CAA News Today
Walter Meyer
posted by CAA — Nov 30, 2017
STATEMENT
As a full-time art historian at a 2 year community college, much of my time and talents have been about increasing enrollments in art history and our transfer population to the University of California and Cal State system. At SMC, we are 3 full time faculty and 20+ adjuncts with over 40 sections of art history taught each semester. While college-wide enrollments are flat or declining, Art History continues to grow and has doubled in size in just the last four years.
Leading art history at Santa Monica College has put my efforts directly in line with one of the missions of the California Community College System: to close equity and achievement gaps with under-represented higher-ed populations. Closing these gaps is not a challenge unique to California Community Colleges and as the College Art Association moves into the 21st century it can play a vital role in making art and art history programs at the forefront of meeting this important task. I believe that having a representative from a community college is an important step for CAA to take and I am honored to be nominated to serve our disciplines and the membership.
My other interests reside in pedagogy and technology. At Santa Monica College, I am currently: the co-chair of the Technology Planning Committee; incoming chair of the Distance Education Committee and have previously chaired or served on the Sabbaticals Committee, the Information Services Committee, and the Curriculum Committee. My service to the community includes being the President of the Art Historians of Southern California, an Arts Commissioner and the former chair of the Public Art Committee for the city of Santa Monica and former board member for the Craft and Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles and the Santa Monica Arts Foundation.
Just in the state of California there are 2.1 million community college students across 113 colleges (there are over 1200 across the country serving over 7 million students). I believe in the mission of the community college system and in the ability of community colleges to help art and art history programs close the equity gap with under-represented populations on college campuses and I would like to be an effective advocate as a CAA board member for them and their students.