I see service as a valuable and meaningful component of my academic responsibilities. I have contributed to my discipline through my work as an international professional in the areas of visual communication and graphic design. I have engaged in service at the departmental, school, university, and community levels in a number of capacities. In my introduction, I provided an overview of my efforts to produce advances in these activities that would impact not only my department, my school, and the university but that would also have an impact nationally and internationally.

In this section, I highlight some of my most important and representative service contributions. I have tried to ensure that my service activities complement my work in the classroom and are focused on improving the academic life of undergraduate students. My goal of service is to be conducive to the instructional, research, and service programs and task forces of Clark Atlanta University, including its strong commitment to undergraduate education, and to the pursuit of excellence in all related activities. My understanding about student excellence relates to establishing faculty standards that will increase the number of students extending their formal education beyond the bachelor’s degree. International recognition address international opportunities that CAU could make use of to enhance it global standing. Academic collaborations can be created for students to engage in their learning through activities outside of the classroom, and to interact with the campus community for various cross-disciplinary opportunities that contribute to a comprehensive education for art students. Academic strengthening includes many initiatives to locate funds to support student research and programming, and to seek opportunities to promote campus library resource levels, etc.. I will also provide additional information and detail to describe how I have sought to accomplish these goals.

University and School Service

My service to the University is evidenced in the dossier appendices. I serve on committees that draws on my expertise in graphic communication management and technologies. I have been a member of the University Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Marketing and Communications Subcommittee, CAU Faculty Assembly’s Handbook Committee, CAU Educational Technology Advisory Committee, and CAU Instructional Technology and Alternative Delivery Task Force Committee. I also served my school by providing a visibility and strengthening the ties between CAU and a few institutions and recruiting agencies in China. I assisted the CAU international reachout initiatives to China as well as the international study abroad programs.

I have also contributed to the university through our departmental entrepreneurship initiatives, and has made collaborations with CAU Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurial Development, and with Dr. James Perkins, the Senior Vice President of Research & Sponsored Programs. I joint the CAU team to the 2014 HBCU Innovation Summit in Silicon Valley, CA, from November 15th to 17th in 2014. We attended the HBCU CS/E faculty workshop and leadership forum as well as the Silicon Valley leadership roundtable on tech-diversity and inclusion. We participated actively in two major themes and discussion strands: a. pathways for success for tech-workforce development, and b. building sustainable HBCU innovation ecosystems that are networked across the HBCU landscape.

Department Service

My major service contribution to my department has been in three directions: first, for the last three years, I have been serving as the only full-time faculty of the newly formed Advertising Design Concentration in the Art Department. An area of service that intersects with my teaching and research interest has been leading the design of learning outcomes for students in this track and the mapping of outcomes to various standards and assessments. Another main function of this role is scheduling, planning, and coordinating the four core curriculum, which suggests developing many new contents. Being a new academic concentration, our public reputation is important for marketing purposes. In collaboration with the other faculty members in the department, I have organized several activities of direct benefit to CAU students and teachers. With my students, I reached out to them with a seminar on Advertising Design which is designed for interesting students, and hosted several students’ exhibitions. The seminar and exhibits were meant to give students a perspective on the expertise and career lookout of advertising design majors. It was designed to complement also my own teaching to maximize what students take away from their classroom experience. Within the community, I have represented CAU by giving talks on Advertising Design or cultural topics, or areas of expertise.

My second tier of contribution to the Art Department is to consistently serve as the program technology Point of Contact (PoC) who coordinates the technology courses and other courses where technology integration takes a big role. In general, I take charge of ordering equipment and materials for technology uses, seeking instructional technologies to improve teaching, and looks after maintenance and other issues in the technology classrooms (the computer lab and production studio) we use, and deals with possible issues for students bookings. I have been responsible for contacting OITC concerning technology upgrade and purchasing budget.  I was also instrumental in applying for funds and creating a digital photography studio with lighting equipment for all students who take Photography I and II in the department. There needs to be one person taking care of all these, and it can consume a remarkably large chunk of time.

Thirdly, I have worked on a number of committees at the departmental level. My recent work at the Art Department has focused largely on our efforts to an entrepreneurship path. I have served on the Departmental Internal Review committee, and was also involved in departmental budgeting process and Title III application, and our move to Oglethorpe Hall in and after the summer of 2015. As one of the two full-time faculty in the Art program, I have been putting an effort to evaluate and expand experiential learning opportunities through courses.

Evidence of Leadership

One of my most important leadership roles in service was my work to seek entrepreneurial innovation in the department. Since 2009 I have sought to establish a collaborative and professional relationship between us and local businesses. Under my supervision, two students-centered groups, Club Exposure and Freehand Fusion, were built and nurtured up in 2009 and 2013, respectively. In 2014, the department formed synergy in an effort to disseminate our ideas of entrepreneurship in the School and the University. We then worked closely with the University’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurial Development in various projects. I also joined the CAU team in the trip to the HBCU Innovation Summit in Silicon Valley, CA  in 2014.

I will maintain my involvement in committee work and projects, especially those that involve my expertise. I will continue to contribute to my administrative skills to the well being of the university, the school, and my department. I plan to continue my collaboration with professional teams with the entrepreneur spirit. I also intend to continue my collaboration with international professional scholars in the development of teaching and research projects that will benefit teachers, students, and professionals.