Vice Chancellor's Excellence Award: Citation for Meritorious Service to the University during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Social Design team are cited for Meritorious Service to Western during the COVID-19 pandemic for their initiative in leading the Social Design student website, in a new partnership with digital design agency AppBoxer. For our students to be included in this learning collaboration during a pandemic brought into sharper focus the power of Social Design— i.e. creative thinking at its most proactive in facilitating social connections in the face of additional challenges of ‘restricted’ study and living. The website has received high praise via the Western Yammer community as a benchmark and showcase for learning partnerships with industry. The attention generated by the website has shone a glowing light on the Visual Communication Design program’s objective to generate citizen-designers.