Faculty Spotlight: A.B. Osborne

AU Individual Teaching Excellence Award

The director of the animation program in the Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences is just getting started when it comes to his goals at Augusta University.

Kentucky native A.B. Osborne, who has been at AU since 2018, credited chair Scott Thorp with giving him the flexibility and support to build a unique program that focuses on high-level industry work without the cost of private art colleges.

Future plans include launching a dedicated Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation degree with individual concentrations; renovating warehouses on Summerville Campus as part of the animation expansion; hiring new faculty, including new 2D animation professor Mandy Le; and adding a motion capture system to the program’s toolset. Osborne said he is always looking for collaborations around campus and the community to give his students meaningful experiences that could lead to paid internships.

His passion for his craft and his students has shone through whenever he has discussed his program.

“Animation is all about dreaming up things that aren’t real,” Osborne said. “When students start their journey here, they can doodle or sketch a bit. By the end of their time here, they’re visualizing whole worlds for films and video games. It’s an incredible amount of work, but I hope students fall in love with the process. I get to be a nerd and be part of that journey with them.”

The last few years have been challenging for faculty members, who have had to navigate everything from COVID to the introduction of AI, plus the changing environment of technology and how students learn, Osborne said. But receiving the Individual Teaching Excellence Award reaffirms that he is on the right track.

“It’s easy to doubt yourself with all this change, but this award means I must be doing something right,” he said. “I hold my students to a high standard, but I also do everything I can to support them and keep classes fun. I’m thrilled I’ve built something that resonates with students. If I’m doing well, it’s because I have a great support system – I’ve got students who want to learn and be challenged, I’ve got an amazing family that keeps me going and I’m succeeding because I’m surrounded by fantastic faculty, staff and administration who make this place a joy to work at.”