This month I had the opportunity to chat with Ian Baitz, chair of the Ryerson School of Graphic Communications Management, to find out what he’s looking forward to most in his new job, and what’s new for students as the school year begins.
It was recently announced that you’ll be taking on the position of GCM chair full-time. Firstly, congratulations and good luck in your new post! What are you looking forward to most as chair of the program?
First and foremost, I’m looking forward to working with students and bringing them together with the industry, as well as helping students become excited and passionate about all the exciting opportunities ahead of them. One of my major goals is to double the number of industry awards and scholarships that are available to GCM students; right now we have 19.
What’s new for students in the upcoming year?
All sorts of things are new. First of all, GCM is growing. We have over 450 students at the school this year, and we’ll have our largest first-year class ever. Students will see an increased emphasis on hands-on, activity-based learning and labs. We will also have highly active student groups for organizations like TAGA, the Phoenix Challenge and the Course Union.
There are also some new changes in our equipment as well. We have a completely re-equipped Mac lab including new software. The biggest example of this is the addition of HIFLEX’s MIS software. The school has also added new instrumentation equipment including an inkometer and flexo proofer. We can now incorporate more flexography into the curriculum because of the new flexo press that was recently installed at the school.
Another exciting thing is the beginning of planning for Drupa 2012. We will have a student delegation represent GCM at the event, so we will begin a 2-year project for the planning and fundraising of this trip.
You are in fact a graduate of the GCM program yourself, how have you seen it change over the years since you studied at Ryerson as a student?
There have been tremendous changes. The biggest would be in the growth of the program. When I was a student, my year started with 56 students and we graduated with fewer than 40. The size of the first year class has nearly tripled what it used to be. I’ve seen other changes as well in terms of course hours – they are half of what they used to be. This makes Ryerson more consistent with other universities, and really puts an emphasis on students learning how to manage their own time. Also, we now have a bindery lab at the school, which we didn’t have until we moved into the current GCM building back in 2002. I am also seeing a movement into flexography and digital printing and all the technologies that come along with it, like variable data printing and digital asset management.
Another change that I’ve noticed is more student involvement with industry associations like the OPIA, CPIA, CFTC and IAPHC, among others. One thing that remains unchanged though, is the amazing level of support from the industry, and the great opportunities for graduates of the program.
The print industry has noticeably suffered in recent years with the recession and the move towards digital and online methods of communication. Are you seeing this impact application rates to the school?
Well, I continue to be very positive about the future of the industry. All industries are changing and though we focus on printing, there is hardly a sector that has not been affected by a weak economy. Even in good times, some companies struggle, and there were newspaper titles that closed even in the heyday of newspapers some 30 or 40 years ago. So challenging business environments are not new, nor are they unique to our field. However, we do need to recognize that our industry is changing, try to predict the direction it’s going, and make sure our graduates are meeting the needs of the industry.
This year we had 750 student applications for 146 first year spaces, so interest in the program continues to be strong at a 1 to 5 ratio. But we need to continue to work with the industry and high schools, so that young people can learn about the program and opportunities in the printing industry.
How is the program and its professors preparing students to work in a changed and challenged industry?
While the titles of our courses may not change often, the content is updated every single year, sometimes even more frequently. Professors are engaged with the industry and its associations and attend meetings and speak at conferences. They believe in lifelong learning, and continue to act on committees, conduct research, further their studies and actively work with vendors, printers and buyers, as well as with other universities and schools of printing. We’ve developed close connections with schools in Canada, the U.S., Germany and elsewhere.
In terms of how we prepare students, our emphasis for some years has increasingly been on critical thinking, problem solving and comprehension of workflow systems. We also try to focus on understanding business and the importance of planning and project management. The school is making an effort to prepare students to be professional managers in the workforce.
You have been the associate chair of the program since 2006, and acting chair since December. What’s your favourite part of your job?
Without question, my favourite part of this job is working with students – especially ones who show interest in the printing industry.
Here’s my favourite question to ask – when you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Well funny enough, I’ve always been intrigued by print. That was always an interest of mine, going back to about the age of 5 or 6. I remember being fascinated by Gestetner machines and spirit duplicators, and when I was young I toured a newspaper plant and the presses there had a big impact on me. As well, in high school I took five years of graphic arts classes. So, it’s always been an interest of mine!