What does the future look like? While none of us can answer that question with any degree of certainty, one thing we do know is that virtual reality will be an integral part of that future – and that future is already here. 

Graduating from the world’s first full-time Virtual Reality Development department, Ringling graduates will be at the forefront of this emerging technology, creating lifelike experiences that are already changing the face of health care, architecture, the military, entertainment, and much more. Students will learn the basics of this new technology, while being pushed to create groundbreaking work and experiences in a medium that is evolving every day. 

“Our VR students are stepping into a new and uncharted metaverse where immersive media will become the new norm and transform the way we do business and approach problem solving,” said Morgan Woolverton, interim department head for Virtual Reality Development at Ringling College. “One of the most exciting aspects of VR technology is how new exploration spaces will be invented. Old and well-understood industries will become reinvented with an entirely new lens. Our students are already seeing this robust landscape of opportunity.” 

In fact, Ringling College of Art and Design and Tampa’s renowned Moffitt Cancer Center are already partnering to bring the benefits of VR to those living with cancer.

“The collaboration with Ringling College is focusing on the patient journey and how we can create meaningful tools to help decrease stress, enhance understanding of upcoming treatments, and connect patients to survivor stories so they don’t feel so alone,” said Dr. Sarah Hoffe, Moffitt’s section head of Gastrointestinal Radiation Oncology.

Using virtual reality, the two institutions are developing creative content for digital health care technologies. Together, the Virtual Reality Department and Moffitt Cancer Center are creatively finding clever and groundbreaking ways to improve the patient’s experience.

Both virtual and augmented reality use continues to grow at a staggering rate. Recent statistics show that the combined augmented reality and virtual reality markets were worth $12 billion in 2020, with a massive annual growth rate of 54 percent. This resulted in a projected value of $72.8 billion by 2024 (IDC, 2020). According to eMarketer, the number of VR users in the United States is 57.4 million; the number of AR users is 90.9 million.

Ringling College will graduate its first class of Virtual Reality Development students this spring, many of whom are already starting to earn their place in this burgeoning profession. “The work they are producing is fresh, precise, and forward-looking,” said Morgan. “They are poised to graduate with a unique, sophisticated skill set that also places emphasis on human-centered design.” The professional world will be open to them as they may work as content producers, software engineers, AR and VR content writers, product managers, and so much more.

Soon enough, virtual and immersive realities will be commonplace. They will be part of our every-day lives both at home and in the workplace. These days it seems as though the “future” is coming faster than it ever has before. Ringling College students are ready— are you?

Dr. Larry Thompson is president of Ringling College of Art & Design. 

A decade ago, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s creation of The Giving Challenge marked the beginning of a personal philanthropic journey for many in our region. Never before had the spotlight shined so brightly on the nonprofit organizations working to strengthen the Suncoast — nor on the opportunity we all have to make their efforts and impact possible through generous support.

Beyond the impact of the donations raised by the participating nonprofits, one will find another layer of potential within the Giving Challenge: the power to evolve our notion of what makes a philanthropist. Since the inaugural event in 2012, The Patterson Foundation’s role in the Giving Challenge has been one grounded in joyful stewardship — encouraging our community to discover that potential through catalytic incentives that spark the generosity gene that exists in each of us, regardless of our background, age or means.

All eight iterations of the Giving Challenge have provided the raw materials necessary for people in our region to build their philanthropic muscles. Hundreds of nonprofit organizations have committed to exercising transparency and excellence through maintaining robust profiles on The Giving Partner, our region’s online platform that helps donors make informed decisions about their philanthropic contributions. The ingenious outreach put forth by the participating organizations in the weeks and months leading up to the 24-hour Giving Challenge engages both new and existing donors in ways that drive massive action during the big day while creating connections these organizations can nurture into long-lasting relationships that will further strengthen their operations.

The result of that collaborative commitment to strengthening giving is the resounding revelation of our philanthropic power — evident in the incredible $75 million all-time total generated by the Giving Challenge over the last decade. More than $30 million of that total has come by way of dollar-for-dollar matches and donor incentives from The Patterson Foundation — funds activated solely through the thousands inspired to step up and give.

In the 2022 Giving Challenge alone, more than 46,000 people contributed toward an astounding total of nearly $16 million in just 24 hours. That total includes millions in matching dollars from The Patterson Foundation, provided through a 1:1 match on donations up to $100 per unique donor, per organization, with no cap. Those unrestricted funds will strengthen nearly 700 regional nonprofit organizations in ways that will boost their capacity to do good and their agility to navigate the unexpected — a necessity that has come into even greater focus in recent years.

Such wide participation, especially amid a time of emotional and financial strain for many, shows that giving has become an essential value. While it might not be a new notion, the massive action sparked by the Giving Challenge validates the belief that people receive benefits of equal or even greater measure when they give of themselves to help others. One would need to search far and wide to find a group of people anywhere who have internalized this the way people across the Suncoast have over the last 10 years.

Ours is a region that has grown to thrive on the super-abundance created when people come together to raise the level of humanity. By creating a decade of opportunities for anyone to be a philanthropist, the Giving Challenge has demonstrated the power of people with positivity to create possibilities through philanthropy.

Debra Jacobs is the president and CEO of The Patterson Foundation. 

Image via Pixabay