#thankyouGMar

My name is Enya,

I'm one of the hundreds of students current and alumni alike who got completely shocked when we got the awful news of AAU letting Greg Mar go.

4,5 years ago I came to SF from Sweden to attend Web Design New Media at AAU. Back then Greg was "only" a teacher. I had heard so much about this hard and to the point teacher and was very nervous for my first class with him. True to his rep he was very hard on me in the beginning and told me "No excuses" which I still live by everyday. And thank god he was! 

Greg showed me and all my other classmates (many now co workers) what great design and innovative ideas look like. He pushed us and faculty alike everyday to become excellent in every way. Excellent designers and excellent young professionals with innovative mindset.

San Francisco is a tight knitted family with the biggest companies GLOBALLY in industries like tech and advertising. Greg introduced us all to the different agencies we were interested in, we paid a visit to AKQA, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Obscura and many more. He also got LinkedIn to personally look first hand on our work and we got to present our senior work to guys from Google. 

Every year Greg organizes "Industry meetings" where students can showcase their work and get a chance to get hired. My friends and also co students under Greg Mars leadership now have jobs at: AKQA, LinkedIn, Apple, Goodby Silverstein & Partners and many more. 

Me together with 4 more WNM students got internships then jobs at AKQA thanks to Gregs connections and industry meetings. Last May I graduated from WNM at AAU, 3 days later I started my internship at AKQA and got hired full time 3 months later. Since then I have worked on global projects for some companies you might have heard of: Nike, Air Jordan, Target, Visa, Verizon, Bud Light, Budweiser, Activision, NVIDIA, G+ Shop The Hangouts, Levis and Audi Usa and Audi global.

I'm 23 years old and have already worked for all these companies in only a year. This would NOT have been possible without Greg's leadership, mentorship and support that he gave me and my classmates. I would not be the designer, the young professional or person I am today without Greg.

Thank you Greg, I owe everything to you. 

Last semester was the first time I actually got to experience having Greg as an instructor; it was for Midpoint Portfolio. Before I had Greg I had been taking 3/4 Web New Media classes a semester trying to get enough units to graduate. I never really realized the importance of these classes, or understood how much I would have to push myself in order to be successful. Greg pushed me the hardest I have ever been pushed; it was tough and meant a lot of all nighters and some damn hard work! But now I can clearly see in my work the difference he has made. I finally understand my role as a student in this school and what I have to do not only to graduate but to become the best designer I can possibly be.. Greg made me realize this.

As an instructor Greg does not simply work his three hours a week teaching his classes and then go home and not hear from him until next week in class. He works constantly and for the love of his students to make us the best we can possibly be. He allows us to send work throughout the week of class not just in class for critique and will keep giving it until he thinks the work is good enough. You will not meet a lot of instructors that do that. To me that shows how much he cares about the department and for his students.

Further, the classes that Greg has been constantly upgrading make the department what it is today. I was actually considering leaving the Academy with my AA until I realized how much I would gain from these new exciting classes all may I add that are completely unto date with the real world. He keeps Web New Media new, exciting and current. What we learn is what we need to become designers in the real world, not just graduate from AAU.

I hope the administration understand how passionate us as students are to bringing Greg back to the department and how much of a role he plays in forming Web New Media.

That all changed once I switched to WNM. It was so great to see teachers that were passionate about the success of each of their students. Greg was one of my first teachers, and was the first person to show me that I made the right decision by switching. He would push me to do more with my work, and would give me honest feedback. It would make my day if he complimented my work at the end of critique, and helped me believe that I had the potential to be a good designer. He would break me, and scare me to death when I presented, but I thanked him for it in the end. If I want to make it in the design world, I need to have thick skin, and Greg helped give me that. 

Greg has done so much for me and my fellow WNM students. He would always be setting up industry events, and inviting speakers to present to our department. He went above and beyond to allow us to get a better understanding of the field we wanted to get in to. Because the tech industry is always advancing, it's important that our classes are kept up to date. If we had a problem with how a class was being handled, we could voice our concerns to Greg, and the situation would be taken care of to the best of his ability. I've been in WNM for about four years now, and I definitely noticed a huge, positive change in how the department was running once Greg was promoted to director. 

Thank you, Greg, for all that you have done for me and the other undergraduate students in WNM. Thank you for caring about us more than your paycheck, and for treating us like human beings. WNM will suffer a great loss without you, and I'm thankful that I was one of the lucky ones to have you as a teacher and director. 

I first met you in Design 1; I was one semester in and still as hungry as ever. I remember realizing the amount of work I had ahead of me after the first round of critique on our Hindsights projects. But with you teaching us, it all became possible. You opened up the design world in a way that made it attainable, and becoming a designer - something I had wanted since I was a kid - finally seemed to be in sight. In those weeks I remember combing through my work, trying to make it good, and then I’d get to class and you would show me a dozen things I missed, a dozen things I should have thought about. The design principles I learned from you carried over into all my other classes and created a framework for me to make my work better.

After hearing news of Greg Mar’s position being dissolved as Director of Undergraduate for Web and New Media, I’ve had to take a step back and process this blow to the department. If Greg has taught me anything as a productive designer and a thinker, it has been to process my emotions and thoughts to find the story and the solutions through an objective lens.

I think most people could agree that education flourishes on reciprocity, and this is evident in the WNM department under Greg’s leadership. Greg has bred respect out of his students (and faculty), because he has demanded that they respect themselves. He accepts nothing short of each student’s absolute best, and thus has brought out our own self worth as true contenders in tech. He is so much more than a teacher--he is a true advocate for his students. He puts his ass on the line, and in return we bust our asses to not only make Greg proud, but to make ourselves proud as well. Honestly, the work speaks for itself (if the landed internships and successful job placements didn’t speak loud enough).

There is something to be seen here. Hundreds of students are rallying for Greg. We would not do this if we didn’t have the incredibly strong conviction that Greg is absolutely necessary for our success--trust me, we are busy enough. Again, he is not just a teacher or a nice guy. He is a utility necessary for us to remain competitive in an industry that is constantly changing. Unlike many other departments, WNM needs to be always thinking strategically about the future. Greg has a unique understanding of how we are constantly evolving. He works hard to keep us one step ahead and connected to tech in a real and applicable way.

There is no meaningful and impacting future for a department that is destined for mediocrity if it is ignorant to the needs of its students. I hope the administration understands that Greg is a necessity to our progress as a department. He is necessary in bringing in new transformative students. Greg keeps us relevant and exciting in an industry that is radically competitive constantly changing. He has brought in talented and successful individuals as teachers that enrich our program--opportunities that were non-existent before. His 498 courses and industry meetings have brought the edge we need to succeed after graduation. Moreover, he is the embodiment of what WNM stands for: a progressive dedication to the beauty and possibilities held within the industry we love. For many of us, he has singlehandedly made our dreams become realities.

We need Greg Mar as our Director of Undergraduate at WNM, please bring him back. 

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Greg, we would not fight for you if you had not fought for us. Thank you for your dedication. But it ain't over yet. #bringbackmar