Page 5 - Laker Connection Fall 2016

Message from the President
DR. THOMAS J. HYNES JR.
n general conversations about “creativity,” we might be prone to apply that concept to the creative and performing arts. Our work here associated with the emerging Georgia film
industry is automatically associated with creativity. But we believe a broader framework is far more appropriate to the concept of creativity.
The BBC recently cited the work of Guy Claxton on creativity. He believes that “... creativity is a frame of mind and a set of attitudes that people apply when they encounter difficulties.” He argues, “Scientists, technicians and engineers who design websites, build bridges and fix machines are every bit as creative as writers, actors and anyone involved in the arts.”
They continue: “Creativity is what allows us to see fresh possibilities and alternatives; it teaches us not to fear difficulty and change. Without the ability to think creatively, we tend to close our minds and become entrenched in familiar ways of thinking.”
The Human Resources department of UK’s University of Nottingham describes creativity and its applications in similar ways: “This is about creating and identifying novel approaches to address challenging academic, technical or commercial situations and problems. It is about coming up with new or different ideas, or adapting ideas from elsewhere in the University or externally.”
And so it is here at Clayton State—these broad range of contexts in which our colleagues work with other colleagues and our students to develop new and different approaches to ways of knowing. Within this work, you will have a glimpse of some of the ways in which students and faculty apply creative approaches to a wide range of situations. Whether sharing creations in paint, in digital media, or in other ways, the creative ventures of visual arts students
dreams. Made Real.
in cooperation with Arts Clayton is a traditional but especially community based demonstration of creative activity. The requirements for creative activities is also shared by political science colleagues, who indicate that creativity has a role in discovering ways to bring political messages to voters. Dean Lisa Eichelberger’s application of art as a means for framing understanding about theories of nursing is a wonderful example of broad applications of creativity here.
Creativity in its broadest sense—and that sense must indeed be broad within an academic environment— means looking at things in ways not usually applied to such situations. For 21st century learners connected through the Internet to our world each and every moment, fostering novel approaches to learning is and will remain an essential requirement for our university. Dreams are made real when all learners—faculty, students, staff and community alike—willingly commit to apply fresh perspectives to the ways in which we view our surroundings. We know you will enjoy this brief look at creativity here at Clayton State.
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