MIAD President Jeff Morin discusses career prospects and supporting MIAD students
Jeff Morin, president of Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, represented the college on Spectrum News 1 recently to discuss career prospects for MIAD graduates and the school’s strategy for financially and academically supporting students.
During the interview, Morin emphasized the college’s focus on both fine art and design. About 25% of students study fine arts. Those students can expect a curriculum designed to help teach them “to problem solve, to think creatively, to communicate well,” all skills vital in developing a career in the fine arts. About 75% of MIAD students “major in the design fields that have a direct connection to the creative economy here in Milwaukee and nationally.” In fact, many of Milwaukee’s top advertising and marketing firms hire MIAD alums, especially in fields like communication design and industrial or product design.
“I look at an area like product design where, by March of this last years’ graduating class… about half of our students had already lined up jobs,” says Morin. For example, at “one of the great local corporations with an international reach, Milwaukee Tool, quite a few of their industrial or product designers come from MIAD.”
Morin also shares his perspective on student debt and MIAD’s role in supporting and preparing students. “We take the issue of student debt quite seriously at the college,” he says. “It’s why roughly 100% of our students receive some sort of financial aid package, and we work aggressively every year to raise scholarship dollars to support those students.” Morin points to MIAD’s improved retention rate as a contributing factor in supporting student success. About 85% of students return after their first year, a significant improvement from the previous retention rate of 69.5% and an indication of the college’s commitment to helping students graduate and start successful and meaningful careers.
When asked how MIAD saw such a drastic improvement during the uncertainty of COVID, Morin credits “our people, our faculty, and our staff. I have never seen a group of committed individuals work harder for or towards the success of our students.” During the first month of COVID, when students were away from campus on Spring Break, faculty and staff worked to pack up and mail students’ materials back to them, migrate coursework online and safely open MIAD’s labs so students could access them.
Listen to the full interview with President Jeff Morin here.
News
Product Design students visualize unique toys
Juniors in the Compelling Narratives and Visualizations Product Design class at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) were challenged with understanding brand momentum and partnerships.
Milwaukee County Historical Society honors MIAD
In celebration of 50 years of art and design education, the Milwaukee County Historical Society honored the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) at their annual Awards Dinner on May 9, 2024.
GDUSA names MIAD Communication Design a top program
Solution-oriented, hands-on visual literacy: this is a core quality of the Communication Design program at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). In 2024, Graphic Design USA Magazine recognized MIAD’s Communication Design major as one of the top programs in the nation.
Students receive national honors from Society of Illustrators
Four illustration students and graduates from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) received national honors from the Society of Illustrators. MIAD’s Illustration and Animation programs were also ranked highly by Animation Career Review magazine.
Wool-ful: Senior Exhibition 2024
Intentionality and purpose have been driving forces in Mary Frances Hoffman’s life that continue at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). Combine them with a passion for knitting and sensory needs and you have Wool-ful, Hoffman’s senior exhibition project in Product Design.