Sid Parnes

Dr. Sidney J. Parnes
Born	January 5, 1922
Died	August 19, 2013 (aged 91)
Known for	Creative Problem Solving techniques

Sidney J. Parnes (January 5, 1922 – August 19, 2013) was an American academic who was professor at Buffalo State College (located in Buffalo, New York) and the co-founder of the International Center for Studies in Creativity. The Center is housed within Buffalo State College, one of the only places in the world that offers a Masters of Science degree in Creativity. The department also now offers a distance learning version of the degree to students around the world as well as an undergraduate minor in Creative Studies.^[1]

Parnes was a lifetime trustee of the Creative Education Foundation (CEF).^[2] He joined the (CEF) in 1955 in order to help develop a comprehensive educational program for the CEF's Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI), which is the world's longest-running international creativity conference. In 1966, CEF founder Alex Osborn died, leaving Parnes to head the Foundation.^[3]

Parnes and Alex Osborn developed the Creative Problem Solving Process (CPS), a structured method for generating solutions to problems.^[4] This method is taught annually at the International Center for Studies in Creativity,^[5] the Creative Problem Solving Institute^[6] and the CREA Conference in Europe.

Selected works

• Parnes, Sidney J. (1997-09-01). OPTIMIZE the Magic of Your Mind. Bearly Limited. ISBN 978-0-943456-41-6.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (Ed.) (December 1992). Source Book for Creative Problem Solving: A Fifty Year Digest of Proven Innovation Processes. Creative Education Foundation. ISBN 978-99945-974-9-9.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (December 1992). Visionizing. Creative Education Foundation. ISBN 978-0-930222-88-8.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (1992). Visionizing : State-of-the-art processes for encouraging innovative excellence. Creative Education Foundation Press.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (1988). Visionizing: State-of-the-Art Processes for Encouraging Innovative Excellence. D.O.K. Publishers. ISBN 0-88047-156-5.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (June 1985). Facilitating Style of Leadership. Bearly Limited. ISBN 978-0-943456-08-9.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (June 1981). Magic of Your Mind. Creative Education Foundation.
• Parnes, Sidney J.; Ruth B. Noller (1977-02-01). Guide to Creative Action. Charles Scribner's Sons. ISBN 978-0-684-14888-5.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (1976). Assessing Creative Growth: Measured Changes Book 2. Creative Education Foundation.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (1975). Aha! Insights Into Creative Behavior. D.O.K. Publishers.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (1974). Toward Supersanity: Channeled Freedom. D.O.K. Publishers.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (June 1972). Creativity: Unlocking Human Potential. Creative Education Foundation. ISBN 978-0-914634-05-8.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (1967). Creative Behavior Guidebook. Charles Scribner's Sons.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (1966). Programming Creative Behavior. State University of New York.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (Ed.) (June 1962). A Source Book for Creative Thinking. Scribner. ISBN 978-0-684-10448-5.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (1961). Student workbook for creative problem-solving courses and institutes. University of Buffalo.
• Parnes, Sidney J. (1960). Instructors manual for semester courses in creative problem solving. Creative Education Foundation.

References

1. "Sidney J. Parnes, leader in creativity, creative studies - Obituaries". The Buffalo News. 2013-08-28. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
2. "Board of Trustees". Creative Education Foundation. Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
3. "History of the Creative Education Foundation". Creative Education Foundation. Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
4. Hurson, Tim (2007). Think Better: An Innovator's Guide to Productive Thinking. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill. p. xi. ISBN 978-0-07-149493-9.
5. "ICSC Course Descriptions". International Center for Studies in Creativity. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
6. "Creative Problem Solving Institute". Creative Education Foundation. Retrieved 2007-12-22.