Detroit MI, May 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Detroit - College for Creative Studies (CCS) is proud to announce its 2025 honorary degree recipients: Michael Simcoe, Senior Vice President, General Motors (GM) Global Design, and Suchi Reddy, acclaimed architect, designer, artist and American Institute of Architects Fellow.  Reddy will also deliver the commencement address for the graduating class of 2025.

As the founder of the New York City-based Reddymade, Suchi Reddy champions a design philosophy rooted in neuroaesthetics, creating impactful public art installations, dynamic commercial spaces and thoughtful residential designs. Guided by her mantra “form follows feeling,” Reddy’s architectural and artistic practice is informed by her research on neuroaesthetics, which examines the profound connection between our surroundings and our brain and body. 

Reddy’s most celebrated projects include the first flagship Google retail space in New York; a minimalist home in Salt Point, New York, with artist Ai Weiwei; “Look Here,” a solo exhibition at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.; “X,” a temporary sculpture in the center Times Square; “A Space For Being,” a collaboration with Google, Johns Hopkins, and Muuto during Salone del Mobile measuring the impacts of neuroaesthetics; an award-winning hybrid prefab home in Los Angeles; and The Connective Project in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, featuring 7,000 yellow pinwheels carrying messages and images from the surrounding communities. Reddy currently teaches at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation and serves on several boards, including the Design Trust for Public Space and Storefront for Art and Architecture.

Playing a pivotal role in GM’s transformation, Michael Simcoe currently leads teams and studios worldwide focusing on all aspects of design, including advanced, production and industrial design. As the head of the global design function, and as society experiences a massive shift in mobility, he challenges his teams to innovate and he champions new technologies, helping to accelerate speed to market. Simcoe joined GM in 1983 as a designer at GM Holden in Australia. Over his stellar 42-year global career with the company, Simcoe has held various design roles of increasing responsibility. In 2016, he was appointed to his current role of leading GM Global Design.

In 2023, Simcoe was promoted to Senior Vice President, GM Global Design. Under Simcoe, GM’s design studios have executed numerous award-winning products, including Cadillac’s CELESTIQ, LYRIQ, VISTIQ and ESCALADE IQ; GMC’s HUMMER EV Pickup and SUV; GMC’s Sierra EV; Chevrolet’s Equinox EV, Blazer EV and Silverado EV; and the Buick Envista. He also managed the expansion of GM Design’s Warren, Mich., headquarters with its new Design West design center. Simcoe also currently serves on the boards of the Detroit Institute of Arts and the College for Creative Studies.

Don Tuski, President of the College for Creative Studies, shared his enthusiasm, stating, "We are excited to recognize the remarkable talents of Suchi Reddy and Michael Simcoe with honorary degrees at our 2025 Commencement. These visionary individuals exemplify the power of innovation and creativity, offering invaluable lessons for all our graduating students. It's a privilege to honor their impactful contributions."

The College’s commencement ceremony will take place on May 15, 2025 to honor the graduating class of 2025. Reddy and Simcoe will join a list of recent honorary degree recipients, including Ralph Gilles ‘92, Doug Chiang, Patricia Moore, Kevin Beasley ‘07, Edward T. Welburn, Jr., and Brenda Goodman ‘65.

ABOUT THE COLLEGE FOR CREATIVE STUDIES

The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is a nonprofit, private college accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and authorized by the Michigan Department of Education to grant Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. CCS, located in midtown Detroit, strives to provide students with the tools needed for successful careers in the dynamic and growing creative industries. CCS fosters students’ resolve to pursue excellence, act ethically, engage their responsibilities as citizens, and learn throughout their lives. With world-class faculty and unsurpassed facilities, students learn to be visual communicators who actively use art and design toward the betterment of society.

The College is a major supplier of talent to numerous industries, such as transportation, film and animation, advertising and communications, consumer electronics, athletic apparel, and many more. Its graduates are exhibiting artists and teachers, design problem solvers and innovators, as well as creative leaders in business.

Attachments

• Suchi Reddy
• Michael Simcoe

Megan Mesack
College for Creative Studies
3136647666
mmesack@ccsdetroit.edu