Animation portfolio program launched in Glendale.

What do Warner Brothers Studios, Dream Works SKG, Disney, and various post production companies located in Glendale have in common? If you said that these visual effects companies collectively comprise 85% of the world's feature animation industry, represent the fastest growing type of business in California, and provide the largest export product in the United States, you would be absolutely right. But an even more compelling commonality is that all of these companies are beating the bushes, even resorting to importing foreign nationals, to find artistic and technical personnel for digital arts applications. "We can train artists to use the computer, but we can't teach a computer specialist to be an artist," say industry recruiters. "We need people who understand the subtleties of color, perspective, design, and composition. Ability to do life drawing is key."

Recognizing the importance of a rapidly expanding job market for animators, Glendale Community College worked in concert with the multimedia industry last year to develop GCC's Center for Visual Media Studies. Located in the college's new, 62,637 square foot San Gabriel Building, which is scheduled for dedication on September 21, the Center offers integrated courses that help students develop portfolios for employment evaluation by industry.

"Industry's desperate need for rapid development of the portfolio program was a litmus test for the college," said Kathleen Burke-Kelly, Chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Division. "GCC faculty received intensive training from the senior staff of the animation department at Warner Brothers Studios to ensure that curriculum for the new program will evolve to meet industry's ever more sophisticated needs. We had help, too, from ASIFA-Hollywood (the animators' international association). Members augmented college instruction by facilitating weekly life drawing workshops. ASIFA also offered a year-long lecture series highlighting careers in animation and presented a scholarship to a GCC student with the proceeds." And Glendale is one of four members of the California Community College Virtual Multimedia/Entertainment Center consortium designed to produce potential employees for the visual effects industry.

Students who have learned the basics of life drawing and design can study animation, photography, graphics, photoshop, and television production, which will be offered in the new facility during the fall semester beginning August 18, 1997. In the works are courses in storyboarding, history of animation, and anatomy for artists. Interactively team taught courses that combine areas of specialty, such as photography and design, are also planned.

New Facilities are State-of-the-Art

"Many of the new classrooms were configured to allow team teaching of various subjects," said Bill Taylor, Director of Business Services and Project Manager for New Construction, during a recent tour of the new multi-use building and the adjacent addition to the newly remodeled library. "This $21 million project was the largest funded under the 1992 State Capital Construction Bond Act. Because of Glendale's hillside location, multi-story buildings were the only option."

To unify existing and new structures, the architects, Spencer/Hoskins Associates, retained the college's original Mediterranean style in contemporary designs. A soaring "skywalk" between buildings and a series of elevators provide disabled students access. "We are exceptionally proud of the newly expanded Disabled Students Center located in the San Gabriel Building," said Nancy Knight, Vice President for College Services.

"The library has doubled its space and added a new art gallery, many language arts classrooms, and augmented information technology services," said Taylor. The San Gabriel Building includes faculty offices; science laboratories; and business, English as a second language, and interdisciplinary humanities classrooms as well as the high-tech facilities for the portfolio program. "The new building rests on 48 foot deep caissons and meets or exceeds all current seismic requirements," added Taylor as he pointed out various safety features, including seismic connection fittings between buildings.

Ecological considerations were important in designing the project. "The new building is the first in Los Angeles County to be plumbed to use reclaimed water for landscaping and internal sanitation purposes," said Ann Ransford, Executive Director of the Glendale College Foundation, who chaired the 1992 facilities master planning activity for this project.

"Completion of the San Gabriel Building and the library addition and remodeling will make an immense difference to our students," said John Davitt, who has been President of Glendale College since 1985. "During most of my tenure as President, the campus has been undergoing major renovations and additions to the physical plant. In 1988, GCC had the second lowest ratio of space per student among the 71 community college districts in the state. Too many classes were taught in portable structures. Although at least four more construction projects are needed to completely update the campus, all but six classrooms will be in permanent structures this fall."

Community College Excellence

The Community College League of California reports that "community colleges offer low-cost, high quality collegiate courses to all adults who can benefit from the instruction offered." In fact, "more than 400 different education and training programs are taught at the 106 campuses in the system." At Glendale College, students have many options and can receive help from extensive student services programs that include academic and career counseling, financial aids, health services, job placement, disabled students assistance, and international student services.

Academic programs lead to the associate in arts degree and university transfer. GCC students regularly transfer to more than 100 colleges and universities throughout the United States. The college ranks in the top ten percent of California community colleges transferring students to the University of California. The scholars program, which provides enriched courses for honors students, ranked first of the 24 Southern California community colleges in the number of graduates accepted at UCLA.

Career training prepares students for work in many fields of business and industry and includes a certificate program.

Non-credit adult education offers developmental, remedial, and occupational courses and includes English as a second language, parenting, and basic skills. Community service classes or workshops cover a broad range of interests and topics, such as cooking, dancing, health and fitness, home improvement, money matters, and CPR training.

The GCC Professional Development Center provides both state funded and fee based training for employees of business and industry in quality management, hazardous materials safety, and new applications for personal computers.

The state legislature has assigned community colleges an important economic development role to "advance competitiveness through quality education and services focusing on continuous workforce improvement, technology deployment, and business development." Thus, these comprehensive two-year institutions must continually assess all their programs for responsiveness to the needs of business and industry as well as those of institutions of higher learning. Specialized skills can become outmoded, and retraining requires critical abilities. "Students must be able to read, write, and think critically and should have good interpersonal communication skills to succeed in higher education or the workplace," said Chris McCarthy, GCC's Executive Vice President for Instruction. "In addition, many of our new students are now non-native speakers of English. The college's extensive English as a second language program helps these students develop language proficiency that enables them to succeed in and contribute to the community."

The reality of higher education today is that colleges must regularly revamp their program offerings to maximize opportunities for student success. "We are excited about our new animation portfolio program," said Dr. Davitt. "But we are equally proud of the multitude of other programs offered at Glendale. The new facilities are simply marvelous and will improve the teaching and learning environment tremendously. Ultimately, we hope that students will take advantage of all that Glendale College can do to help them prepare for and enjoy successful, fulfilling lives."

Sharon Scull is an Emeritus Professor of English at Glendale Community College, where she also created and coordinated the staff development and the interdisciplinary humanities programs.