2011 award recipient Nathan Greno accepting the award from CCAD President Denny Griffith

The Joseph V. Canzani Alumni Award for Excellence (AAE) has been honoring extraordinary alumni since it originated in 1962. This year, the Alumni Relations team will revamp the award by adjusting the timeline to allow an earlier call for nominations and more time to coordinate plans with the recipient.

“To receive this award is quite an honor,” said Molly Gilbride, alumni & parent relations officer. “We recognize one alumna/us each year with this award, which makes it prestigious for not only the recipient, but also the college. Having an extended time frame allows for a couple of things to happen. We have more time to deliberate and research the nominees, to plan an exhibition, and to work with the winner’s personal and professional schedules to coordinate a trip back to Columbus.”

This year, CCAD will accept nominations Feb. 4–March 1. Nomination forms call for alumni who not only exemplify the CCAD brand of hard work and innovation, but can also show their accomplishments and artistic excellence and how they have impacted a broad spectrum of people.

President Griffith presents the 2010 AAE award to Rosanne Percivalle

Alumni will get the opportunity to vote on the final nominees starting March 15. Alumni votes are then used by a predetermined committee to help select the winner.

The winner not only receives the award (we’re not going to lie—it’s a pretty sweet-looking trophy), but also has their work displayed in an exhibition on CCAD’s campus.

“Michael Goodson, our director of exhibitions, has done an amazing job with installing and organizing our shows this year,” Gilbride said. “The extended timeline will take advantage of this and will allow Michael a lot more time to coordinate and install a show that really showcases the winner’s work.”

The exhibition will be installed in the fall and will be coordinated with an alumni reception to honor the winner and his or her professional career.

For a full list of previous recipients and more details on the updated timeline, click here.

Molly Gilbride, alumni & parent relations officer

Columbus College of Art & Design has its first ever full-time Alumni & Parent Relations Officer, Molly Gilbride. We sat down for a chat to get to know her a little better and find out how she came to Columbus and CCAD.

Q) So, first off, where did you grow up?

Molly Gilbride (MG): I grew up outside of Akron, Ohio, in Stow. Most of my favorite childhood memories are tied up in countless hours of playing in the woods with my older brother and neighborhood friends and spending a great deal of time building the most epic forts and games.

Q) You grew up in Stow, went to school in Virginia and South Carolina, and then came back to Columbus—what brought you back?

MG: First and foremost, my family. I wanted to see my nieces and nephew grow up and be in my families’ lives on a more frequent basis. Being an aunt is my favorite role in the world. Secondly, I love this city. It’s a great-sized city for me—big enough to get lost in the crowd every once in a while and small enough to feel like you are in a community where people know your name or know your neighbor. When I moved to South Carolina I knew I would be back one day—this city has a way of bringing people back.

Q) Sounds like you really like Columbus. What is your favorite thing about the city?

MG: My favorite thing about Columbus is how invested the community is in making it an interesting place to live. There has been a lot of positive growth and excitement here over the past several years and it makes for great energy. I have been back for just over two years, and I love the variety of local events and places that bring people together. Some of my favorites that I highly recommend: Urban Scrawl, Pecha Kucha Columbus, Independents’ Day, and the Dinin’ Hall.

Q) So what do you think of CCAD?

MG: I really like it; I’m glad I’m working here and excited for what is to come. There’s a strong sense of community that comes with the CCAD family, and I really appreciate it. I’ve been spending my time getting to know the culture that surrounds our alumni, and once I get adjusted, I want to put my efforts into creating more opportunities and regional support networks for them, nationally and internationally.

Q) What’s something unique and different you like to do in your free time?

MG: I love to make cupcakes, but only cupcakes with unusual flavors that you would not typically associate with a cupcake. The craziest cupcake I’ve made so far was my Buffalo chicken cupcake with ranch-and-cheese buttercream icing. Surprisingly, they weren’t horrible. The crowd favorite and the one most requested is a chocolate curry cupcake with coconut-and-lime frosting.

Q) If others want to know more about you, how can they connect?

MG: Send me an email at alumni@ccad.edu, it’s that easy. I’m always happy to catch up with people on what they are doing, if they’re moving, if they have a new job, or just want to chat. Going forward I am also going to be looking for alumni who want to be more involved and help organize regional events, from alumni gatherings to admissions help. It’s going to be exciting rolling out the programming in the next year or so, so everyone get excited and ready.