The university has faculty in various departments who strive to deliver the best education to their students.

Randy Asprodites, an instructor of art and design, has been teaching art at the university for the past three years. He exhibits his work at the Cole Pratt Gallery in New Orleans.

In spite of having his undergraduate degree in psychology, Asprodites’ passion for art started at an early age. He began drawing and painting as his mother supplied his materials when he was about seven years old. Asprodites shared his story on how circumstances helped initiate this passion.

“I am from New Orleans, and every day in the summer when we were off, it rained almost every day,” said Asprodites. “I loved to go play baseball and sports, but I couldn’t. So, to keep my mind busy, my mother bought art supplies. I spent a lot of my childhood sitting in my room drawing.”

Asprodites, who mainly does abstract painting, was initially exposed to different art forms since childhood as his father, who was an engineer on a ship, brought pictures of places he visited. Young Asprodites was afraid to chase his dream of being an artist because he thought he “didn’t have self-confidence,” which led him to pursue his undergraduate degree in a subject he was not as passionate about. However, after working for what was then called the Department of Public Welfare for three years, he realized that his heart lied with art.

Asprodites finally moved to make his dream come true, receiving his master’s degree in fine arts from Indiana University. Asprodites remembered Ida Kohlmeyer, an abstract painter who influenced his art career and abstract painting style. Asprodites taught at Loyola University in New Orleans and Brother Martin High School before coming to the university. Asprodites likes being challenged in his field.

“I like the challenge of creating new things, the challenge of creating new things that I have not seen before,” said Asprodites. “So, I do abstract painting and sometimes combine that with photography. I sometimes paint and draw on top of photograph, and show at the same art gallery with Dale Newkirk.”

Besides his passion for drawing and teaching, Asprodites also likes traveling. He recently visited France and Italy, and he would like to visit Alaska, the Middle East, China and India.

Asprodites commented on the art department on campus.

“I think it’s very well equipped,” said Asprodites. “It’s a total package in the studio side, in the animation side, the digital side. Everything is covered and covered well by professors, the people who I respect. I didn’t know much about Southeastern before I came, and since when I was in college, it wasn’t this big. It’s grown a lot, and it didn’t offer as much, but now I would say it’s one of the better art departments in the state.”

Asprodites is happy with his students who are responsive to his teachings. He is happy with the results he is getting and offered advice to students who have “a long road ahead.”

“Never get discouraged,” said Asprodites. “There will be times when things aren’t working out exactly the way you want. You just have to keep plugging and also to do a lot of soul searching, self searching about your career.”