|
The O’More Cultural Field College is meant to challenge the faculty, staff, and students of O’More College of Design to seek opportunities to take part in culturally significant service projects, travel abroad, and global design research; to explore and find ways to bring the benefits of global design home to our local community; and to involve themselves in purposeful design projects—projects that benefit society, support our environment, and create beauty.
The program provides unique teaching and learning opportunities for faculty, staff, and students that explore cultural diversity and humanitarian and environmental research and service projects at the local, regional, national, and global levels.
Some of our current O’More Cultural Field College programs include:
- O’More—Ireland
The Irish Experience-Abbey Leix, Ireland, and throughout all of Ireland
University of Limerick, County Limerick, Ireland
Portlaoise College, County Laois, Ireland
O’More-Sacred Heart University/Diseart Institute of Education and Celtic Culture, County Kerry, Dingle, Ireland
O’More-University of Wales/IMU Institute, Dalgan/Dublin, Ireland
O’More-Internships Ireland
- O’More—France (a new program just being established)
- O’More—Oxford
Harris Manchester Summer Research Institute (scholar and fellowship opportunities at Oxford)
- O’More—International Travel Study (travel study to different countries each year-Italy, France, Germany, etc.)
- O’More—Rural America
Educational and cultural experiences though out America
- O’More—Studio on the Square (various town square design projects each year)
- O’More—Design Markets (NY, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, etc.)
- O’More—First Nations (Native American educational, cultural study projects each year)
Cherokee Spirituality Course on the Cherokee Indian Reservation
Other First-Nations courses under construction with Canada and Western Tribes
O’More College of Design
An O’More Global Vision
The Art & Science of Design
Dr. K. Mark Hilliard
August 2007
Creating a Vision:
The most important themes of a legitimate vision for the world in which we live today must include: Improving and serving humanity and the environment, finding authentic meaning and purpose in life, evoking positive emotions, and finding and creating authentic beauty in our surroundings.
The Role of the O’More Faculty, Staff, & Board:
As a college of design we have at our disposal the gifts of beauty, art, and science, as the tools to form this vision. Fashioned appropriately together these gifts create the element of design—the element upon which our institution was founded. By strategically nurturing and leveraging our distinctive gifts and talents, we will persist in creating superior value for our students and those they will serve.
What is:
Authentic Beauty—a visual representation of quality as determined by the emotional integrity of the observer.
Art—creative sensory expressions generated by our human emotions and imagination.
Science—the study of our world using systematic research of form and function through observation, study, and exploration.
Design—the creation of artistic form with purposeful function—a process that can only be achieved through systematic research of both form and function. Design is the art and science of purposeful creations—creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also serve to better our environment, our community, and our world. Creations that help people find meaning and purpose in life. Creations that conceive authentic beauty though the unity of art and science.
The O’More Global Vision
by
The Faculty, Staff, & Board of O’More College of Design
We envision O’More College of Design as an institution of higher education that intellectually and expressively prepares students to become innovative designers with the capacity to create authentic beauty—designers equipped with the skills, knowledge, ability, creativity, and desire to constructively benefit the local and global society and environment through purposeful design.
Statement of Vision Principles:
Aspiration: We aspire for O’More College of Design to find its place on the global map – to connect students and teachers with the global needs of humanity and our physical environment and to develop innovative ways to meet these needs through strategic design. By learning about and supporting the global community, we also learn ways to serve our local community.
Belief: We believe in O’More College of Design’s ability to bestow upon the discipline of design its proper academic status as a science as well as an art.
Encouragement: We encourage the faculty and staff of O’More College of Design to transform the way our students think about design—to educate designers with a desire to make a difference in the world. By so doing, we have the ability to become a world renowned educational source of designers who find authentic meaning and purpose in life and who create authentic beauty.
Challenge: We challenge the faculty, staff, and students of O’More College of Design to seek opportunities to take part in culturally significant service projects, travel abroad, and global design research. To explore and find ways to bring the benefits of global design home to our local community. To involve themselves in purposeful design projects—projects that benefit society, support our environment, and create beauty.
Empowerment: Do these ambitions seem too demanding? In one sense they should, for a solid global vision requires extraordinary effort. Yet we should not feel overwhelmed by, or fearful of, a strong vision because it is what focuses our efforts into meaningful academic activity. A strong vision becomes a power source that can energize the whole institution. A focused vision will distinguish our institution and serve as an innovative model for other institutions to desire to follow. This is the journey before us. A task that I am confident we can accomplish. As fellow members of this great college (students, faculty, staff, board, alumni, and supporters) our future holds unlimited opportunities. The management of O’More College of Design pledges to empower our members with the tools and training needed to accomplish this global vision and to fulfill these vision principles.
|
