Art History

Dec 14, 2016

Simon Pennington

Art History

Community Colleges and the Twenty-First-Century Creative Economy

The rapid pace of technological innovation is challenging educational institutions to graduate students who have both the technical and critical thinking skills to excel in the modern workplace. The current emphasis on STEM disciplines has begun to produce more engineers and scientists, but employers are also looking for creative thinkers. Community Colleges are ideally placed to channel more students into the Creative Economy if they develop strong relationships with both the business community and four-year institutions. In this brief discussion, I will talk about how Graphic and Industrial Design, Digital Animation, and Music Technology put the STEAM into the US economy and why this is particularly important for the current and future success of the Bay Area.

Simon Pennington M.A. is a lecturer in Art History and has taught at Foothill College since 1995. Simon earned his M.A. (1992) from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England with an emphasis in Romanesque architecture. Simon's dissertation examined the ruined 12th-century church at Orford, England, proposed a form for the building, and placed it within the context of vigorous economic and political maneuvering by King Henry II and his attempt to dampen the influence of both the papacy and his barons.

Simon, a native of Norwich, England, received his B.A from San Jose State University and has worked extensively in both the private and public sectors including an internship at SFMOMA in the architecture and design department. In addition to Foothill College, Simon has taught at De Anza, Chabot, and San Mateo colleges.