What is SCADamp? Here’s what you need to know

Written by Cai Macler. Photo by Cai Macler.

We’ve all seen The SCADamp Certificate of Completion at the bottom of our degree planners, rows of red that read “still needed.” But what is SCADamp? 

“No one ever teaches you how to do your taxes. No one ever teaches you how to buy a house. And no one ever teaches you how to design presentations,” said Jordan Stevens, visualization coach at SCADamp. “Except at SCADamp, we do. Well, we’ve got the last one covered, I can’t help you with the first two.”

SCADamp is a professional presentation studio that prepares creatives to amplify their stories through verbal, visual and interpersonal communication. Essentially, SCADamp consists of a team of trained coaches available to students, included in tuition, to help them learn and practice communication skills. 

“University research has shown that second only to critical thinking, what employers are looking for in the creative fields is communication skills,” said Stevens. “It’s one thing to learn how to do the art really well and to be an amazing creative, but to know how to talk about it and share those ideas with other people, you’re not going to get into any of these industries without that skill.”

The SCADamp Certificate listed on the degree planner is a series of workshops, held both virtually and in person. By completing the workshops, students receive a SCADamp Certificate of Completion. While the sparkly, fancy paper is pretty cool, the certificate comes with a digital SCAD-accredited badge verifying your experience and skills. Students also receive a box loaded with SCAD swag. 

“COMM 105 was the first class I ever took and that was during Rising Star,” said Sophia Fish, a fourth-year dramatic writing student. “It’s been super helpful doing SCADamp throughout my time here.”

SCADamp offers more than just a series of workshops, for those who want to expand their communications skills further. They offer one-on-one coaching for every step of the communication process from designing and rehearsing a presentation to practicing for job interviews and even bouncing ideas around with a professional.

“We are not a replacement for COMM 105,” said Allison Steinweg, director of SCADamp. “I’ve had students ask ‘If I do these, can I skip class?’ And the answer is no. What we’re doing is providing an opportunity to practice what you learn in the classroom.” For more information and resources, check out the SCADamp Blackboard community by either clicking the link or by navigating to the Blackboard communities tab and finding SCADamp in the list. For any questions or concerns, email scadamp@scad.edu.