This is completely off topic, but how does one implement a game design program?

It would seem to me that the ratio of game programmers/art creators/whatevers to game designers would be about 100:1 and that you'd need years working in the trenches slowly upward before anyone is going to trust you with a few million dollars to design a game. (Sort of like wanting to be a film director.)

Am I completely wrong about this? Is there actually unfulfilled demand for the creative aspects of game design? (It's been a few years since I kept tabs on the game industry - back when I was paying attention, pretty much 100% of the designers were previously programmers...)