Today I participated in a PAC. That's "Program Advisory Committee". Two or three times a year, Westwood College invites people working in an industry related to one of their degrees to come in for a couple of hours, look at how the programs are set up, and give advice and suggestions about how to make them better based on their experience.
Hey, I do too have experience.
It was fun. First they fed us, which is a good draw for game industry people, because the mooch factor is pretty high.1 Then they gave a short presentation about Westwood, why it's important that industry people show up and keep them honest. They talked about HLC accreditation, about the 18 campuses (including the online campus) and 4700 students across the country. Then they split us up according to degree programs.
What really surprised me was how many people actually showed up. There must've been 30 people in that one room, not counting the actual Westwood employees — bringing it up to 60, I'm sure — and there were 6 people for Game Software Development and Game Art and Design programs. Doesn't sound like a lot, but I expected half a dozen all together. I guess people give a shit about what they're teaching their future co-workers.
It was an actual discussion group, and opinions were encouraged and validated. There's probably some deliberate ego-boosting going on because Westwood definitely wants a good relationship with potential employers and people who're likely to go back with a good report. For GSD/GAD, I can say it was worth it. There was Charles Bendert, who's the current Program Director for the GSD/GAD programs. There were 6 industry people, and four other people from Westwood just there to take notes. Whatever stroking might have been going on, they were interested in what we were saying.
So what were we saying? "Get the art and programming students talking to each other. Get the students serious about their chosen career path — serious about resumes, about job performance, about good attitudes."
Yeah, didn't happen so much when I was there. It's happening a lot more now, even before the PAC. At least that's what we were told, and maybe the fact that we were there saying it right back to them puts more emphasis on that. Anyway, I'm happy: I got free sandwiches and two cool folding pens with the Westwood College motto and no wrench heads on the end.2
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6 Men 13 Sotz' 12.19.16.7.15
3 Tun, 10 Winal, 5 K'in until the end of time and counting
1 Kel Mitchell, Mystery Men, 1999. Play along, challenge your friends, win valuable prizes.
2 Ha ha, old joke, don't worry about it.
Hey, I do too have experience.
It was fun. First they fed us, which is a good draw for game industry people, because the mooch factor is pretty high.1 Then they gave a short presentation about Westwood, why it's important that industry people show up and keep them honest. They talked about HLC accreditation, about the 18 campuses (including the online campus) and 4700 students across the country. Then they split us up according to degree programs.
What really surprised me was how many people actually showed up. There must've been 30 people in that one room, not counting the actual Westwood employees — bringing it up to 60, I'm sure — and there were 6 people for Game Software Development and Game Art and Design programs. Doesn't sound like a lot, but I expected half a dozen all together. I guess people give a shit about what they're teaching their future co-workers.
It was an actual discussion group, and opinions were encouraged and validated. There's probably some deliberate ego-boosting going on because Westwood definitely wants a good relationship with potential employers and people who're likely to go back with a good report. For GSD/GAD, I can say it was worth it. There was Charles Bendert, who's the current Program Director for the GSD/GAD programs. There were 6 industry people, and four other people from Westwood just there to take notes. Whatever stroking might have been going on, they were interested in what we were saying.
So what were we saying? "Get the art and programming students talking to each other. Get the students serious about their chosen career path — serious about resumes, about job performance, about good attitudes."
Yeah, didn't happen so much when I was there. It's happening a lot more now, even before the PAC. At least that's what we were told, and maybe the fact that we were there saying it right back to them puts more emphasis on that. Anyway, I'm happy: I got free sandwiches and two cool folding pens with the Westwood College motto and no wrench heads on the end.2
--
6 Men 13 Sotz' 12.19.16.7.15
3 Tun, 10 Winal, 5 K'in until the end of time and counting
1 Kel Mitchell, Mystery Men, 1999. Play along, challenge your friends, win valuable prizes.
2 Ha ha, old joke, don't worry about it.
