As president of SCAD, I regularly hear from students whose lives have been changed by studying at the university. Some are the first in their families to attend college. Others have won awards, gotten jobs at their dream employer, or are simply delighted to be at a university that embraces their creative vision. I relish hearing about all of these experiences.Among the most impassioned emails I receive are from students who have studied at multiple SCAD locations, students whose lives have been transformed by the charm of Savannah, the energy of Atlanta, the soul-stirring light of Lacoste, or the storied history of Hong Kong. Students like Dru Phillips and Leslie Nanne.

Prior to pursuing his graduate studies in photography at SCAD Atlanta, Dru had never been out of the country. When SCAD announced it was opening a campus in Hong Kong, Dru decided it was time to study abroad. He contacted the SCAD admission department to find out the procedure and learned that all he needed to do was fill out an off-campus program application. He didn’t need to reapply to SCAD, and his tuition would be the same. This seamless ability to travel among SCAD campuses exists for every SCAD student enrolled at every SCAD location.

Since Dru’s arrival at SCAD Hong Kong in September 2010, he has made friends with several members of the local community. He often spends afternoons in their company, sipping soymilk and explaining his work, which has changed profoundly. My whole approach to photography, from what I photograph to how I photograph to the equipment I use, has changed, he told me at the SCAD Hong Kong grand opening celebration in October 2010.

For example, Dru has learned that people in Hong Kong are less willing to be photographed with a digital camera, thinking the image will end up on the Internet. But when he heads out with his 4×5 camera, the defenses fade and people become more interested in the big black box he’s lugging around on his shoulder than in his taking their picture. He never would have changed his methods, he said, had he not gone to SCAD Hong Kong.

For SCAD Savannah illustration student Leslie Nanne, who hails from South America, SCAD Hong Kong was a revelation. She was awestruck by being able to walk out the door and see old men playing mahjong, and then go a few blocks and see the latest in tech gadgets, and then go a few more blocks and be in the middle of a nature preserve, complete with monkeys. It’s amazing that a city like Hong Kong exists, and I’m grateful that SCAD afforded me an opportunity to study here, Leslie said recently. She was inspired to attend SCAD Hong Kong after her time at SCAD Lacoste, where she toured Europe’s most renowned art museums and galleries, sketched medieval villages and made new SCAD friends.

Traveling and studying at Lacoste and Hong Kong has definitely made me a stronger, more confident artist, Leslie said. I think every SCAD student should spend at least a quarter on another campus.

I couldn’t agree more. I encourage every SCAD student to spend a quarter or two, or maybe even a year, in Savannah, Atlanta, Lacoste, Hong Kong, or online. Gain new friends, new perspectives and fresh ideas that will take your work to unimaginable heights. Especially, make entirely new sets of professional connections that will help you secure your dream job.

We have made the process as effortless as possible. You don’t need to reapply to SCAD. Simply fill out an off-campus program application and pack your bags. As one student who recently got back from SCAD Lacoste said, All you really need to do is get on the plane. Why not go?

So…why not go? There’s a new SCAD world waiting for you in Savannah, Atlanta, Lacoste, Hong Kong and online. I hope you’ll explore one or two, or maybe even all of them, and I hope you’ll share your experiences with your fellow students, with potential SCAD students, and with me. I look forward to hearing about your new SCAD adventures.