:: From The President
:: "Design and Social Justice" 2007 Annual Conference
:: New Membership Category For Adjuncts - ONLY $125!
:: Leadership Seminar at National Conference
:: Networks and Nosh in Austin
:: Master's Theses and Senior Research projects in the IIDA Knowledge Center
:: Our Newest Members
:: Free CEDIA opportunity
:: Event Categories of IFI Busan 2007 Announced
:: IFI Yearbook 2006
:: IDEC Distance Learning Network - Come and Join us!
  
  

I’m packin’ my jeans, I’ve got a big ole belt buckle, and I’m ready for our 2007 IDEC Conference in Austin, Texas… or at least I will be when I’ve finished my “State of IDEC” report! I was very pleased to have “Design and Social Justice” accepted as our conference theme. As designers we inherently have many of the solutions to societal needs that are not being met or cannot be met by government alone. We have a new Social Justice Network group formed and I sincerely hope that this focus will simply become a part of being a good design educator (certainly our pro-active stance on sustainability was an offshoot of this effort.)

Some key events to look forward to:

As I requested last year, let’s have ever attendee wear their college T-shirt or sweat shirt to the Wednesday Night Opening Reception. While we all share so much as a unit, it is important to recognize that IDEC is made up of members from a great many institutions of higher learning. So show your SCHOOL SPIRIT Wednesday night.

Our Fellows Forum this year will focus on “Graduate Education” using the new IDEC position paper crafted by a graduate education task force. This will be sent electronically to you prior to the conference so that you can “study up”! It raises several key issues that could strongly impact design education and professional practice.

The Thursday Night Reception will focus on a silent auction and gaveled auction for a few key items. I hope each school will get a gift “basket” together for the silent auction. Fun things or scholarly items (books, etc.) are always welcome. We will auction off a Steelcase THINK Chair and an Eames Walnut Stool from Herman Miller. Your participation in supplying goods to auction and in your bidding is vital. Proceeds will go to student scholarships.

We will have a special hands-on workshop on the social justice issue of homelessness coordinated by Lynn Chalmers (University of Manitoba) and our end note speaker Sam Davis. Make plans to participate on Saturday morning.

I hope to see many of you in Austin! Now I’d better get back to writing that report…..

Eric Wiedegreen
IDEC President 2006-2007
  
  

IT’S DEFINITELY NOT TOO LATE!!! March 7-11, 2006. This is one conference you will not want to miss! Our host committee out of The University of Texas at Austin, led by Nancy Kwalleck & Carl Matthews, is preparing a terrific line up of events - TEXAS STYLE!!! From the comforts of the Austin Hilton to the horseback trails and banquet facilities of White Fences Equestrian Center, you will not want to miss this opportunity. Go to the web site to find a list of hotels and make your reservations as soon as possible as space is extremely limited.
  
  

Two new classifications of membership have now been approved by the voting members. The new classifications include Educator Affiliate Membership & Industry Affiliate Membership. The Industry Affiliate Membership allows for industry allies interested in interior design education and the activities of IDEC. The Educator Affiliate Membership is for part-time faculty/instructors teaching in interior design or interior design related disciplines. More details about each of these categories can be found at http://www.idec.org/membership/becomeMember.html.
  
  

On Thursday and Saturday of our upcoming Annual IDEC Conference, members will have the opportunity to grab a light free breakfast and visit with those of like minds by attending the Network sessions! The updated list of networks include: computers, continuing education, distance learning, diversity, environmentally responsible design, graduate education, history and theory, international member services, lighting, program chairs, research and scholarly activity, social justice (NEW), 2 & 3 year programs. An excited and dedicated group of your peers are chairing these networks and anxious to get the creative juices flowing. Bring your expertise to the table and help IDEC move forward as a grass roots organization!
  
  

Master's Theses and Senior Research projects in the IIDA Knowledge Center Jane Larkin, Research Librarian for IIDA, contacted IDEC with an idea for a greater dissemination (to practitioners) of university thesis and dissertation work. “One of our goals is to include items in the IIDA Knowledge Center that might be difficult for design practitioners to find on the Internet or in the published literature. Theses have a lot of great information in them but we don't often know about them or can't get our hands on a copy. So, to this end, I would like to include Master's Theses and Senior Research projects in the IIDA Knowledge Center. This could work in a number of ways: a student could send us the URL for the thesis or paper if it resides in a university repository such as DSpace or they could send us the link to their citation in the UMI database. We would also be open to loading a copy of the work on our server so our Knowledge Center users could download it to their desktop. Each entry in the Knowledge Center includes copyright language to remind the user that an item is protected under copyright law. Adding this type of material to the Knowledge Center would not only enrich the profession with the results of research but it would also recognize the time and effort that students devote to producing a thesis or paper.”

We will need to brainstorm ways to best facilitate this process. If you would like to contact Ms. Larkin, she can be reached at IIDA Headquarters in Chicago at (312) 379-5134.
  
