As new Program Head of the New Media and Digital Design program (NMDD)

As the new Program Head of the New Media and Digital Design program (NMDD), starting in the Fall of 2022, I wanted to make sure not only that I train myself so that I can keep up with all essential tasks, but also that I start the groundwork for changes and long lasting improvements for the program and our students. Below is a selection of items that I worked on during the Fall 2022 semester.

  • Liaised with our affiliate Visual Arts department to discuss future collaborations, events, course offerings and possibilities for New Media and Digital Design.

  • Initiated the creation of a new course in Visual Effects, which will be offered by the Visual Arts department and it will serve our NMDD students.

  • Hosted guest speaker Chris Woebken, co-founder of Extrapolation Factory, on the topic of Speculative Design. This event was organized in collaboration with Prof. Patricia Belen.

  • Improved the procedure for major/minor declarations and changes. This streamlined the process and alleviated some of the pressure on our secretary.

  • Updated course offerings for the program. 

  • Served on the Communication and Media Studies Executive Committee.

  • Served on the Arts & Sciences Council.

  • Served on the FCLC College Council.

  • Liaised with the Curriculum Committee of the Communication and Media Studies department, specifically relating to DTEM and NMDD courses. 

  • Discussed with the FAS Dean Fellow Sharif Mowlabocus regarding the establishment of governance documents for NMDD. There are plans to initiate this process in early Spring 2023.

  • Engaged with the LITE Center at Rose Hill campus and arranged for student tours for the New Media and Digital Design program in collaboration with LITE Center Assistant Director, Nicole Zeidan, and Associate Vice President of Instructional Technology Academic Computing, Fleur Eshghi. We discussed potential collaboration and workshop offerings.

  • Initiated the process for hiring a part-time student worker for NMDD in the Spring 2023 semester. The primary goals are:

    • NMDD website with richer content, more details on the program and procedures as well as an FAQ section

    • Develop a system for our students’ internships & streamline the process. Establish relationships with select past employers and coordinate with current students who are interns so that new openings become known to new students.

    • Form stronger connections and engage with our alumni. Invite alumni to speak to current students about careers and their experiences in the industry.

  • Worked on a new course offering, NMDD 3350 Advocacy Design Lab, and liaised with affiliate departments in order to add relevant attributes and to increase enrollment.

  • Co-hosted a webinar with the Communication and Media Studies department as part of the Major Fair held in the Fall of 2022. This served as an efficient informational session which also allowed for breakout sessions and Q&A with interested students.

  • Onboarded and advised all incoming NMDD majors.

  • Advised students on their major/minor requirements, future careers/internships.

  • Represented the New Media and Digital Design program at the Open House held in the Fall of 2022.

  • Became an Advanced Lecturer for the Communication and Media Studies department (Fall 2022)

  • Took the position of Program Head for the New Media and Digital Design program (Fall 2022)

FITV Futures website

I created the technical and design framework for the FITV Futures website hosted at https://fitvfutures.ace.fordham.edu/. This project is an online initiative that seeks to build a collection of curricular resources that addresses diversity and anti-racism in media culture across four categories: film, television, video art, and ephemera. The initiative was developed, and is maintained by, faculty in the Film and Television major in the Department of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University and made possible by the Teaching Race Across the Curriculum (TRAC) Institutional Change Grant.

NMDD Exhibition Space

Designed and built a digital Exhibition space for New Media and Digital Design (NMDD) Senior Capstone Projects. Link to live site: https://nmddcapstone.ace.fordham.edu/

As a newly formed interdisciplinary program, NMDD had the need to demonstrate to existing, incoming as well as potential Fordham students the possibilities of this major, as well as to showcase graduating seniors’ capstone projects. These projects are the outcome of course NMDD4600 Senior Capstone Seminar. 

I undertook the initiative to create a digital exhibition space, where each semester’s senior capstone projects would be displayed. Discussing with the Program Director, Amy Aronson, we determined the scope of this initiative and desired features of its hosting website. I did research to assess competitive programs’ exhibition spaces, designed the space (website shell and independent webpages dedicated to each student) and coded the website using Wordpress as the foundation and custom-coding a Wordpress theme to serve our specific needs and specifications.

FAS Working Group member: FHLE Migration & Implementation (AY 2020-2021)

Faculty Member on the FAS Working Group on Migration and Implementation (Course Design/Build subgroup) of Flexible Hybrid Learning Environment model (FHLE). The definitions of the Flexible Hybrid model is linked here.

The mission of this Migration & Implementation Working Group (MIWG) is linked here.

List of the MIWG members is linked here.
During the summer of 2020, Fordham faculty and staff worked diligently on developing new systems to serve our students as well as support our faculty in the migration to the new Flexible Hybrid model (FHLE) for AY 2020-2021.

