Bill Robinson left an indelible mark on everyone who was lucky enough to have him for Transportation Design at CCS. I will never forget how he handled me my sophomore year at CCS. I was struggling and Bill gently but honestly let me know where I stood. As a professor myself now, I understand that you need to make sure a student knows what they need to work on but at the same time keep their spirit motivated. I will never forget what he did for us as students. Thank you, Bill!
Patrick Schiavone
Adjunct Professor
CCS Retired Design Executive
About Patrick: Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, Patrick Schiavone holds a BFA in Industrial Design from the College for Creative Studies. He is currently an Associate Professor of Product Design at CCS and was previously the Chair of the Product Design Department from 2020 to 2022. Patrick Schiavone retired from Whirlpool Corp. in February 2018 after 8 years as V.P. of Global Consumer Design where he was responsible for Whirlpool’s product and brand portfolio globally.
Patrick passionately believes that people care just as much about what is in their home as what is in their garage. Previous to Whirlpool, he spent 21 years with Ford Motor Company where he was Design Director of Trucks, CUV’s and SUV’s. Examples of Patrick’s design work can be seen on streets and highways all over the world. Among his design achievements, he led the design for three generations of the Ford F-150 pickup, the best-selling vehicle in the USA for over three decades. When asked what was his greatest achievement in the auto industry was, he replied “I didn’t screw up the F-150.”