We’re proud to announce that Woodbury University has joined Cumulus, the leading global association of art and design education and research. The milestone was announced during the Cumulus Nantes 2025 Conference, Ethical Leadership: A New Frontier for Design, where Professor Behnoush McKay and Dr. Arash Soleimani represented Woodbury and engaged in critical conversations on the future of design through multidisciplinary, innovative, and ethically grounded perspectives.
About the experience at this years conference, Professor McKay shared, “It was a unique opportunity to participate in this year’s Cumulus Conference and witness the announcement of the Cumulus Design Declaration 2025—a document reaffirming design’s commitment to inclusivity, collaboration, and planet-centered innovation amidst global challenges.
It was especially exciting to see how our vision at Woodbury University aligns with the Declaration’s principles of rethinking sustainability, inclusiveness, and togetherness, as well as its call for a shift from human-centered design to planet-centered design through an in-depth curricular focus.”
Adding to the statement Dr. Arash Soleimani mentioned, ”Seeing Woodbury University welcomed into the Cumulus global design family was both inspiring and humbling. I was energized by the Cumulus Design Declaration 2025 and its call for design to be more regenerative, inclusive, and planet-centered. This vision aligns well with Woodbury’s commitment to social responsibility, collaboration, and forward-thinking design education.”
Our Cumulus membership places us among other respected institutions including Pratt, ArtCenter College of Design and further affirms our standing in the design community.
About what this means for our community Dr. Soleimani said, ”Becoming part of Cumulus connects Woodbury to a global network of creative peers—and I’m excited to see the new ideas and collaborations this will spark across our programs.”
We’re incredibly honored and thankful to the students and faculty who create and learn at Woodbury and look forward to the collaborations and opportunities that lie ahead.