Paul Lee visited the Centre for Digital Media last week. Mr. Lee held the position of President of Worldwide Studios for Electronic Arts' (EA) until recently. Previously, Mr. Lee was the General Manager of EA Canada and has been Executive VP and COO of EA Worldwide Studios. This was Mr. Lee’s second visit to the Centre in the past year; he was present, and spoke, at the inauguration of the Masters of Digital Media (MDM) program in September, 2007.

This most recent visit by Mr. Lee was actually prompted by a short interview he performed on the Great Northern Way Campus (GNWC) about the Testimonial Award which will be presented to the MDM program’s Executive Director, Dr. Gerri Sinclair. The Testimonial Awards are presented by the Public Policy Forum (an organization founded to encourage dialogue and foster understanding between Canada’s policy makers and the private sector) to recognize Canadians who have had a significant impact on Canadian public policy. Dr. Sinclair will be presented with the award on April 10^th, in Toronto.

Last week was the first week back to full-time project work for the MDM students after portfolio week. The last week of February marks the end of the first half of the second academic semester of the MDM program; students have six weeks remaining to complete their industry sponsored projects and to complete all course requirements prior to the beginning of the summer term. The summer term, beginning in May, will see the students employed in various internships throughout Vancouver – and the world – as part of the mandatory requirements for graduation.

It’s busy, as always, at the Centre and the MDM program; yet next week stands to be busier! The first major showcase of student work and projects will take place on Thursday, March 6^th. Stay tuned for all the details next week.