###### Chair Communication Design Curriculum Committee 2016–2021

In the fall of 2016, I was elected chairperson of the Graphic Design Department’s Curriculum Committee, taking over from Jan Kubasiewicz. Since then our committee has successfully changed our department’s name from Graphic Design to Communication Design to better reflect our evolving curriculum and the professional field. 


Our second big priority was to rethink the senior year curriculum. Based on student feedback and the rapidly widening field of design we believed students needed more customizable and focused courses their senior year. We proposed and implemented a more agile and modular system of 1.5 credit courses. The proposed Advanced Projects courses allowed students to develop two portfolio projects in areas of personal interest, and to choose different focuses and faculty based on industry expertise. These courses allow students to customize their portfolios with specialized knowledge in specific topics and give the department flexibility to hire top industry professionals to teach the shorter courses. These courses were successfully added to the curriculum in the spring of 2019, after a year of consultations with the registrar, curriculum committee, and academic affairs. 


In Spring of 2019 the Communication Design experienced a surge in incoming Sophomores and needed to add a fourth section to our 6-credit Sophomore Studio course. As a result, we needed to hire many new adjunct faculty to staff the course. To help manage, monitor, and mentor the new faculty, we proposed and implemented a co-teaching structure. We paired new adjuncts with our full-time faculty, scheduling them to teach the same projects on the same day. Team faculty give group lectures and collaborate on critiques and in-class activities. This strategy of team teaching proved effective, enabling faculty to co-teach and share their strengths with the entire class, not just one section, as well as providing a more equitable experience for students from lectures, to critiques, to grading. In the spring of 2020 we expanded this strategy throughout the department and developed a block schedule. This new schedule aligned all course sections on the same day and time. In addition to providing a more equitable experience for students, this format (especially during our rapid move to remote teaching) unburdened faculty from rewriting entire syllabi and preparing new lectures weekly. By team teaching, three to four faculty members are able to work together with a single schedule. As a mother of a four and six-year-old when the pandemic started (and still goes on) this allowed us to carry the load for each other when needed.


Communication Design Curriculum Committee

###### Coordinator of Dynamic Media Institute 2018–2019, Co-Coordinator with Fish McGill 2019–2021


In the fall of 2018 I took on the role of coordinator for the Dynamic Media Institute MFA graduate program. I’ve spent the past two years focusing on outreach to promote and grow DMI, including speaking at and attending conferences and teaching workshops to build connections between relevant artists and professionals, possible MFA candidates, and DMI. While MassArt does not pay to sponsor conferences, I was able to exchange in-kind speaking fees for a DMI sponsorship at Typographics 2019 (New York, NY). DMI and MassArt had a presence in all the printed signage, advertisements, and conference materials for this 11-day event with over 900 participants from more than 25 countries. I have also tapped into our extensive alumni network to help bring new and engaging curriculum to DMI, including the Lead AR designer from Bose, an Interactive Designer from WGBH, a Developer for the MIT Civic Media Lab, and an Interactive Producer at the Richard Lewis Media Group.


As a result of increased presence and a newly launched comprehensive archive website of student and faculty work, DMI had a 72% Increase of applications, an 81% increase of accepted students, and a 100% change in deposits in 2019. In 2019 Fish McGill joined me as co-coordinator and we have continued to hold our numbers of enrolling students steady through the pandemic.


I also helped DMI students continue the tradition of their Thesis Show. Students held their annual exhibition, Fresh Media, at Cyber Arts Gallery in March 2019 as well as participating in the 2019 MFA Thesis Show held at MASS MoCA, with a pause in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. 



DMI Program Coordinator

###### Communication Design Faculty Search Committee, 2017, 2018, 2021 

In 2017 I was a member of our departmental search committee, with Lisa Rosowsky, Gunta Kaza, Jan Kubasciwicz, and cognate Sondra Grace. We interviewed 7 candidates and three to campus for full-day interviews, offering a position to two of them. The search successfully resulted in bringing Katherine Hughes to our department.


In 2018 I was a member of our departmental search committee, with Lisa Rosowsky, Jan Kubasciwicz, Katherine Hughes, and cognate Adriana Katzew. We interviewed 4 candidates and ended the search early in the belief that none of the applicants met the requirements of our department and student body.


In 2021 I was a member of departmental search committee, with Lisa Rosowsky, Jan Kubasciwicz, Katherine Hughes, and Joe Quackenbush. We interviewed 6 candidates and offered one-year contracts to Tatiana Gomez Gaggero and Ryan Diaz. 

In 2023 I was a member of departmental search committee, with Lisa Rosowsky, Katherine Hughes, and Joe Quackenbush, Tatiana Gomez Gaggero and Ryan Diaz. We brought four candidates to campus, all women of color excelling in the field, despite extending offers to two of those candidates we were unable to bring a new faculty member to campus.

Martha Rettig

Associate Professor

Massachusetts College of Art + Design

Communication Design Faculty Search Committee

Communication Design Faculty Search Committee, 2017, 2018, 2021