William Padgett, an associate professor of communications design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ (VPA) School of Design, has been named a recipient of the Continuum + Arthur Pulos Award, which recognizes innovation in interdisciplinary design education at the University.
William Padgett
The Continuum + Arthur Pulos Award was established in 2011 by Continuum, a global innovation design consultancy co-founded by Gianfranco Zaccai ’70 H’09, its chairman, president and chief design officer. The award, which includes a $10,000 stipend to further creative and scholarly work, is presented to an exemplary full-time faculty member at Syracuse University who has made unique and valuable contributions to interdisciplinary design education.
The award’s name in part honors the late Arthur Pulos, ICSID, FIDSA, a globally renowned industrial designer, an early leader of the industrial design profession and a professor and longtime chair of what was then the Department of Design. He supported the concept that design should act as a bridge across departments and disciplines within a university and within industry.
“For many years Bill has doggedly championed an interdisciplinary approach to design and in particular working with and leveraging intangibles to maximize the impact of design,” says James Fathers, director of the School of Design and the Iris Magidson Endowed Chair of Design Leadership. “He has mentored thousands of designers in these approaches over the years and well deserves this recognition.”
The college will present Padgett with the award at a reception in New York City on Wednesday, May 11, the first day of the communications design program’s New York City senior portfolio show for alumni and design professionals.
Padgett has taught or been actively involved in VPA since 1978 and was chair of the former visual communications department from 2000-03. He was also involved in the University’s independent study master’s degree program in illustration, serving as a thesis advisor for eight years. For Syracuse University Abroad, he taught studio arts in Florence, and co-created the design program at Syracuse University London. He recently accepted an appointment to be the first SU Florence design program coordinator and will launch the newest international design program in Italy starting in the spring 2017 semester.
The Continuum + Arthur Pulos Award committee is comprised of the director of the School of Design, the VPA associate dean for research and graduate studies, the SU vice president for research, a delegate from Continuum and a student majoring in design.
