UCDA Events

May 8, 2026: End of the School Year Faculty Hangout!  Join us for a virtual hangout exclusively for design faculty! It’s a relaxed online space to casually connect with colleagues, share ideas, talk about the semester, or just chat about …

UCDA 2026 Design Education Summit: Horizon Expanding boundaries, exploring new possibilities. The horizon represents both a limit and a possibility—a boundary that invites us to imagine what lies beyond. "Horizon" serves as a metaphor for exploring the future of design …

Affinity Suite vs. Adobe: Choose Your FighterWhether you’re Team Adobe, Team Affinity, or Team “Please Stop Changing the Interface,” this one’s for you. We’ll compare features, compatibility, and the shifting landscape of design software on campus. Share your success stories, …

June 12, 2026: 2026 Design Education Summit—Horizon: Recap Whether you attended this year's Design Education Summit or not, you will benefit from attending this month's session which will recap the event. Come ready to share your favoriate parts and takeaways …

Creative Org Charts and the Chaos Between ThemWho does what? Who reports to whom? Who’s been remote since 2020 and exists only on Slack? Bring your questions and your organizational quirks to an honest conversation about structuring creative teams in higher …

Creativity on a Shoestring: Design Under ConstraintsTight budgets? Short timelines? Limited staff? Welcome to higher ed! Join a candid discussion on making magic with fewer resources—prioritization strategies, creative hacks, time-saving systems, and real examples of doing a lot with a …

August 7, 2026: 2026-27 Academic Year Kick-Off Please note this in on the first Friday of the month. Share what you did this summer and your plans for the school year, as well as ideas and suggestions on topics for …