CoFA
CONNECTIONS Newsletter Edition #2 November 2015 l
College of Fine Arts Office of the Dean Davis Hall, Station 6663 Montevallo, AL 35115 205.665.6663
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Artwork by Belle Prosser
From the Dean’s Desk I hope you enjoy this latest glimpse into the creative energy of our students, faculty and alumni, and that you find a little bit of yourself as your read through their stories. It is a pleasure to announce that the College of Fine Arts at University of Montevallo is participating in the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP). SNAAP uses an online survey to collect and then analyze data on educational experiences and career paths of individuals with degrees in the arts and shares the data with participating institutions. In fact, SNAAP has become the gold standard for collection and analysis of data about individuals with degrees in the fine and communication arts. SNAAP’s 2013 national study of 92,113 arts alumni who completed the survey gives interesting new information about people who are employed in arts and arts-related fields: • They are among the happiest of all professionals; • 75% have been self-employed at some point in their career; • Their work reflects their values, personality and interests more than those employed in non-arts fields; • They have a better opportunity to contribute to the greater good; • They have found creativity to be the most important competency in professional life. If you are a CoFA alum, you have likely received the SNAAP survey via email or will in the next few days. We are eager to learn from your reflections on your own college experience, to know where you are now, and to hear how you are creating your own career path wherever in the world you may be. Your experiences and advice will help us prepare and guide our current students into the creative workforce. Warm regards,
Steve Peters, Dean, College of Fine Arts