Welcome from David Sprouls
David Sprouls
Who knew 2020 was going to be this way?
The challenges have been beyond imagination, but so has the progress we’ve made as a community. I’ve never been more grateful to our staff and faculty as I am at the end of this year of hurdles and milestones. After COVID-19 temporarily closed our campuses last spring, we had to be on the offensive and defensive at the same time—that is, meet immediate demands and plan for an uncertain future. As we pivoted to provide 100% online learning, we had to figure out if we could function in the fall and give every student the option to fulfill their course requirements safely—in person or virtually. Thanks to the dedication of our staff and faculty, we opened the campuses, delivering the most choice and flexibility to our students in the safest way possible. We outfitted socially distanced classrooms at 70th Street, installed many new webcams, and increased our internet bandwidth. The faculty underwent training in the best practices of virtual teaching and hybrid flexible learning. If you want to learn more about how these changes have set NYSID on a course to better serve its students, check out “Toward a HyFlex Model”. The hard work has paid off—fall enrollment was the strongest it’s been in years.
My gratitude extends to you, our supporters, who came through when some of our students’ lives were upended by the economic impact of COVID-19. Students lost jobs and internships; some had to give up apartments and move in with family. The Board of Trustees approved $100,000 of scholarship money to help these students through an emergency aid fund, as well as a new diversity fund. When we reached out to members of our interior design community for more help to keep talented students on track to graduate, you answered the call. We now give 20% of our students financial assistance, but we know we must do more. The need is growing, and so must our fundraising.
Long before 2020, it became a priority of this institution to address the lack of diversity in interior design and make our College and profession more inclusive. In 2018, NYSID had the privilege of hosting a panel with the Black Interior Designers Network, which included alumna Beth Diana Smith (“Principled, Passionate & Entrepreneurial”). Listening to a frank conversation between Black designers about the challenges they have faced in interior design was eye-opening for me, and it strengthened my resolve to seek guidance from people who have perspectives different from my own. Last summer, we formed the NYSID Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission, an independent body of faculty, students, alumni, staff, and trustees. Co-chaired by trustee Cheryl Durst, faculty member Leyden Lewis, and registrar Jennifer Melendez, this group is diverse in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, and ethnicity. The commission’s task is to identify the ways in which NYSID must change in order to attract and better serve students who are underrepresented in interior design education. Having the difficult conversations, listening to people in the minority, and acting on their insights are the ways in which we will make this College, and this profession, more diverse, welcoming, and equitable.
The pandemic has reaffirmed that interior design is about more than aesthetics. It’s about creating interiors that make people safe and comfortable. It’s about designing spaces that protect us in the most stressful times. We’re honored to feature three alumni who work in the healthcare interior design sector (“Design that Saves Lives”). The timing of this article could not be more relevant.
Thank you for your support in this year of unforeseen challenges. My hope is that 2021 will be healthy, happy, and productive for you and yours.