SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2021: Buffalo State – Gerard Puccio

Gerard J. Puccio is the Department Chair and Professor for the Creativity & Change Leadership Department at SUNY – Buffalo State. Dr. Puccio has written more than 60 articles, chapters and books. In recognition of his outstanding work as a scholar, Dr. Puccio received the State University of New York Chancellor’s Recognition Award for Research Excellence, as well as the President’s Medal for Scholarship and Creativity. The Teaching Company selected Dr. Puccio as one of America’s great lecturers and as such released a Great Course titled “The Creative Thinkers’ Tool Kit” that features Dr. Puccio and his work.

As the chair of a Department that has served as a pioneer in the field of Creativity and Creative Education, we attract students from around the world. And since the Department for Creativity and Change Leadership was founded more 50 years ago, worldwide interest in creativity and creative problem solving has never been stronger. This growing interest is largely driven by reports, such as the World Economic Forum, that identify creativity and creativity-related skills as crucial 21st century workplace competencies. Therefore, online instruction has quickly become a critical strategy for our Department to achieve its mission to Ignite Creativity around the World – Facilitating the Recognition that Creative Thinking is a Crucial Life Skill. 

Where students once had to move to Buffalo to pursue a graduate certificate or master’s degree in Creativity and Change Leadership, online instructional tools have broken down geographical barriers that enable students from around the globe to participate in our unique and world-renowned graduate program. Moreover, today’s sophisticated online tools and platforms allow faculty in our Department to create the same experiential learning climate achieved in courses taught via traditional instructional modalities. In fact, as the applied nature of our program relies heavily on service learning, the net effect of online instruction serves to impact local communities in positive ways.