Review of SCAD by parent

<p>//But, arent universities like New England School of art and Design, Suffolk, Boston, MA and Marymount University, VA FIDER accredited for their graduate programs? so shudn't they be rated higher? I'm sorry, but i really dont know how the American system works. I am an international student from India, applying to the United states//</p>

<p>ratings are largely subjective and can be based on whatever criteria chosen - interviews with alumni, campus vists, facilities, etc. </p>

<p>All of theses schools are acceredited by some body and must adhere to standards. Regardless, just because a program or school or whatever may or may not be accredited doesn't automatically guarantee it is a good program. A good program is largely based upon the quality of professors, and curriculum design. There are dozens and dozens and dozens of accredited programs or schools that are mediocre because while they meet accreditation standards, standards don't teach students directly.</p>

<p>Hey Raining Again,
Thanks for your reply, Okay, i guess i kinda got what you mean. U mean besides FIDER there are other accreditions like NASAD, right?Wow.. i'm still awaiting a response from a lot of schools. Lets see what they have to say. My only response till now is SCAD with a $5000 schol. Thanx again for such a prompt reply..!!</p>

<p>Yes, lost petal, but be aware that SCAD isn't FIDER or NASAD accredited!</p>

<p>This is NOT to imply that SCAD is a bad school. RainingAgain may be correct in that ratings don't teach students. However, I personally feel, and this is a personal preference, that when a school doesn't have both NASAD and FIDER accreditation, it taints the school in my eyes. You would have to visit each school such as SCAD to decide for yourself whether the lack of these ratings are important there.</p>

<p>I know what you mean Taxguy! Thaz exactly why i'm so reluctant about SCAD,and am searching for reviews about it everywhere!! Its really hard sitting here, miles away from the country to understand which university would be best for me...</p>

<p>In my second round of applications, i am planning to apply to</p>

<p>1) New England School of art and Design, Suffolk
2) Lawrence Techology university, MI
3) Michigan State University, MI
4) California State University, Fresno.</p>

<p>Would any of you have any information regarding the above? All ofyou are doing the hardwork, anything that you guys would want me to find out!! :) !!</p>

<p>//This is NOT to imply that SCAD is a bad school. RainingAgain may be correct in that ratings don't teach students. However, I personally feel, and this is a personal preference, that when a school doesn't have both NASAD and FIDER accreditation, it taints the school in my eyes. You would have to visit each school such as SCAD to decide for yourself whether the lack of these ratings are important there.//</p>

<p>TG, here is perhaps the primary answer to the primary question of accreditation. I keep in touch with a staff member regularly; I am told the following...</p>

<p>NASAD grants programmatic accreditation in 21 art areas. The Savannah College of Art and Design offers 30 majors and 15 of those majors are not included within NASAD guidelines. Thus NASAD accreditation is not pursued. </p>

<p>Finally, accreditation = paperwork. That was my experience. Does paperwork teach?</p>

<p>RA, what you report does not mean that SCAD isn't eligible for NASAD accredition. It just means that SCAD has not pursued accreditation.</p>

<p>Accreditation is a PITA, but it's a cost that all credible institutions must pursue, if not by a professional association then by a general higher educational accrediting group. As Taxguy says, however, accredition isn't a rating of the quality of the program but rather is designed to assure a certain minimal level of academic accountability or responsibility.</p>

<p>We're going through this right now at my own university with the North Central Association. In fact, in a few hours I get to meet with the visitors from the NCA informally, prior to their getting to work over the next week. The process of preparing for this decennial review has consumed thousands of person-hours of time at this university. But this is also essential for any public university (and for our ability to run loan programs, research programs, and so on), just as it is for many of our professional programs to be reviswed by their professional associations. The chance of our not being reaccredited is essentially zero, given our history and role. But we must go through this every 10 years.</p>

<p>//As Taxguy says, however, accredition isn't a rating of the quality of the program but rather is designed to assure a certain minimal level of academic accountability or responsibility.//</p>

<p>Right and SCAD is accredited by SACS to ensure academic standards are appropriate. TaxGuy' continues to imply that SCAD is not accredited, or subjected to academic scrutiny. It is.</p>

<p>Also, to the best of my knowledge, no NASAD school has ever denied transfer credits from SCAD because it was accredited by another body. I simply don't see any reason why this is an issue. </p>

<p>If 1/2 the programs are not listed under NASAD's guidelines, but that the college can be accredited in full by SACS, why confuse the issue by accrediting 1/2 the college with NASAD?</p>

<p>On your last point, it wouldn't be accrediting 1/2 the college, it would be accrediting the college as an art/design college, based on a review of the overall program. As I mentioned, accreditation of specific majors is a different matter; so you shouldn't confuse the two.</p>

