Schools of Design Extend Their Reach Into Asia

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/world/asia/schools-of-design-extend-their-reach-into-asia.html

Version 0 of 1.

More Western education institutions are looking to open up in Asia — and U.S. art and design schools are no exception. While the potential for growth is huge, given Asia’s rising creative industries, the actual logistics can be complicated.

The Savannah College of Art and Design opened a campus in September 2010 in Sham Shui Po, a district of Hong Kong, after extensive research on opportunities in Asia. The school spent 250 million Hong Kong dollars, or $32 million, of its own capital to revitalize the former North Kowloon Magistracy building, which it received from the Hong Kong government in 2009 amid some controversy that the heritage site was given to a foreign school instead of a local group.

“SCAD sees in Asia an increasing demand for and appreciation of art and design talents with a global perspective in fields ranging from digital media to fashion design and luxury management,” Grant Preisser, associate vice president of SCAD Hong Kong, said by e-mail.

“It makes perfect sense for us to be in Asia, as many of our graduates will be looking to develop creative careers here,” he said. “Hong Kong is a sophisticated, international city with strong market growth and an ongoing need for creative talent.”

Having a presence in Asia can also benefit students at the school’s main campuses in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia. (It also has a study-abroad location in Lacoste, France).

Still, SCAD Hong Kong had trouble with recruitment in the beginning. According to The South China Morning Post, it opened in 2010 with only 141 students, or less than half its initial target of 300. At full capacity, the school could hold up to 800 students.

Last autumn, it got its total student enrollment up to 330. About 60 percent are from Hong Kong, and 40 percent from 15 other countries and territories.

Parsons The New School for Design, based in New York, is exploring initiatives in Asia that, unlike SCAD, will not require significant monetary investment. It has signed a cooperation agreement with a design education center in Shanghai established by Shanghai Textile Group Holdings, or Shangtex, which will allow it to offer programs there. The school has been given a floor in Shangtex’s corporate campus, where there will also be space for other design institutions like Esmod International, a Paris-based network of fashion institutes from all over the world.

A timeline has not yet been established for when courses would start at this center, but under consideration are summer and winter intensive courses for Parsons students, continuing and professional education programs and a program that would provide English-language instruction for those looking to enter design fields.

“The rapidly expanding interaction between cultures, markets and world regions has revolutionized the practice of design,” David E. Van Zandt, president of the New School, wrote by e-mail. “Design, while increasingly global, is also rooted in local cultures and social practices.”

“In order to thrive in this new global environment, students must be able to synthesize these often-differing perspectives into their own practice,” he added.

Mr. Van Zandt said Parsons was in discussions with a new design school in Mumbai, though he would not comment on details. While this would not be a Parsons operation, Parsons could help with curriculum development and faculty training. Parsons students could potentially have the opportunity to study in India and vice versa.

Parsons also announced in November that it would open a new center in Paris this coming autumn.

Like any major undertaking, establishing overseas campuses and programs take time. SCAD Hong Kong is one of few cross-border design schools that are actually up and running in Asia.

“As Asia’s role continues to grow in the global economy, businesses and industries will increasingly need to design with the Asian consumers in mind, not just in terms of products, but also marketing communications,” Mr. Preisser of SCAD said. “And, as more and more international brands extend their footprint and presence in Asia, they will be looking for design talents trained in Asia and attuned to the Asian marketplace.”

There are a few other Western players. Esmod already has branches in Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Beijing and Jakarta.

And there are signs that Asian schools might cross borders regionally: Bunka Fashion College, based in Tokyo, plans to open a branch in Dalian, China, though no dates are set. Still, these programs are reasonably small or still in development.

“Asia is at a different stage of evolution in design education than the United States and Europe, which is why these countries have approached us with these types of opportunities, and why for many years their students have come to the U.S. and Europe to study,” Mr. Van Zandt of Parsons said. “As these countries continue to invest in the development of institutions for art and design education, there is certainly the potential for them to be competitive.”

One setback many may face is simple economics in a region that has some affluent cities but also many developing nations.

Tuition at SCAD’s Hong Kong campus is set at the same level as that of its U.S. campuses, which may be daunting to many students in the greater Southeast Asian region. Providing an internationally recognized design education at locally competitive tuition rates, however, could prove to be a challenge that prevents more Western schools from expanding into Asia.

Mr. Preisser said that as of September, the university had awarded nearly 31 million Hong Kong dollars in financial aid to students at the Hong Kong campus.