency in the delicate time of transition. In the brief period he has this position, he has shown himself to be-as wise an administrator as he is an incomparable teacher. In his able conduct of strange new duties, he has demonstrated a keen understanding of the College’s overall operation, its purposes, its problems. FRANCIS J. DEIGNAN, Dean; CHARLES DUNN, Jr., Director of Admissions; RAY F. CARMICHAEL, JR., Director of Public Relations; MURRAY S. DANFORTH, JR., Treasurer; GORDON C. ALLEN, Director of Student Association; GEorGE L. BRADLEY, Registrar; E. DEAN FARNSWORTH, Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds. 6

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i a mt | eRe eee ee oe ee ACADEMICS ak HE BASIC AIMS Of the Division of Liberal Arts are inherent in its title, namely, that the several areas of study, whether it be I’inglish Composition or World Literature, His- tory of Civilization or the histories of art and architecture, the social sciences or mathematics and physics are considered as arts and illustrate the same principles of design as are studied and applied in the professional fields. The liberal arts subjects are not considered as separate from those studied as design but rather as harmoni- cally enriching and amplifying the same prob- lems as occur in design. Secondly, the joint pur- pose of the division is to liberate the student, to open up different avenues of approach thereby inducing a flexibility and freshness of attack that is one of the attributes of the successful designer. The study of man, his aims and his ideals and the ways and means by which he has expressed these in a variety of circumstances both in the con- temporary world and in former times is the core of the liberal arts studies. His nature and his relation to society are investigated to accord with the fundamental purpose of all education, that of self-discovery, self-criticism and self-under- standing of one’s manifest duties and responsibil- ities as a social being. The fact that Rhode Island School of Design is a college with power to grant bachelor’s degree necessitates that any graduate will have been required to have been introduced to several of SS == ° ) eee NN re oft S ——s ° LIBRARY the liberal fields of study. The constant challenge to the division is how best to present and integrate these several subjects with the training in the professional areas. One method is appreciating the strong ability of the students to use visual material as both inducing new approaches to their work and deducing valid, underlying prin- ciples. Hence, considerable effort in research on the design and production of visual aids and their use is characteristic of the members of the divi- sion’s faculty. These aids are naturally supported by a careful selection of texts and reference material. | Of greatest assistance to the faculty and the students is the school library in providing an abundant source of material both literary and visual. A pleasant and informal atmosphere has been created which fosters serious study and equally important, delightful browsing. The fact that most of the books and periodicals are readily accessible on open stacks tends to break down the assumed compartments of learning and the stu- dent is free to delve into unaccustomed areas of thought. The facilities of the library, consisting of books related to the field of art, the mounted color reproductions and photographs, the clipping files and the slides form together one of the outstand- ing collections in America and its value both to the faculty and the students in their endeavors is of the utmost importance. A. E. SIMONSON Chairman, Division of Liberal Arts