Thomas is currently an Associate Professor of Graphic Design and leads the Graphic Design ...

Thomas is currently an Associate Professor of Graphic Design and leads the Graphic Design Program. He joined the faculty in 2003 as an adjunct instructor, and became a full-time professor in 2014. His teaching philosophy is based on the idea that creativity is not boundless; in the graphic design profession, success comes in a series of steps. Although creativity is important, a clearly defined research is the key to solving design problems. Without a true understanding of the limitations and criteria of a defined problem, the best creative solution cannot be reached. Thomas received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Concentration in Graphic Design from MSUM in 1995. He continued his education at the University of North Dakota, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts with a Concentration in Mixed Media Graphic Design. He has won 24 Ad Federation of Fargo-Moorhead ADDY Awards, District Case VI Gold and Bronze Awards for Excellence In Marketing Communications, and the Microsoft Business Solutions Excellence Quality Services Award.

Alex Fogarty is a professor of Graphic & Interactive Design and current chair of the Schoo...

Alex Fogarty is a professor of Graphic & Interactive Design and current chair of the School of Media Arts & Design at MSUM. Alex has nearly 20 years of experience working in web, television, and print design and production. She started her career in visual arts in the early 1990's, working for startups in web and book production in New York. Shifting her focus to design for children’s television, Alex was a background and character designer for Nick Jr. programming from 1998 to 2010. Since beginning teaching in 2010, her focus has been design and interactive technology, integrating web, mobile, geospatial, and immersive media into her work. In 2016 she received the MSUM Excellence Award in both Service to Students, and Cultural Champion.

Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson is a filmmaker and media arts education researcher. K-Nelson’s fi...

Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson is a filmmaker and media arts education researcher. K-Nelson’s films have screened at festivals in Asia, Europe, North America and Australia, at venues including the Walker Art Center, the D.C. National Museum for Women in the Arts, NYC’s Anthology Film Archives & the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art. Her work has received awards, including the ICDOC Kodak Vision Award for Best Cinematography, Ann Arbor Film Festival’s Griot Editorial Best Editing Award, and the UFVA Award of Merit for Documentary Filmmaking. K-Nelson was the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship and Bush Artist Fellowship. The Carnegie Foundation named her the 2014 Minnesota CASE Professor of the Year. K-Nelson is a co-founding member of EDIT Media (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Teaching Media). Her research interests include accessible filmmaking, inclusive films, media arts education, and education leadership. K-Nelson is Professor of Film at Minnesota State University Moorhead.