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C.O.D., Benedictine University Offer '2+2 Transfer Agreements
By Ken Reed
A unique “3+1” transfer agreement between College of DuPage and National-Louis University (NLU) will allow C.O.D. students who earn an Associate in Applied Science degree in Management to take a third year of coursework at C.O.D. before transferring into NLU’s Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration for their senior year. All credits earned at C.O.D. will transfer to NLU.Classes in the final year of the bachelor’s degree program will be offered at NLU’s Lisle campus, which is located about five minutes from C.O.D., near the I-88 and Route 53 intersection.
“This is a great program for C.O.D. students who want to stay in the area and finish their bachelor’s degree,” said Karen Randall, C.O.D. associate dean, Business and Technology. “There is an enormous cost savings for students because of the ability to take three years worth of coursework at C.O.D.”
European Research will Benefit Students
By Ken Reed
An assistant professor of Architecture at College of DuPage is applying his study and research in France, Germany and Austria last May to his communications with his students about the importance of clear design concepts.
Earlier this year, Mark Pearson was awarded the Clyde Lee and Jane Cecilia Baker Traveling Fellowship from the University of Illinois, which enabled him to participate in the European study program this past May.
The fellowship is awarded every other year to a graduate from the University of Illinois School of Architecture with a master’s degree in Architecture in the design option. It is awarded based on the submission of a fellowship proposal as well as a portfolio of professional design work.
As part of the fellowship, Pearson next spring will participate in a lecture series at the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois.
During his study in Europe, Pearson said his research focused on the relationship between architecture theory and practice. “I visited built projects by architects who are well-known for their conceptual work. My interest was to study the impact that the initial design concept or theory had on the completed built work.”
Pearson said that his study reinforced in his own mind the importance of an intentional design concept in the creation of architecture.
While traveling, Pearson did research, completed sketches and took almost 3,000 photographs, some of which he plans to use as examples in his classes. “This study will definitely benefit my ability to communicate to students the importance of clear design concepts as we deal with concept development in the design studio here at C.O.D.”
Pearson also engaged his students while he was in Europe. He posted photos, sketches and his analysis online.
Pearson’s European trip followed on the heels of three former C.O.D. Architecture students who transferred to the University of Illinois. They participated in a study abroad program at Versailles outside Paris. The students are Steve Shatswell, Nhung Ta and Mike Mlekowski.
C.O.D. Campus in 2012
By Ken Reed
If you enjoy gazing into a crystal ball, then a display in the College of DuPage Library depicting the college campus in 2012 will be to your liking.
Tim Phillips and model
The huge display, built to scale by two C.O.D. Architecture students, is an actual physical model of the entire C.O.D. campus as it will appear in 2012. The display includes all buildings, some of which have yet to be built, that are part of the comprehensive Facilities Master Plan (FMP).
The two students who constructed the display are John Svast (West Chicago) and Tim Phillips (Lombard). The pair was hired as interns last year by Gavin Tun, former director of Facilities Planning and Construction.
After seeing physical models of buildings displayed in the C.O.D. Library that had been constructed by C.O.D. Architecture students, and hearing an observation by a Board of Trustees member that having physical models of the new FMP buildings would be helpful, Tun hired Svast and Phillips to work on a model of the entire campus.
During the construction process, Svast and Phillips worked from architects’ drawings to model some of the buildings in the display that haven’t been built yet. The students were required to read and interpret the drawings in order to build the model.
Mark Pearson, C.O.D. assistant professor, Architecture, served as a faculty adviser for the project, but final decisions rested with Angela Knoble, acting director of Facilities Planning and Construction.
“Tim and John did an exceptional job on the model,” Knoble said. “A lot of time and effort was put into working out the details, such as creating mockups to determine the scale and size of the model, reviewing construction drawings in order to create 3-D images of both existing and new campus buildings, and experimenting with various materials to determine which would work best. It was a great learning experience for them.”
The project was interdisciplinary and included not only Knoble and Pearson but also the college’s Cooperative Education program. By involving the Cooperative Education area, the students earned credits for their work-based learning.
“It was a great learning experience,” Phillips said. “I learned how to work with project managers and how to plan and construct the model. I also learned how to interpret documents and how to produce the site plan that was used to make the model.”
