Animation & Illustration Community Engagement

Our Design Department believes that design is more than just aesthetics; it’s also the ability to apply what is learned in the classroom to better the community, not only as designers, but as global citizens. Our Animation & Illustration students often work with high school programs and give talks to younger students who visit SJSU. Listed below are some of the engagement opportunities the Animation & Illustration program offers to the community.

Visiting Animation & Illustration

For individual students and families

Visits to the program are available for families at 11:00 AM-12:30 PM on one Tuesday each month and must be scheduled in advance. Visits consist of a program overview, classroom visits, facilities tours, and samples of student artwork.
Visits generally last approximately 60 - 90 minutes and can be arranged by emailing Professor Kevin Mannens: kevin.mannens@sjsu.edu.
Tours for fall 2025 are available on September 2, October 7, November 4
Guests should specify if they prefer meeting in person or attending over Zoom.
In-person guests should meet in the ART and DESIGN building quad near the statue at 10:50 AM on the day of their tour.

For middle and high school groups

We run one virtual tour over Zoom only per semester.
For fall 2025, it will be on October 4 at 11:00 AM.
Animation and art instructors should please contact kevin.mannens@sjsu.edu for a presentation link.

Parking

Parking will be challenging if you arrive after 9:00 AM. If parking on campus, paid parking passes are required; see https://www.sjsu.edu/parking/.
We recommend the South Garage or using the SJSU Park and Ride shuttle at the new South Campus Garage (located at 10th and Alma Street). Off campus, public parking is available at the Second and San Carlos Street Garage and Park SJ: Fourth Street Garage.

Further info

We also recommend signing up for a guided campus tour. Note that these tours start at 10:00 AM, so you’ll likely have to schedule it on a different day that the animation department tour.
You can also take a self-guided campus tour using this guide. [pdf]
San José State University Campus Map
Learn more about visiting SJSU

High School Engagement

Students visit SJSU animation classes to learn about the profession. Participating schools are:

Andrew Hill High School
Ceres Unified School District
East Palo Alto Academy
James Lick High School
Jesse Bethel High School
Milpitas High School
Mount Pleasant High School
Multimedia Technology Academy (MTA) at Monache High School
Natomas Charter School
Overfelt High School

Schools interested in scheduling a visit can contact kevin.mannens@sjsu.edu.

Corporate Partners

Our sincere thanks and gratitude to our corporate partners, without whom much of our success would not be possible.