Jackie Chan awarded honorary professorship from Savannah College of Art and Design

The United States’ premier art and design university honors one of Asia’s most prestigious businessmen for his global contributions to art and culture
HONG KONG — Jackie Chan will receive an honorary professorship from the Savannah College of Art and Design for a lifetime of excellence in the cinematic arts and for nurturing others to pursue their own artistic dreams. SCAD President and Co-founder Paula S. Wallace will name Chan as an honorary professor of performing arts at a reception in his honor Wednesday, Sept. 3, 4-6 p.m., at the Intercontinental Hotel, 18 Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

This marks the first time the college has awarded an honorary professorship. Joining President Wallace in making the presentation to Chan will be distinguished entrepreneur and patroness of the arts Dr. Chan Laiwa of Beijing, China, who serves on SCAD’s Board of Trustees. Laiwa also holds an honorary doctorate degree from SCAD.

According to President Wallace, SCAD selected Mr. Chan to be the college’s first honorary professor because he personifies SCAD’s focus on preparing students for creative careers by weaving creative vision with technical mastery to transform artistic vision into professional expertise.

“Mr. Chan has never stopped learning and creating as an actor, director and producer,” said President Wallace. “He has spent a lifetime refining the artistic skills and techniques he first learned at the Peking Opera School, and is an inspiration for all who wish to pursue an artistic life, particularly SCAD students.”

SCAD is United States’ most comprehensive art and design university. With students from more than 90 countries at campuses in the United States, France and online via SCAD-eLearning, SCAD has been named one of the “25 cutting-edge schools with an eye toward the future” by international higher education publisher Kaplan/Newsweek.

SCAD’s culture includes a commitment to the international experience
To further expand its global reach and mission, the university is exploring the possibility of establishing a campus in Hong Kong. SCAD maintains campuses in Savannah and Atlanta, Ga., USA, as well as in Lacoste, France. SCAD also organizes off-campus programs to encourage students to study on nearly every continent. Study trips to China are part of SCAD’s curriculum, and SCAD employs noted Chinese artists and designers as faculty members in the United States. SCAD boasts the highest international student population of any art and design university in the U.S., and the university’s international presence continues to grow through SCAD-eLearning, which offers a SCAD education to a global online community.

SCAD appeals to many prospective students in Hong Kong and China. China represents the college’s third largest international student population, and the number of Chinese students enrolled at SCAD doubled from Fall 2006 to Fall 2007.

SCAD’s connections to Asia have developed and strengthened over the past 10 years in other ways. For the past two years, the university has participated in the digital media exposition China Joy in Shanghai. SCAD has sponsored exhibitions of work by Chinese artists, including an exhibition at the LFK Gallery in Hong Kong; participated in the 1998 International Art Exposition in Beijing; and was the only educational institution to be invited to participate in the 10th annual Shanghai Art Fair. SCAD also was profiled in CCTV’s “World Famous Universities” series.

“The partnership between SCAD and China is paramount as we continue to grow around the world,” added President Wallace. “Asia, and China in particular, is growing as an international center for business and the arts, while SCAD is growing as an international center for developing the next generation of creative leadership.”

The university also has collaborated with local businesses such as VTech, a world leader in cordless telephones and electronic learning products that is headquartered in Hong Kong. Because of the quality of the student work on these collaborative projects, VTech has offered SCAD students internships and employment.

“Although our collaboration with the college has only just begun, I feel sure that it will go from strength to strength, giving students useful hands-on experience and providing VTech ready access to some promising design talent,” said VTech Senior Design Manager David Waterman.

Invest Hong Kong, the investment promotion agency of the Hong Kong government, noted SCAD’s growing relationship with China three years ago and approached the university about exploring opportunities for a new campus. Though SCAD representatives often are approached by representatives of cities and countries who wish to see a SCAD campus in their area, SCAD’s already strong ties to China have made the idea of a Hong Kong campus a logical and appealing one.
SCAD is an internationally recognized leader in restoring and adaptively reusing architectural treasures

Over the past 30 years, SCAD has restored more than 70 historic buildings that now serve as its campus facilities in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, as well as in Lacoste, France. SCAD is interested in continuing this tradition and using its expertise in any expansion location.

SCAD is sensitive to historical and technical concerns, as well as social issues and economic aspects of historic preservation. SCAD’s educational facilities are integrated into the historic fabric of its local communities, forming a model for preservationists worldwide.

Due to its outstanding preservation work, SCAD has earned recognition from the United States National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, the Historic Savannah Foundation, the Art Deco Societies of America, the International Downtown Association, the Victorian Society in America and the American Institute of Architects, among others.