Cogswell Polytechnical College is pleased to announce the formation of its new Board of Trustees. With roots in Silicon Valley and extensive global reach – especially in China and Japan – Cogswell’s Board represents a broad spectrum of the international digital media industry, entrepreneurial ventures, engineering, finance and education.

Their connections will help Cogswell create strategic partnerships with other institutions and companies and their expertise will position Cogswell and its graduates to take advantage of these vibrant and fluid economic sectors. Like the college they have chosen to support, Cogswell’s Trustees are achievers, innovators and leaders.

“The vision for the future of Cogswell is to remain ahead of the curve and on the cutting edge of industry trends,” said Chester Haskell, President of the College. “Our new Board of Trustees is perfectly suited to guide Cogswell in a direction that prepares students to compete on a global scale.”

Cogswell’s academic approach is to deliver a project-based curriculum that emulates the collaborative, cross-discipline industry environment. In project courses, multidisciplinary teams of students use new digital technology to create, communicate and manage production pipelines. It’s Digital Art and Animation Program emphasizes teams of artists and engineers in highly integrated classes that require a strong foundation in traditional art and general education. Its engineering programs feature a rigorous curriculum and offer students the chance to participate in industry-sponsored research projects at an undergraduate level. Cogswell’s programs are a model for how students should be educated for these dynamic industries.

The rapidly evolving nature of the digital media and engineering sectors requires a response that is both nimble and targeted. Cogswell Trustees have demonstrated throughout their careers a deep understanding of how to capture the opportunities of the new economy. Cogswell’s Board of Trustees bring the expertise and pioneering spirit needed to meet the challenges of today, prepare for tomorrow and assure the continued growth and innovation of the college.

Our new Trustees are:

Jun Aida, Executive Advisor of Crimson Group
Joseph Boeddeker, President & CEO of The Venture Growth Alliance
Ralph Boy, Process Architect with Boeing Company
Gareth Chang, Chairman & Managing Partner of GC3 & Associates International; Founding Chairman of D5 Studio and Alpha Media; Chairman of Netstar Group Holding Company
Richard Chuang, CEO of PIC2
Randall Cox, Chairman of Cox Invest
Martha Kanter, Chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District
David Nieh, General Manager of Planning & Development for Shui On Land
Michael Novak, Chair & CEO of Tertia
Bill Turpin, Founder & CEO of The Multiverse Network, Inc
Catherine Xu, Deputy Managing Director of Global Digital Creations Holdings Limited
Alex H.C. Yu, Director of the Innovation & Technology Transfer Office at Nanyang Technological University

Joseph Boeddeker is Board Chair and Gareth Chang is Board Vice Chair.
July 22, 2008