Dr. Melanie Corn

Welcome to Columbus College of Art & Design.

We’re one of the nation’s top private art and design colleges, and we’ve been leading the way in educating a diverse group of talented students for more than 140 years. Here, you’ll be pushed to think, create, and work at the highest level. You’ll explore different media in our state-of-the-art facilities and grow from close mentorships with our world-class faculty. You’ll bring your ideas to life, and you’ll master the tools to change culture and business for the better.

Together, CCAD and Columbus are a powerful combination: CCAD provides the education, and the city provides networking opportunities that launch careers into both the local and international creative industries. Our strong alumni network and our partnerships help our students land jobs right out of college. In fact, 84 percent of our graduates were employed or involved in further education within six months of graduation in 2016. You’ll find our alumni all over the globe represented by top galleries, launching their own businesses, and working at all types of companies, including Abercrombie & Fitch, American Greetings, DreamWorks, Facebook, General Electric, Google, Nike, Paramount, and Pixar, just to name a few!

Come join us at CCAD. We can’t wait to see what you’ll do here.

—Dr. Melanie Corn, President 

Letters from Dr. Melanie Corn

 


 

Who is Dr. Corn?

Dr. Melanie Corn is the fifth president of Columbus College of Art & Design. Since joining the college in 2016, Dr. Corn has made significant progress on the dual goals of building a national reputation for the college and strengthening CCAD’s role as a leading cultural institution in the region. She has overseen the implementation of a three-year strategic plan, the construction of the new state-of-the-art Cloyd Family Animation Center, and an increase in new applicants and in overall enrollment at the college.

Dr. Corn makes connecting with students and graduates a priority, holding town halls, writing frequent letters to current students, and spearheading an annual alumni tour that includes stops across the country.

She is a member of the Columbus Partnership and serves on the boards of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design, CBUS Retail, and the Washington Gladden Social Justice Park. Dr. Corn was a 2017 and 2018 finalist for the CEO of the Year award from Columbus CEO and a 2018 recipient of the Progressive Woman award from Smart Business.



Prior to joining CCAD, Dr. Corn spent 13 years in academic administration at California College of the Arts. She received her bachelor’s degree in art history from Stanford University, a master’s degree in art history from the University of California Santa Barbara, and a doctorate in higher education management from University of Pennsylvania.

After working in art and design education for more than a decade and a half, Dr. Corn is a fervent believer in the power of creativity. She loves her job because, as she frequently says, “No one’s mom ever made them go to art school,” meaning, of course, that CCAD students are intentional, hardworking, and passionate about their education.

As part of CCAD’s strategic plan, Dr. Corn helped to define the college’s institutional values—accountability, inspiration, positivity, and respect. Her vision for the future of the college includes adding new degree offerings and facilities to meet the needs of tomorrow's creative workforce and building on CCAD's long history of youth programming and community education with more professional development offerings for the thriving workplaces of central Ohio.

 


President's Report

CCAD's inaugural President's Report summarizes key information from the 2020–2021 academic year and shares details about our near-term plans. Read the report.
 


 

 


Check out Dr. Corn's Social Media feeds 

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#justask #artschoolmotto #myccad
3 years ago

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I told him he’d just be a back-lit shadow, but @tanner8026 still wanted to be in the picture. Had a great date-night with the kiddo away on the 6th grade camping trip!
3 years ago

Melanie_Corn

RT @Melanie_Corn: Great talk last night by NYT reporter/author @dgelles. He spoke @ccadedu re: mindfulness & art+design. I especially appre…
3 years ago

melanie_corn

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Fantastic talk last night by NYT reporter and author David Gelles. He spoke @ccadedu about mindfulness and art+design. I especially appreciated his comments about the connection between principles of mindfulness and essential design practices — approaching problems with a beginner’s mind, empathy, iteration, etc. #myccad #healthycreativity @dgelles
3 years ago

melanie_corn

Spending the day focused on mindfulness with author @dgelles here @ccadedu. Pro-tip for those on campus: take a moment to meditate amongst the birds in the gardens next to the quad. The chorus of chirps and tweets will wash away your worries! #soundrequired #myccad #msyusgardens
3 years ago

