Parsons First Year and the School of Art and Design History and Theory are excited to announce the official launch of the Parsons First Year and Undergraduate blog: Parsons Notes (https://parsons.edu/undergrad/). This new website is the result of a year of collaborative efforts across the First Year Program, ADHT and Academic Communications.

Parsons Notes serves as an online hub for news and events in the First Year Program, an important University resources for students, a platform to showcase outstanding student work and to highlight the work and practices of Parsons First Year faculty, staff and other community members, as well as an entry point for those who are seeking to learn more about the Parsons First Year Program.

Each of the First Year courses is represented on the site with content and design elements implemented in conversation with Course Coordinators. Each course’s page also contains examples of student work, faculty and student spotlights and news/events items related to the course.

The development of this site has truly been a collaborative effort from the beginning and we seek to continue this as Parsons Notes grows and expands. With a view to keeping the site current and truly alive, viewers are welcome to submit content ideas and feedback via the site (using either of the two tabs on the right). Additionally, submissions of student works can be made here and submissions of ideas for feature stories and spotlights a form is available here.

We would like to acknowledge those whose combined efforts produced our new website:

From our First Year, ADHT and BBA communities, this site would not have been possible without the advising, input, feedback and generous support of Shana Agid, Director of First Year, Greg Climer, Associate Director of First Year and our Course Coordinators: Alaiyo Bradshaw, Jessica Irish, Todd Lambrix, Rory O’Dea, Rosemary O’Neill, Robert Rabinovitz, Arta Yazdanseta as well as John Bruce and Ross Flek. And alongside faculty, Part-time Faculty member Matt Whitman spearheaded the work of building content, organizing the process, and communicating in many rounds of collaborative design across all the people involved in this process. Along with the incredible work of our Communications team, below, Matt’s work made this site possible. In addition, coordinating, scheduling and planning were made possible thanks to ADHT Manager Savanna Kustra and Program Administrators Yim Lin and Natalia Dare. Additionally, our work-study students Dalia Elhassan, Casey Haymes and Ana Miljak made superb written contributions to the site.

With Academic Communications, we have had a team working tirelessly to guide the conceptual and visual design of the site as well as its integration into the First Year community. Director Jen Rhee, Associate Director Molly Rottman, Web Developer Afiya Owens-Khalfani and work-study students Jason Agyekum and Iyana Martin brought Parsons Notes from conversations and sketches into actuality.

Together, we are excited to see this new resource and platform evolve along with us and cannot wait to see and hear the ideas and contributions that spur on the work that’s been done to produce this website.

Thank you all!

Parsons First Year and ADHT