How do college’s start new programs on media technologies? Public colleges often have a foundation which raises money for a big chunk of those program start-ups.
As seen in the graph in Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/01/25/college-endowments-rise-122-percent-2017-experts-worr... there was a 12.2% rise in giving to endowments in 2017.
For many public higher education systems, that foundation money starts new programs which fuel programs for future web designers, filmmakers, photographers, illustrators, etc. These are not cheap investments for colleges and universities. It can take millions of dollars to launch these programs which can include a new building.
It’s important to note that media technology fuels more than the typical degree programs. Many colleges have a growing number of workforce and continuing education students. These are often working professionals who need to grow their careers or become certified in certain areas of expertise.
Some foundational money can be investments by corporations, which could need to train employees. So, students could be preparing for certification in Adobe Animate, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, or Premiere Pro (the most popular Adobe Certified Associate exams). That feeds the much needed web content creation business segments, which in turn drives eCommerce.
So how does a college know what new programs the community needs? They have many studied ways to explore such things. But, the best way they learn is outreach: hearing from the community. So, if you work somewhere, which has educational needs, speak up: pick up the phone and call your local public college. It doesn’t matter how small those needs may be, even one or two people. For all you know, dozens of other firms have contacted the same college with media technology needs. Your call might be the tipping point which gets the college started on creating that new, much-needed program.
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