Professor Casey Reas Receives Distinguished Teaching Award from UCLA Academic Senate
Design Media Arts Professor Casey Reas has been honored as one of the best teachers on campus.
Reas, who was named a recipient of the 2018 Distinguished Teaching Award for Senate Faculty from the UCLA Academic Senate, has developed an influential curriculum around emerging technology in the arts.
His revolutionary open-source programming language, Processing — which he co-created created with Ben Fry — is the first software platform of its kind to teach the basics of computer programming in a visual context. The Processing language, along with several seminal publications written by Reas, are taught in visual arts, architecture, computer science, and digital humanities departments at hundreds of institutions around the world. Processing is also used by thousands of designers and artists worldwide.
“What Reas has achieved through his research at UCLA, his own artistic practice, and his work with Processing Foundation is an inarguable asset to our field,” said Kristin McWharter, M.F.A. candidate in design media arts. “Yet he meets each student with a modest and earnest curiosity that empowers them to see equal possibilities in their own capabilities.”
Reas’ students appreciate the ability and dedication with which he identifies the needs and goals of individual students. He offers astute advice that helps students overcome challenges while trusting them to see their ideas through. Reas also has a unique aptitude for facilitating a collaborative, respectful, and productive class environment in which all students, whether they are familiar with coding or not, can thrive.
“Casey easily shifts between discussing project ideas, art history and context, technical execution, time management, and career advice,” said Kate Hollenbach, who earned her M.F.A. from design media arts in 2017 and who worked closely with Reas on her thesis and as a teaching assistant for his Processing course. Today, Hollenbach is teaching her own creative programming and design courses, and she credits Reas with teaching her “how to inspire and motivate students to learn to program to make creative work.”
“UCLA’s greatest asset is our talented and motivated students,” Reas said. “During my 15 years teaching in the Department of Design Media Arts, working with our amazing students has enriched my artistic and research practices and has been completely engaging. I’m grateful to UCLA for its emphasis on teaching and to my extraordinary colleagues in design media arts for their collaboration.”
Established in 1961, the Distinguished Teaching Award aims to increase awareness of UCLA’s leadership in teaching and public service by honoring individuals who bring respect and admiration to the scholarship of teaching. By recognizing teachers for their achievements, the award gives UCLA an opportunity to demonstrate to the community, alumni, students, parents, donors, and others what makes UCLA “a beacon of excellence in higher education.”
The UCLA Academic Senate will recognize Reas’ achievement at the annual “Andrea L. Rich Night to Honor Teaching” ceremony in the fall.
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