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Protest the Project is on view @ccadedu, Canzani Atrium, through Oct 9. About 100 students and others learned about the art of protest, made their own signs, and marched them over to the gallery. From the profound to the absurd — I ❤️them all! If you know the individual artists, please add them in the comments! #myccad #artschoolrocks #bestjobever
3 years ago

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It’s time for breakfast for lunch! (And, yes, it is different from brunch. 😊 ) @ccaddining shared copies of my grandma’s coffee cake recipe along with slices of the real thing. So sweet!! #myccad
3 years ago

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Come to The Market @ccadedu today for lunch and enjoy some of my favorite breakfast recipes!! @ccaddining #myccad #breakfastforlunch
3 years ago

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3 years ago

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Busy week! Spent Monday and Tuesday in Yellow Springs at a non-profit leadership retreat. Lots of introspection and fellowship. And also a carousel corgi and funky brick building! 😊
3 years ago

melanie_corn

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True love and partnership is a mutual understanding that in the middle of a busy week in a busy year, we can tell each other “I love you,” and that’s enough, even for a 15th wedding anniversary. #mylove #happyanniversary @tanner8026
3 years ago

melanie_corn

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Great show at Brandt-Roberts Galleries. Part of the @ccadedu Grads in the Galleries series. Check it out now and enjoy the work of a great group of #ccadalumni. #myccad #ccad140 @brgalleries
3 years ago

Melanie_Corn

RT @Melanie_Corn: The CCAD Faculty Triennial Exhibition is closing today. Join me and CCAD faculty members TONIGHT for the closing receptio…
3 years ago

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The CCAD Faculty Triennial Exhibition is closing today. Join me and CCAD faculty members TONIGHT for the closing reception (5-7 pm). The show takes place in @beelergallery in @ccadedu’s Canzani Center. #CCAD140 #myccad
3 years ago

melanie_corn

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4 things I ❤️ about this sign on a drink fridge at the #SweetCornFestival: 1) “Pop” — took me years in Cali to train myself to say “soda.” Happy to have “pop” back in my life. 2) “$1.00” — enough said. 3) “Pay at food booth” — which was way over at side and yet no one worried you’d walk off without paying. 4) Coca-Cola — so few complaints about C’Bus, but it’s kinda a Pepsi town, so a giant cooler full of Coke products is always a welcome sight! 😋 #midwestliving
3 years ago

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Saturday afternoon at the #SweetCornFestival in Millersport.
3 years ago

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Had a chance to blow glass today! Joined some guests for a fantastic workshop @ccadedu. I’ll show you my piece next week when it’s cooled. #ccadglass #myccad @ccadglass
3 years ago

melanie_corn

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What a sky! Such a beautiful evening @ccadedu. #myccad #ccadartsign
3 years ago

melanie_corn

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We didn’t have the biggest Big Table here @ccadedu, but I think we may have had the longest! Pulled two community conversation initiatives together with our longest big table! #myccad #thelongesttable #thebigtable #thebigtable2019 @colsfoundation
3 years ago

melanie_corn

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The “plant your own succulent” stand is always a hit @ccadedu! #ccadwelcomeweek #ccadengagementfair #myccad
3 years ago

melanie_corn

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What an incredible privilege to meet Isabel and Ruben Toledo last spring and host them @ccadedu. Their commencement address was inspiring and funny. I have thought about their deep kindness, their collective creativity, their all-encompassing partnership often since that time. My heart goes out to Ruben and all of Isabel’s family and friends. Her passing is such a loss for all of us.
3 years ago

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Thanks to our amazing @ccadedu #orientationleaders and many other students, faculty, and staff, we had an awesome week and are ready for classes on Monday! #myccad #CCADartsign
3 years ago

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Beautiful day on campus! No Monday morning blues for me. 😎#myccad
3 years ago

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Whenever we visit my folks, we spend a fair amount of time being entertained by all the wildlife my dad feeds. Mostly this past July, it was the nightly raccoon family show! #raccoon #raccoonsofinstagram #midwestliving
3 years ago