risd's new president

This week, on September 12, graphic designer/computer scientist/author John Maeda will be inaugurated as the 16th president of the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, founded in 1877 as one of the country's first colleges to offer a combined education in arts and design: Rhode Island School of Design Selects John Maeda as President.

Maeda is apparently the first designer to be appointed president of RISD. He's had a distinguished career in humanizing technology for creative endeavors. In 1999, he was named one of the 21 most important people in the 21st century by Esquire. In 2001, he received the National Design Award for Communication Design in the United States and Japan's Mainichi Design Prize.

He's also probably the only college president who's ever designed sneakers. His first custom shoe for Reebok, dubbed the "Timetanium," sold out in 14 hours. Sounds like a very interesting, accomplished guy. Here's a recent profile on Maeda in the Wall Street Journal: Design for Learning: RISD Gets a New Type of President