Hello, congratulations on your acceptance at FDU. I'm Todd rose and Director of the School of the Arts. One of my very favorite aspects to life at FDU was our extraordinary faculty in the School of the Arts. Your professor's work in the classroom is complemented by their work in their respective fields as working professionals. They utilize their knowledge and importantly their contacts in the industry to support your training in the arts. As Director of the School of the Arts, I'm able to see students from each of our areas grow as they add to their skills and learn how to begin their careers. With our faculty and your hard work and talent, we can prepare you for a 21st century career in the arts. The School of the Arts here at FDU consists of programs in film, theater, animation and video games, graphic design, creative writing, studio arts, with minors offered in dance and music. And we offer graduate programs in film, animation, and creative writing.
Faculty at the FDU School of the Arts are working artists. Your creative writing professors published novels and poems and translations. Animation professors design video games being made right now. Fine arts professors exhibit their work around the world. We are so fortunate to be so very close to New York City. This enables our students to hop on a train whenever they want to attend a new play written or directed by our theatre faculty, or visit a professional film set to see our professors or alumni working in their respective fields.
At FDU Arts, you'll have the opportunity to study abroad at our very own UK campus in Wroxton, just a short drive from Shakespeare's birthplace, or attend spring break with our London Theater Experience. Study abroad will expand your knowledge base and further your artistic growth. In any of our disciplines, you'll find yourself working with state of the art equipment, and industry standard software. We're proud to introduce our brand new state of the art animation lab which debuted this spring. It has 21 computer stations with tablets, 3D printers, and equipment for motion capture. It's an extraordinary space. When you can, please check it out in person or visit our website or social media to get a look.
Our alumni have found work with major players in their fields. And these potential employers frequently offer internship opportunities for students, and our alumni come back to speak with students and they remain engaged in the FDU arts community. Our graduates have their own alumni chapter, which will be very key resource for you during your time at FDU and after. These are connections that help you build your Rolodex and get you your first or your next job within the arts industry. Together we've built a program in a network that will help you stay in touch with professionals as you move forward in your career.
Each fall students attend our words arts and music festival, which we call WAMFest. WAMFest brings together world class artists to campus to speak with and sometimes perform for students and their families. Past years guests have included Bruce Springsteen, Chita Rivera, American String Quartet, New Jersey Ballet, Ice-T and Laverne Cox. This is one of my very favorite events on campus, and I can't wait for you to experience it too.
Well, I hope you'll come visit us in person we'd love to see you. Come see of production, check out the new animation lab, the technology is just out of this world. Or check out our literary review, which is online. We'd love for you to see us and you can always find us at fdu.edu/arts.