<p>How can it accredit it as an art/design college when 1/2 the art programs aren't aligned with the kind of programs they review? All the majors are fine or applied arts.</p>

<p>No art school has all possible majors. They all specialize to some extent. The same is true of liberal arts colleges and research universities. Accrediting groups bring in relevant experts to evaluate the particular colleges and universities.</p>

<p>hmm..i was going through some information about scad, and i came across this site, which has all bad stuff written about it. I dont know if i am allowed to post a link in here, if i am, i would like it if all of you read that forum!</p>

<p>//hmm..i was going through some information about scad, and i came across this site, which has all bad stuff written about it. I dont know if i am allowed to post a link in here, if i am, i would like it if all of you read that forum//</p>

<p>old news of days gone by; a long time ago. the school is only 30-something. it has had growing pains. it seems as though they are in the distant past.</p>

<p>I have had quite a bit experience with SCAD and it is a mixed bag. Regarding the issues of accreditation...SCAD is a for profit institution, unlike most accredited schools. They do not subscribe to concept of tenure for faculty. As noted by an earlier post, the faculty are required more student contact hours than most colleges and universities, leaving less time for individual faculty work. It is also my understanding (please correct me if I am wrong) that SCAD has students sign a waiver stating SCAD owns the copyright of all student work produced while at SCAD. Finally, faculty are required to spend a predetermined amount of time recruiting new students. Each year I have been told by a SCAD rep. that SCAD is in the process of applying for accreditation. After seeing how SCAD aggressively moved into Atlanta and is in the process of taking over Atlanta College of Art, I am uneasy about encouraging my students to attend SCAD.
Having said all of that, I have attended 5 week long summers of workshops at SCAD. Everyone of the faculty I have had over the years were experienced, professional, extremely knowledgeable, very friendly and helpful.<br>
I have reluctantly sent a number of students to SCAD over the years. In fact, I think I have 7 former students currently attending SCAD. I teach in Atlanta, so SCAD is a serious option for those who want to attend an art school, but want to stay close enough to home. For a variety of reasons, most of my former students attending SCAD didn't have a portfolio together for college. SCAD will take anyone who is willing to pay. Hence the mixed bag of art students. Most of those students love the school. The digital facilities: animation, computer graphics, gaming, etc. are amazing. Even in jewelry design, SCAD has an amazing computer generated pattern maker. I just worry if a student wants to transfer out of SCAD, how will their credit hours transfer?!
As far as student safety...Savannah isn't the safest of small cities. A student was killed at a local gas station adjacent to the dorms just a few years ago. The SCAD security/ school are very responsive to student security needs, but the fact of the matter is, many of the SCAD buildings aren't located in the safest areas of town. The buses do run regularly and students can wait for the buses inside the buildings in the evening. Needless to say, I hear MICA has its share of problems with security as well.</p>

<p>SCAD is NOT "for profit". Per their website, "The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit institution accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097; telephone number 404.679.4501) to award bachelor’s and master’s degrees." Before you post something as FACT, you should check your facts.</p>

<p>The "for profit" and "not for profit" status is a bit of a gray area for SCAD. They claim to be a non profit, but they run a number of for profit businesses, including a printing Company and an architectural renovation and historic preservation business.<br>
As far as the accreditation status: they do not have a national art accreditation. They are not recognized as an institution to host a Portfolio Day. Their SACS status is the minimum accreditation needed for running a school in the south.</p>

<p>//I have had quite a bit experience with SCAD and it is a mixed bag. Regarding the issues of accreditation...SCAD is a for profit institution, unlike most accredited schools. They do not subscribe to concept of tenure for faculty. As noted by an earlier post, the faculty are required more student contact hours than most colleges and universities, leaving less time for individual faculty work. It is also my understanding (please correct me if I am wrong) that SCAD has students sign a waiver stating SCAD owns the copyright of all student work produced while at SCAD. Finally, faculty are required to spend a predetermined amount of time recruiting new students. Each year I have been told by a SCAD rep. that SCAD is in the process of applying for accreditation. After seeing how SCAD aggressively moved into Atlanta and is in the process of taking over Atlanta College of Art, I am uneasy about encouraging my students to attend SCAD.
Having said all of that, I have attended 5 week long summers of workshops at SCAD. Everyone of the faculty I have had over the years were experienced, professional, extremely knowledgeable, very friendly and helpful.
I have reluctantly sent a number of students to SCAD over the years. In fact, I think I have 7 former students currently attending SCAD. I teach in Atlanta, so SCAD is a serious option for those who want to attend an art school, but want to stay close enough to home. For a variety of reasons, most of my former students attending SCAD didn't have a portfolio together for college. SCAD will take anyone who is willing to pay. Hence the mixed bag of art students. Most of those students love the school. The digital facilities: animation, computer graphics, gaming, etc. are amazing. Even in jewelry design, SCAD has an amazing computer generated pattern maker. I just worry if a student wants to transfer out of SCAD, how will their credit hours transfer?!
As far as student safety...Savannah isn't the safest of small cities. A student was killed at a local gas station adjacent to the dorms just a few years ago. The SCAD security/ school are very responsive to student security needs, but the fact of the matter is, many of the SCAD buildings aren't located in the safest areas of town. The buses do run regularly and students can wait for the buses inside the buildings in the evening. Needless to say, I hear MICA has its share of problems with security as well.//</p>

