<p>Excerpt from an interesting article today on the animation program at SJSU:</p>
<p>"After years of bubbling under the surface, the tension over the future of San Jose State University’s Animation/Illustration program erupted into protest this week and a series of petitions and letters. The problem comes down to this:</p>
<p>The program has become too successful. too fast. The boom in enrollment comes at a time when San Jose State is in all sorts of financial and educational turmoil. The university is making sweeping cuts while this particular corner is growing like gangbusters, thanks to the demand for students who have skills to work in digital animation and video game designers.</p>
<p>But worried that the future of the program is in jeopardy, a group of Animation students marched Monday to the office of University President Mohammad Qayoumi to present him with a letter requesting that the program be elevated to departmental status, a designation they believe would give it access to more resources and more influence in the battle for space and class schedules.</p>
<p>“There’s a growing demand for people who do what we do,” said Katie Heckey, president of the ShrunkenHeadMen, the program’s student club that organized the protest. “If nothing changes, it could be the end of our program. We can’t go on with the current conditions.”"</p>
<p>Read more: [Art</a> fight! Digital Animation Students Battle For Space, Respect At San Jose State | SiliconBeat](<a href=“http://www.siliconbeat.com/2012/09/11/art-fight-digital-animation-students-battle-for-space-respect-at-san-jose-state/]Art”>http://www.siliconbeat.com/2012/09/11/art-fight-digital-animation-students-battle-for-space-respect-at-san-jose-state/)</p>