I served in the Migration & Implementation Working Group (MIWG) under the lead of Roxana Callejo-Garcia, Associate Vice President, Strategic Planning and Innovation and Melissa Labonte, Interim Dean, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. More specifically, I worked with the following faculty and staff in the Design & Build subgroup of MIWG: Steve D’Agustino, Hooman Estelami, Lindsay Karp, Lisa Lancia, Jason Morris, Dave Swinarski. I was a very active member of this subgroup and I worked closely with Dave Swinarski, FAS Associate Dean, and Jason Morris, Chair of Natural Sciences, on developing the agenda of our meetings, leading some of these meetings and coordinating with all members of the group. 

Independent Study Projects

Worked with senior students on independent projects as a Faculty Advisor. Samples here: https://catherinekatsafouros.com/independent-study

Faculty Advisor (art curation)

Advised and supported two student art curators in developing the exhibition Watch the Gap (2016), showcasing the works of Bronx artists.

I functioned as a faculty mentor for two students, Antoinette Legnini and Shane Yelicanin, who wanted to curate an art show in 2016. The show was titled Watch the Gap and it promoted and exhibited the work of Bronx artists. As faculty mentor I supported students in drafting their proposal, meeting with Dean Mast along with them and securing funding for the exhibition and the exhibition reception. I advised and assisted the students with writing their open call, setting up a process for receiving and reviewing submissions, selection of work as well as the logistical and technical aspects of installing the show. 

Professional engagement: Evaluator for the Long Island Media Arts Show

Participate annually as an evaluator in the Long Island Media Arts Show (LIMA) hosted by the Five Towns College.

Since 2014, I have been participating in the annual Long Island Media Arts Show, hosted by Five Towns College in Dix Hills, NY, as a guest critic / evaluator. This initiative brings Long Island highschool artists together in a space where they showcase their work, receive feedback by academics and working professionals and celebrate their creative achievements. A few student artists receive awards for their distinction in the categories of Video, Photography, Computer Graphics and Animation. 

Professional development: NYU ITP CAMP

2019 summer intensive (new media, interactive media, creative coding, art & technology).

In the summer of 2019 I attended the NYU ITP Camp, a 4-week art & tech intensive which nurtures the exploration of the latest possibilities with expressive technologies. This camp is for adult makers, artists, designers, technologists, musicians, programmers, fabricators and creatives at all stages of their careers and practices. One of the projects I developed during this time was an web-based interactive art piece which responded visually to sound input. The piece was built with p5.js. The piece was exhibited at the show that concludes the ITP Camp.

Professional development: Illustration intensive

2020 Intensive course in surface pattern design.

In the spring of 2020 I completed an 8-week online intensive offered by Bonnie Christine, a leading surface designer. My focus during this course was developing my skills in illustration and exploring the possibilities of surface pattern design. Technical skills, their applications and the potential of the medium and practice are aspects of this course that follow me not only as an artist, but also as an educator as I bring these to my courses and to our students. 

Professional development: SXSW

Attended the 2021 SXSW conference which was held virtually.

Fordham IT & NMDD program liaison

Served as a liaison between the NMDD program and Fordham IT in developing a system of Wordpress websites for the students of the Senior Capstone Seminar (NMDD4600).

Functioned as a lead and coordinator developing the specifications for this system, establishing a process and briefing all NMDD4600 instructors.

Over the course of a year, I worked closely with the Program Director of the NMDD program and Fordham IT to develop a system of Wordpress websites for the students of the Senior Capstone Seminar (NMDD4600). This system allowed for the official NMDD Exhibition space to function as a parent to the student Capstone Project websites and for each new generation of NMDD seniors to have their work showcased live. Once the system was set up, I worked with NMDD and IT to maintain this system and to ensure it continues to serve the needs of this growing program. 

NMDD4600 Senior Capstone Seminar

Developed the original curriculum for the New Media and Digital Design Senior Capstone Seminar (NMDD4600).

Developed a process and guidelines for all instructors of the course.

Functioned as a lead, communicated curriculum outline and process for student materials and websites with all instructors of the course.

In the Fall of 2016, I developed the original curriculum for the New Media and Digital Design Senior Capstone Seminar (NMDD4600). In close cooperation with the Program Director, Amy Aronson, I developed and continued to improve the curriculum, and when more instructors were assigned to teach multiple sections of this course, I served by briefing them on the curriculum and structures that worked well and I worked with these instructors to develop shared resources to support all parties involved. Additionally, I was the bridge between all NMDD4600 instructors and the NMDD Exhibition space, by developing a process for students of all sections to submit their project deliverables for inclusion in the Exhibition space.