Contact Design Advising
Current KU students are welcome to meet by Zoom, by phone, or in person with our department's academic advisor (Zac Shields) regardless of their year in school or admission status to programs in the Department of Design. Zac is generally available to provide assistance between 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Kansas Time) Monday through Friday.
Students who are not yet admitted to KU who have an interest in Design should contact April Czarnetzki, the Outreach Coordinator for the School of Architecture & Design, at amczar@ku.edu!
For the week of 9/19-9/23, Zac will only hold drop-in hours on Monday (9/19) and Friday (9/23)
Drop-in hours are often the fastest way to get real-time assistance with questions or concerns. Everyone's welcome, regardless of admission status at KU or to programs in the Department of Design. Any questions and concerns are fair game!
During the fall and spring semesters, Zac is normally available on a drop-in basis in Marvin Hall room 200 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Kansas Time) each Monday through Thursday as well as from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Kansas Time) each Friday.
Drop-in hours are mostly consistent, but some may need to be cancelled from time to time. When Zac holds drop-in hours on a different schedule, that schedule will be listed in bold font at the top of this section. Zac's drop-in hours are also listed in his email account's auto-reply.
Some examples of questions and concerns which are ideal for drop-in hours (not an exhaustive list):
- Current-semester concerns
- Enrollment adjustments (e.g. dropping, swapping, or adding a class)
- Enrollment follow-up questions (after an initial enrollment advising appointment)
- Approval for study abroad credit
- Studying abroad
- Campus and community resources
- Policies and procedures of the Department of Design, School of Architecture & Design, and the University of Kansas
Scheduled appointments are the best way to get real-time assistance if virtual drop-in hours aren't at an ideal time for you!
Students currently admitted to our Illustration & Animation, Industrial Design, Photography, and Visual Communication Design majors can schedule an appointment with Zac through JayhawkGPS. That's the fastest and most convenient way to schedule an appointment. Send Zac an email if you have trouble scheduling an appointment online!
Students admitted to KU but not to one of the majors listed above can email Zac to request an appointment if they'd like to meet! Include the following in your email:
- Your first and last name
- Your current academic status (e.g. at KU, transferring from another institution, incoming freshman)
- What you'd like to discuss
- A few days and general times in the next two weeks during which you will be available to meet (e.g. Tuesdays after 2 p.m.)
Once Zac has that information from you, he'll work with you to confirm a time and modality for the appointment.