  

As a regular feature of the IDEC eNEWS, a list of the newest members to IDEC will be provided so you can welcome them to our proud association. There were 28 new members added to IDEC in January alone! The newest members since November 7th include:

Robert Allen, New York Institute of Technology
Jordan Barkin, Philadelphia University
Nicole Bieak, Kreidler LaRoche College
Nancy Bohnett, Art Institute of Las Vegas
Janis Brickey, Middle Tennessee State University
David Brothers, Wentworth Institute of Technology
Earnest Bunn, Univserity of North Alabama
Laura Chung, Laura Chung Deigns, LLC
Nancy Chwiecko
Michael Culpepper, Bellevue Community College
Gail Davidson, The Art Institute of Washington
Linda Davisson, Art Institute of California at Orange County
Connie Dyar, Illinois State University
Lucie Gagne, Kwantlen University College
Rhonda Geraghty, International Academy of Deisgn & Technology
Lisa Godsey, International Academy of Deisgn & Technology
Kelly Gore, O'More College of Design
Tasoulla Hadjiyanni, University of Minnesota
Laurel Harbin, Florida State University
Wendy Heller, Savannah College of Art
Nancy Hiss, Marylhurst University
Denise Homme, The Design Institute of San Diego
Michele Kenney, Harrington College of Design
Dale Landry, Fanshawe College
Mary Massoud, Art Institute of Ohio - Cincinnati
Kyoko Miyamura, Art Institute of California at Orange County
Ann Marie Ragan, North Dakota State University
T.L. Ritchie, Louisiana State University
Rosanne Scarpelli, Nassau Community College
Moema Shortridge, Westwood College Denver South
Alison Snyder, UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
J. Erin Speck, George Washington University at Mount Vernon
Margaret Thomas, Marymount University
Suzanne Vaughn, Montgomery College
Johanne Woodcock, Parsons The New School of Design
  
  

Interested in Developing Well-Rounded Students?
Take Advantage of this FREE Educational Opportunity for IDEC Members!

Attend the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association’s (CEDIA)
2007 Electronic Lifestyles® EXPO and FORUM
April 18 – 21, 2007
Sands EXPO & Convention Center and the Venetian Hotel

Participate in outstanding educational courses, phenomenal networking opportunities and a tradeshow packed with the latest in technology! Highlights include:

• Keynote speaker Daniel Burrus - Technotrends®.
• Networking Lunches – Facilitated by Kathy Flament with the NAHB Research Center.
• Educational courses specifically geared toward your needs.
• Networking Reception at the world-renowned Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.
• Electronic Lifestyles® EXPO Tradeshow.
• Visit www.cedia.org/elforumexpo for more details!

Your current IDEC identification number must be presented at registration and this offer applies to on-site registrations only. See you then!
  
  

IFI XXIII General Assembly: 8 Oct. Mon. – 9 Oct. Tue. 2007
Venue: BEXCO, Busan, Korea

IFI 2007_Design Congress: 10 Oct. Wed. – 12 Oct. Fri. 2007
Venue: BEXCO, Busan, Korea
Daily Theme:
1. Oct. 10 Wed – Jeong_Human (Emotional Gateways)
2. Oct. 11 Thur. – Jeong_Aesthetic (Fantasy vs. Reality)
3. Oct. 12 Fri. – Jeong_Digital (Digilot_Digital Convergence)

WING 2007 Workshop: 2 July Mon. – 11 July Wed. 2007
Venue: Dongseo University, Busan, Korea
Theme: Water

We look forward to sharing with you more information and updates on IFI Busan 2007 at our website www.ifiworld.org. Meanwhile, please refer to the official website of IFI Busan 2007 www.ifi2007.org for detailed programs.
  
  

The production process for the International Interiors Annual, IFI Yearbook 2006 has begun. The content of the Yearbook will be made up essentially of the works of the Interior Designers within our member countries and a limited amount of IFI specific information. This is the one way that IFI can showcase the effort put into the profession by member associations and we would like to see as many of our members associations represented in this prestigious publication.

We therefore ask you to assemble interior works of your member interior designers, or interior designers in your country, as well as non-members whose project is nationally renowned or awarded interiors and is recommended by its national association. The submissions can be the results of a local competition or submitted interiors that are approved by your associations, the submitted projects shall be limited to the projects either designed or constructed between January 2005 and December 2006. The deadline for submission is 28 February 2007. WWW.ifiworld.org
  
  

The IDEC Distance Learning Network is a brand-new informal gathering of educators who use distance learning successfully in the classroom. To become a part of the DL Listserve, send an email to idecdl-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. You may also send an email to Carolyn Sockwell, network chair, at sockwell@jeffstateonline.com. You will be enrolled in the IDEC Distance Learning Network listserve, our venue for information exchange and idea generation.