The newest addition to University of Texas Permian Basin’s art department has some high expectations on his shoulders.
Hamed Edalati was recently brought on as an assistant professor of graphic design — something that Associate Professor of Art Chris Stanley has wanted for more than 30 years.
Edalati moved to the U.S. two years ago from Iran and most recently was a teaching assistant/instructor of record and before that a graduate assistant, both at Florida Atlantic University in Fort Lauderdale.
From Mashhad, Iran, Edalati has been in education for about 12 years. He was an adjunct instructor in Tehran, but his main job was in graphic design and as a freelance designer.
He has also done rebranding.
He liked being in academia and working with students because teaching is a continuous learning process.
“I enjoy it,” Edalati said. “It is a challenge and I like facing the challenges.”
He added that everything has changed since he moved to the U.S. The education system is different here than in his country.
“To be honest, working as a full-time teacher in my country probably doesn’t cover every expense. It doesn’t give you kind of time to explore your ideas, your interests in other disciplines. But here is different. You can look at the teaching as a full-time job. At the same time, you have time to do research, to do other stuff, to do whatever you want for yourself,” Edalati said.
He has been involved in graphic design for 23 years. In his office, Edalati has a framed drawing of what looks like Stonehenge. He showed it to Stanley who was one of the people to bring the replica to the UTPB campus.
Edalati said he came to UTPB because the UT System appealed to him.
“I applied for many available options at that time. I also had another offer from Illinois State University and I accepted that offer first, then I got interviewed here. But, I like the UT System. I’ve heard a lot about its benefits, the system, the quality … The other one was this position was a tenure track position,” Edalati said.
He teaches art appreciation, typography, interactive design and user interface/user experience design, which is new to UTPB. They are for app design and website design, for example.
The courses are meant to prepare students for the marketplace.
“UX designers make … almost twice (as much) as a graphic designer,” Edalati said.
Iran covers 636,372 square miles and is the 17th largest country in the world and the second largest in West Asia.
Edalati said it is big enough to have four seasons at the same time in different parts of the country.
It also has a rich history and is “beautiful.”
When Iran became an Islamic Republic in 1979, its politics changed and generations have changed. Edalati said people are struggling with the government and the government is struggling with other world governments.
“They can’t negotiate. But it is what it is. It’s politics, but in terms of culture and people, it is a rich country,” Edalati said.
Art Department Chairman Mario Kiran said everyone has high hopes for Edalati.
“What this is going to do is it’s going to expand our offerings in graphic design, and then what it’s also going to do is it’s going to help our community get the needed instruction for graphic design. … We’re happy to have him on our team, because he is going to make graphic design appealing to the university and the community,” Kiran said.
Stanley said when he arrived at UTPB 32 years ago, the creation of a graphic design program was a dream of his and the late Professor Pam Price.
“Several years ago, Professor Mario Kiran was able to create a sustainable degree program in graphic design. That current emphasis program has laid a great founding for Professor Edalati to take our graphic design program to a new level,” Stanley said.
