Nova Scotia College of Art and Design

Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) president David Smith says it’s time to stop confining artists to their creative role as painters and sculptors, and to start thinking of them as business strategists, entrepreneurs and thought leaders.

Smith became the youngest university president in Canada when he joined NSCAD at age 39 in 2006. He is leading the university in a new direction, with a stronger focus on building community partnerships and fuelling the creative economy.

“What we teach at NSCAD are critical and creative skills. Sure we have painters and artists, but we also train students with critical thinking skills who can apply their creativity to virtually any problem,” Smith says.

As a NSCAD graduate with a fine arts degree in sculpture, Smith understands what it’s like to be an artist. But he also recognizes the importance of business skills, having worked as an entrepreneur and in a brokerage house.

Smith returned to the academic sphere to complete his master’s degree at MIT. He went on to work as a professor and chair of the University of San Diego’s department of art and later as special assistant to the university provost. It was the opportunity to return to his alma mater as university president that drew Smith and his family back to Nova Scotia.

“I never thought I’d move back to Canada, but I have such fond memories of Nova Scotia. I couldn’t think of a better place to raise my kids. When the job presented itself here, I changed my perspective,” Smith recalls.

Under Smith’s leadership, NSCAD has introduced a new strategic plan with a focus on community outreach partnerships, fueling the creative economy and ensuring academic excellence.

“Community partnerships are points where community members can bridge in to NSCAD, and our professors and students can reach out to the community,” Smith explains. “It’s important for people to recognize that NSCAD is one of the most highly recognized universities of its kind in the world. We contribute to the cultural vitality of the province and we need to celebrate that role. That’s a huge part of our community outreach.”

Smith says the university offers a school for extended studies that includes Saturday morning art classes, as well as community-based programs that take NSCAD students and professors to communities across the province.

“A great example is the partnership with Lunenburg where we have established a residency,” Smith says enthusiastically. “Our graduates work in the elementary and high schools, speak and exhibit their work at local galleries and engage with the local arts and cultural community members.”

NSCAD is also introducing a new community service learning program, which embeds NSCAD students in jobs with community organizations, where they can truly make a difference. Students get to volunteer their time and their unique skills, and the organization can use the students’ services and talents to advance its goals.

“We’re connecting with the community in which we operate, to make it a better place to live work and do business. NSCAD depends on its community to thrive, and we want the community to be able to benefit from our students, faculty and programs in the same way,” explains Smith.

Fuelling the creative economy is one of David Smith’s passions. He believes creative people add a new dimension to business and can offer a unique approach to problems. He’s seen it work, and is taking steps to establish the Institute for Applied Creativity at NSCAD to introduce the concept here in Nova Scotia.

“We firmly believe creativity is the foundation for innovation,” Smith explains. “We want to capitalize on the power and many applications for creativity. The premise of this institute is that we will use what we do to help businesses in the province. Regardless of the business problem or situation there are many different solutions.”

Smith says 85 per cent of NSCAD students identify themselves as entrepreneurs. He adds that most NSCAD students use their creative energy to build opportunities for other people, citing alumni examples that include the founders of Attica and Zenn Automobiles.

The Institute for Applied Creativity would enable an organization or an industry to present a business problem to a group of students. The students and business leader will examine the problem together and work collaboratively to develop a solution. Smith says they can then build a process that translates into the organization and can be used on an ongoing basis.

“That way the employees who participated in the creative process are familiar with the solution and can apply it, and there is a pool of students who understand the new process and can work productively at the organization.”

Smith explains the Institute would involve students from all programs, and not just from NSCAD. The team would be pulled together to suit the business requirement. Ideally, NSCAD would like to develop the Applied Creativity program to the point where it could offer a master’s degree.”

When it comes to academic excellence, NSCAD is looking to grow new areas and provide new programming. Plans are underway to offer master’s degree programs in film and art history, and the university is developing a modified residency program that would enable international students to study remotely.

“We want our students to acquire an international education. We’re looking at ways to send students to other countries to study, and in turn we intend to bring more students here from abroad. Once they’re here, we’ll do what we can to convince them to stay,” Smith laughs.

In 2007, NSCAD expanded to include a new 70,000 square foot facility at the Halifax Port. The Port campus houses sculpture and ceramics, as well as foundation program students. The university also continues to operate out of the downtown Granville and Academy campuses.

“The new campus gives us the space we need for some of our more industrial programs – like sculpture and ceramics. We have state-of-the-art facilities there that reflect the forward-thinking approach of the university overall,” Smith explains.

Smith says the new campus is an example of NSCAD’s focus on strategic growth and expansion. For more than 120 years, the university has focused on academic excellence and throughout that time he emphasizes it has always received strong support from the community here in Nova Scotia.

“We’ve been offering degrees longer than any other art and design institution in the country. When you visit art and design colleges and universities anywhere in Canada, you realize that a considerable number of faculty members were trained at NSCAD.”

Smith says he intends to continue to strengthen business partnerships to ensure the university continues to grow over the next 120 years.

“Organizations understand that the arts are good for business, but we need to show them that art is more than just painting and sculpture, it’s a way of thinking. We want NSCAD to be a catalyst for economic development by leveraging creativity for business innovation.”