<ol>
<li><p>SCAD is NOT for profit. They do operate "for profit" services, but they are separate from the college. Many of them are operated by students to give them professional experience.</p></li>
<li><p>SCAD does not offer tenure. Faculty are evaluated annually. If you suck, you are not offered a contract. Tough luck for you, so don't suck. Many schools operate this way. I know of faculty that have been there for 10 to 15 years. They don't suck. That's why they are there.</p></li>
<li><p>I believe you are correct about contact hours. However, there was a 6-week vacation over the winter and faculty could choose or not choose to teach during the summer quarter. Also, the college did offer monies for faculty to pursue their own research and projects. I have saw and heard about several faculty projects; books, shows, etc. paid for by the college.</p></li>
<li><p>The school retains the right to use student work for promotional purposes. The school did/does not assume copyright ownership. Here is the official policy as it was written a few years back, I assume it would be the same:</p></li>
</ol>

<p>"The college reserves the right to use student work and photographs or videotapes of students and their work for display, documentation, instruction and in publications or other materials about the college."</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Faculty rotate through SCAD visitation days, maybe twice per year to meet with students. Students appreciated the one on one discussion with professors rather than admission reps. I think we're talking about 16 hours per year committment in two 8-hour blocks - something like that.</p></li>
<li><p>SCAD is accredited. I was there in the mid-1990s and it was accredited by SACS. Every 3 or 4 years the school has to be reviewed again. That's the way it works. Can't tell you about NASAD. I don't find this to be a problem. Look at the faculty list, many many come from NASAD schools. The education they received is probably passed down to the students. Why would you be concerned about your students if your experiences with the faculty were positive?</p></li>
<li><p>SCAD doesn't require a portfolio because you cannot penalize students who come from high schools with limited or no art classes which are often subject to budgetary cuts and not always taught by the best teachers. Also, it is well documented that students with high GPAs tend to do well at many endeavors, especially in the applied arts. They did take a lot of students, many were accepted conditionally, and if their GPAs fell below a 2.0 it was, "see ya later." MFA students must submit portfolios however.</p></li>
<li><p>Student credits transfer just fine to SVA, RISD, MICA, anywhere. There is no cause for concern. You seem to be misinformed.</p></li>
<li><p>No student at any other college across the nation in any city has ever been killed? It only happens at SCAD right? As you said, it happened off campus. The city does have a crime problem. Mostly people breaking into cars. I am told the college is extremely security conscious nowadays with busses at all hours from building to building, etc.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I don't believe RISD faculty have tenure either.</p>

<p>SACS is not a "minimum" accreditation. UGA and GaTech are accreditated by SACS and it is a lenghty, involved process and would be my personal minimum standard for a college/university.</p>

<p>//After seeing how SCAD aggressively moved into Atlanta and is in the process of taking over Atlanta College of Art, I am uneasy about encouraging my students to attend SCAD.//</p>

<p>Again, we have more misinformation. ACA asked/invited SCAD to "take over" their facilities. ACA was going belly up. They initiated the talks with SCAD. It was the only way they could keep their facilities, faculty, and student body intact. Otherwise, they would have had to let everyone go apparently.</p>

<p>Wow, talk about spreading the inaccurate gospel. </p>

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<p>No, it isn't. It is clearly a not for profit, legally and fully. I'm not sure how much more "fully" one could be not for profit, considering any donations you make to the school are treated the same as if you donated them a church or to the salvation army. </p>

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<p>This isn't true, and if it was, is this really a BAD thing?! I teach "20 face time hours" a week (four classes, eaching meeting twice for two and a half hours); I then spend about 60 additional hours a week at the Industrial Design building interacting with students in various capacities. </p>

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<p>No, this isn't true, in any way, shape or form.</p>

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<p>SCAD is fully and completely accredited by SACS. </p>

<p>Please become a bit more informed before adding comments to a thread.</p>