Proposal

Narrative

NOTE: The programs mentioned in this proposal will be located at the Fort Lauderdale campus instead of the Davie Campus. The proposals are not impacted by this relocation.

FAU's Graphic Design program requires the Adobe Creative Cloud software to remain viable and relevant. Adobe's conversion to a monthly software subscription model has placed an unexpected burden on education users of the product. Funding this proposal allows FAU to continue to deliver the Graphic Design curriculum. Technology plays a critical role in graphic design education and practice. We are both users of software and designers of software interfaces. Our expertise is called upon to give shape and meaning to the user experience. The Graphic Design program currently has 80+ students enrolled in classes at the lower, upper and graduate levels. The program in Davie hosts upper-division BFA students and graduate MFA students in 2 undergraduate and 1 graduate labs. Additional seats are requested in support of specialized equipment in the studio classrooms and for the Davie open lab to support both majors and non-majors. A small number of user licenses is requested for faculty and OIT support. To reduce costs, we intend to install the software on a limited number of machines in each lab to primarily serve students who cannot afford to purchase an ongoing monthly license. 6 device licenses will be installed in the Davie open lab to support our students and students from other programs that want to use the Adobe Creative Cloud. The relationship between designer and technology is inextricable. The computer is an empty toolbox without the software that runs it. No designer practices today without Adobe Creative Suite and we cannot support the curriculum without the software. There are currently no meaningful software competitors in this space. The education benefit is a Graphic Design degree program that remains viable and produces graduates with the knowledge to shape future interfaces.

Facilities

No facility renovations or upgrades necessary.

Hardware Requirements

Our current hardware is able to support the Adobe Creative Suite subscription software. No updates necessary.

Software Requirements

Our current Mac operating system is able to support the Adobe Creative Suite subscription software. This request is for the three-year Adobe Creative Suite: $22,993.55

Personnel Costs

none

Other Costs

none

Timeline

March/April 2020: Graphic Design-Davie Adobe Creative Cloud license expires (30 day grace period). May 2020: New Adobe licensing for Graphic Design-Davie installed between spring and summer 2020 semesters. March/April 2023: requested three-year funding ends. Other funding models or alternative software in place.

Sustainability

The changing model for Adobe Creative Suite licensing has been problematic for many education users of the product. The shift to a subscription-based model does not allow institutions to make-do with older software until funds become available. Failure to pay for the monthly subscriptions renders the software inaccessible. Departmental budgets have not been adjusted to absorb this additional cost and there are no competitor options at this time. This tech fee request fills the gap as we develop other strategies to cover the expense or until competing products enter the space. Some, but not all, students purchase their own licenses. We may need to require this in the future but it is not a formalized policy at this point and financial hardship for many. This request assumes half of the students will be using their own licenses. The previous Broward Desktop Image (BDI) model allowed for "floating licenses" that were shared amongst the degree programs, faculty and staff that use components of the software suite. Adobe now requires every seat and user to be licensed and there is no budgetary advantage to quantity. We are submitting this proposal as a "lean and mean" model that trims away all excesses in both users and seats. By controlling it at the department and campus-level we can be certain that this essential software is used by students and faculty of our program.

Resource Matching

none

Implementing Organization

Department of Visual Arts and Art History