Villa Maria College will be offering two new four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) programs in Animation and Fashion Design and Merchandising beginning in fall 2008.  These tracks compliment the already established BFA degree in Interior Design at the college. 

Villa’s Animation program is designed for the student who is interested in learning the creative art of animation filmmaking using state-of-the art technology.  An emphasis will be placed on working in traditional media such as pencil and paper, as well as animation software such as Maya, After Effects and Flash. The curriculum is structured as an intensive hands-on path where students learn to produce animated films, creating everything from initial script, to animation to final editing.  Qualifying student films have the potential to be seen at film festivals all over the world, garnering both international attention, as well as potential job opportunities. The program requires a professional internship and students will leave Villa’s program with an edited demo reel of their best work, a professional portfolio, as well as the communication skills necessary to deal with clients, directors and their film audience. Career options in animation include: motion-picture industry, advertising, visualization- product design, legal, medical, or commercial, independent film director, web animation and education.

Villa Maria's BFA degree program in Fashion Design / Merchandising incorporates the aesthetics of apparel design with the business logic required for any career in the fashion industry.   The courses in both design and merchandising are

structured to allow the student to develop the necessary skills and design applications necessary for success in the industry.  Students will be encouraged to 'cross train' within the program allowing them the flexibility to enter the fashion industry in all areas of design, production development, merchandising as well as public relations and retail management.

Courses will cover a variety of fashion-related areas including: sewing techniques, fashion analysis and trends, illustration, pattern making, sketching, tailoring, textiles, an industry overview and a mandatory internship. Students will also be exposed to business elements of fashion with course options in law, merchandising, retail buying, accounting, international retailing, and visual merchandising.  Career opportunities in fashion range from design positions, journalism, advertising, retail management / buying, apparel and accessories, jewelry and even home design positions.    

Villa will be hosting “Fall Visit Villa” night Wednesday, November 7 starting at from 5 p.m. Campus tours, financial aid seminars and an opportunity to meet with faculty and students will be available throughout the evening. For more information, contact Villa Admissions at direct at 961-1805 or the general college number at 896-0700.  In addition, interested students can RSVP and apply online at villa.edu.

Students interested in getting a better idea of what college life is all about are invited to visit one of Villa’s Class Visit events. This is a great opportunity for students to get introduced to college course work, student life, the campus and faculty. Visit days typically last from 9 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. with lunch provided by the college.

Class visits are scheduled for the week of November 13 - 16.  A brochure outlining this program will be sent to your office during the month of March. Counselors should contact Christina Horner at 961-1802 for more information or to make a student’s reservation.  Group and evening visits can also be arranged.

Villa Maria College will its Fall Visit Villa Nights on Wednesday, November 7 starting at 5p.m.  Villa's Visit Nights are a great opportunity for high school students, who are undecided for the fall semester, to meet with admissions representatives, faculty, and college staff.  Campus and classroom tours will be available and financial aid seminars will be held.   

Incoming students need not apply for endowed scholarships from the college as they are given out by the Financial Aid Office and are based on academic success in high school. Students are encouraged to find scholarships on their own through local and national companies.  For a list of scholarships awarded to students please contact Laura  in the Financial Aid office at 716-961-1850.  According to the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), a scholarship is similar to a grant, except you are awarded the money because of your academic ability or special talents.  You don’t have to repay a grant or scholarship. 

Students that have questions regarding Financial Aid or Scholarships can contact 961-1850 or visit villa.edu. 

1.   Students are encouraged to fill out a Villa Maria College application for admission or online through our secured website (villa.edu).  To qualify for admission, individuals must hold a high school diploma, or a high school equivalency diploma (GED) with a minimum score of 225.  Students are encouraged to submit SAT or ACT for specific course placement options as well scholarship opportunities. Counselors, please remind students to designate Villa as school that their score reports should be sent automatically too.     

2.  Students must have an official high school transcript or a copy of the GED transcript sent to the Admission office.  Counselors may fax official transcripts to 896-0705, or mail to 240 Pine Ridge Rd. Buffalo NY 14225 

3.  Participation in the Villa Maria College Assessment and Advisement Program VMCAAP is required of all students who have not already received a degree from another college. 

Other components of the admissions process include an interview with an admissions counselor and /or meeting with a faculty advisor. 

1.  High school students enrolled in the Erie 1 BOCES Advertising Design Program may be eligible for advanced placement credit for ART 101 Design I. 

2.  High school students enrolled in the Erie 1 BOCES Early Childhood Education Program may be eligible for advanced placement credits for specific Early Childhood Education courses at Villa Maria College.

3.  High school students enrolled in the Architectural track of ERIE 1 BOCES CAD program may be eligible for advanced placement credit for INT 103, INT 106 and INT 206.

Villa Maria College also accepts advanced placement credits for the following programs:  Music theory, ART 101 Design I, Psychology, Education, Child Growth and Development, Home School Partnership, Macroeconomics, Economics and Government, and business, education and health courses through Tech Prep.

For more information on everything that villa Maria College can offer your students, contact Kevin Donovan in Admissions at 961-1870 or visit online at villa.edu today. 

The American Scholastic Press Association awarded Villa Maria College’s creative arts and literary student produced magazine, SKALD, with First Place honors in its 2007 annual review, noting excellence in presentation, content and creativity. Each year the student staff of the publication seeks to create different ways to package the content. The 2007 design includes foldout pages and full color selections of student work from the Graphics, Photography, Fine Arts and Interior Design programs as well as poetry and prose.

The design team consisting of Carrie DiBlasio, Chrissy Lis, James Niziol, Claire O”Connor (all 2007 graduates of the Graphic Design program) and Brian Machelski wanted to communicate the feeling of transformation and growth students experience upon graduating from Villa. To visually convey this, they combined structured linear elements with organic shapes throughout the publication. The linear elements represent the organization needed to unify and bind a successful design while the organic shapes help communicate the metamorphosis that occurs with a student during the entire process.  Combining such opposite and diverse shapes and elements help visually communicate the important relationship and synthesis between form and content, and education and evolution.

Faculty advisors to the 2007 publication were Joyce Kessel, Robert Grizanti and Julie Zack.

Villa Maria College, in conjunction with M & T Bank, is pleased to announce its performer line-up for its annual lunchtime music series. The schedule dates for this fall are:

September 27 : Salvatore Andolina and the Saxophone Quartet

October 25 : Rin Ozaki – Percussionist (Marimbist)

November 29 : Wendell Rivera – Latin Jazz  

All Lunchtime Series performances are free of charge and open to the public and will be held in the college recital hall (main building in the music wing) during campus hour from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. 

For more information on these performances or other college news and events, visit online at villa.edu.