Middle Georgia State MVP: Skip Ward
Author: News Bureau
Posted: Thursday, January 24, 2013 3:41 PM
Category:
Finding Greatness
Macon, GA
Full Name: Charles Wade "Skip" Ward.
Hometown & Residence: Macon.
Family: Wife, Michelle; daughter, Maya, 2.
Job Title: Assistant professor of art.
Degrees: Bachelor of arts in art with a concentration in drawing from Piedmont College; master of arts in teaching with a concentration in art from Georgia College; master of fine art in fine art with a concentration in two-dimensional design from Western Carolina University.
Year he joined the Middle Georgia State faculty: 2011 (Macon State).
Some of his teaching career highlights are … "Rewriting the art curriculum for the former Macon State during my first semester; receiving a Silver Paw Award (Teaching Award) from Howard High School in spring of 2012; and receiving an 'I Care' award from the Pathfinders Alternative School (a part of Cherokee Central Schools) on the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian Reservation. I have received at least one e-mail every year from either a student or the parent of a student telling me how I have impacted his or her life."
He enjoys teaching at Middle Georgia State because … "Both Macon State College and Middle Georgia College hold special places for me regarding education and teaching. I began Macon State when I was 21, having been out of school for five years. Macon State was the first place that helped me find my joy of learning. Middle Georgia College, aside from the fact my wife went there, was the first college where I taught at as an adjunct. I love both the Macon and Cochran campuses of Middle Georgia State College and am thoroughly excited to again be working with my colleagues in Cochran. The students at both schools are very real and practical people who I find are easy to connect with."
His favorite course to teach is … ARTS 1020 - 2-D Design. "I love the elements and the principles of art. The interactions of line, shape, and space and the fundamental aspects of composition fascinate me. They are the building blocks of all two-dimensional artwork. While I very much enjoy teaching drawing and digital photography, 2-D allows me to explore a variety of media; from pencil to paint to digital illustration. I truly love foundations teaching and the opportunity to give students a true grounding in the theories of art and design. It is in this course that the seeds of a student’s philosophy of art and artistic framework are planted."
One thing people don’t know about Middle Georgia State is … "The Macon Campus has an art studio with one the best views on campus. A lot of students, it seems, are not aware of the art studio located on the second floor of the Arts Complex. It is the size of three classrooms. The entire north wall is nothing but windows. The windows look out on the Education Building and the Student Life Center."
One thing people don’t know about him is … "I have a GED. I left high school when I was 16 with two years left to graduate. The first time I walked at a high school graduation was as a teacher nineteen years later. When I quit high school at 16, my high school counselor told me I would 'never be anybody, go anywhere in life, or ever be able to
get into college.'"
In his spare time he likes to … "Once upon a time it was playing video games, watching sci-fi and fantasy TV and movies, working on computers and just be a general geek. Now it is just trying to turn my 2-year-old daughter into a sci-fi loving computer geek."
The one person he'd most like to meet is … "Carl Sagan, because so many things he said resonate with my own view of life and the universe."
If he wasn’t a college professor he would be a ... "Pizza restaurant owner because there are very few things in life better than a good pizza."