PNCA Dean's Corner

Hello, alums and friends,

It has been a busy time at PNCA! Students are back in classes and we have an amazing line up lectures and exhibits for 2026! I hope to see you in the halls very soon.

Over the last several months, the Department of Education has released a flurry of new proposed rules and regulations for colleges and universities. At PNCA, the key areas we are focused on are the new limits to graduate school borrowing and some of the proposed practices around post-college earnings tracking for graduates. As a professional school, we are always thinking about how to prepare our students for future work. Although the impact of many of these proposals is still unclear, I wanted to highlight just a few ways we are leaning into college-career readiness.

Our Pre-College high school program received a grant from the Oregon Arts Commission to pilot an afterschool program at Roosevelt High School in Portland–focused on skill development and career exploration in creative fields.

We have reimagined our Career Design Office and hired new leadership, including our new director, alumna Justine Highsmith, Internship Coordinator, Blaire Zeller and Director of Employer Engagement, Claire Martin. The team is focused on building new relationships with area employers from large companies like LAIKA to local nonprofit arts organizations. If you are interested in partnering with us, leading a classroom talk or engaging in an alumni career panel, let us know!

In the fall we are launching a series of new minors in the undergraduate programs based on student demand and career interest–including Printmaking and 2D Animation. We have proposed to our regional accreditors several new programs aimed at aligning PNCA with demand for Interaction Design–including a new BFA in Interaction Design, a Masters in Design and a minor in UX/UI (User Experience and User Interface) Design. We know careers, skill demands and policies are changing rapidly–we are working to support our students in programs, internships, and teaching that helps them build resilient, creative futures.

All my best,

Jen Cole
Jordan Schnitzer Dean of PNCA