The Academic Affairs Committee of the Arizona Board of Regents approved the reorganization of the Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Visual Communication Design units into one
School of Design Innovation in November 2008. The three departments were reestablished as programs within one school. The Master of Science in Design degree program, comprised of concentrations in Arts/Media/Engineering, Healthcare and Healing Environments, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Interaction Design, New Product Innovation, and Visual Communication Design, is part of the new School of Design Innovation as well.
As units concerned with the future of design and the accompanying issues of sustainability, social responsibility in practice and production, and collaboration in the professional world, the grouping of the four units provides a basis for strengthening connections between faculty, students, and curriculum that have been ongoing within the college in practice.
Heading this new school is Professor and Director Michael Kroelinger, who recently rejoined the college after serving at University of Nevada, Las Vegas as director of its School of Architecture. Kroelinger was previously the director of the PhD program as well as a professor of Interior Design at ASU before leaving for the leadership post at UNLV. As director of the School of Design Innovation, he is overseeing two units that have recently received exceptional marks from the accreditation body for the Industrial Design and Visual Communication Design programs—the NASAD. The Industrial Design program was also recently ranked seventh in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and most notable ranked first for understanding of ecodesign principles. The Interior Design program is also nationally ranked by its peers as the number 10 program in the country.
Lauren McDermott and Mookesh Patel will continue in leadership positions within the units of Industrial Design and Visual Communication Design, respectively, with Kroelinger responsible for leading the Interior Design program. This grouping of design units will not affect the degree programs. Students in all three of these programs will continue with their degree curriculum and courses as before.
As a program that grew out of the Industrial Design and Visual Communication Design programs, InnovationSpace will fall under the administrative organization of the School of Design Innovation with continued leadership of Project Leader Prasad Boradkar.
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