Academy of Art University School of Architecture Architecture Program Report for 2013 NAAB Visit for Continuing Accreditation Master of Architecture Track I 63 Credits Master of Architecture Track II 87 Credits 2009 Conditions for Accreditation 2012 Procedures for Accreditation Submitted to: The National Architectural Accrediting Board Date: September 7, 2012 Academy of Art University Architecture Program Report- M-Arch September 2012 2 Academy of Art University Architecture Program Report- M-Arch September 2012 Graduate Architecture Program Director: Amily Huang, [email protected], 415.618.3984 School of Architecture Executive Director: Mimi Sullivan, AIA, CGBP, [email protected] , 415-777-0991, ext 111 Chief Academic Officer of the Institution: Melissa Marshall, [email protected], 415-618-6384 President of the Academy of Art University, Dr. Elisa Stephens, [email protected] 415-618-6150 Individual submitting the Architecture Program Report: Mr. Joe Vollaro, Executive Vice President of Financial Aid and Compliance, [email protected], 415-618-6528 Name of individual to whom questions should be directed: Mr. Joe Vollaro, Executive Vice President of Financial Aid and Compliance, [email protected], 415-618-6528 3 Academy of Art University Architecture Program Report- M-Arch September 2012 Table of Contents Format and Contents of Part 1 and 2 follows the of the 2009 Conditions per Part 5 of the 2012 Procedures. Section Page Part One (I) Institutional Support and Commitment to Continuous Improvement 7 1. Identify & Self Assessment 7 1. History Mission 7 2. Learning Culture and Social Equity 13 3. Responses to the Five Perspectives 15 4. Long Range Planning 19 5. Program Self Assessment 23 2. Resources 27 1. Human Resources and Human Resource Development 27 2. Administrative Structure and Governance 37 3. Physical Resources 38 4. Financial Resources 45 5. Information Resources 50 3. Institutional Characteristics 58 1. Statistical Reports 59 2. Annual Reports 61 3. Faculty Credentials 73 4. Policy Review 73 Part Two (II) Educational Outcomes and Curriculum 73 1. Student Performance – Educational Realms and Student Performance Criteria 1. Student Performance Criteria 73 2. Curricular Framework 74 1. Regional Accreditation 75 2. Professional Degrees and Curriculum 78 3. Curriculum Review and Development 78 3. Evaluation of Preparatory/Pre-professional Education 85 4. Public Information 86 1. Statement on NAAB-Accredited Degrees 86 2. Access to NAAB Conditions and Procedures 86 3. Access to Career Development Information 86 4. Public Access to APRs and VTRs 87 5. ARE Pass Rates 87 4 Academy of Art University Architecture Program Report- M-Arch September 2012 Part Three (III) Progress Since Last Site Visit 87 1. Summary of Responses to the Team Findings 87 a. Responses to Conditions Not Met b. Responses to Causes of Concern 2. Summary of Responses to Changes in the NAAB conditions 98 Part Four. Supplemental Information 98 1. Description of Policies and Procedures for Evaluating Student work 99 2. Course Descriptions 101 3. Faculty Resumes 122 4. Visiting Team Report 174 5. Catalog URL 98 5 Academy of Art University Architecture Program Report- M-Arch September 2012 This page is left blank intentionally. 6 Academy of Art University Architecture Program Report- M-Arch September 2012 Part One (i). Institutional Support and Commitment to Continuous Improvement I.1. Identity & Self Assessment I.1.1.History Mission History, Mission, Founding Principles of Academy of Art University (The Academy, AAU) The Academy was founded in San Francisco in 1929 as the Academy of Advertising Art by fine art painter Richard S. Stephens and his wife, Clara. Mr. Stephens, an art director of Sunset magazine, opened AAU based on the philosophy that aspiring artists and designers, with hard work, dedication, and proper instruction, can learn the skills needed to become successful professionals. To make this vision a reality, Stephens hired instructors who were working artists, familiar with the realities and demands of the marketplace. The school attracted a distinguished faculty of practicing artists and designers, and one of its core educational practices was firmly defined: hire established professionals to teach future professionals. Today, AAU is the largest regionally-accredited private art and design school in the United States. AAU’s 17,800 students come from 112 countries to study both in San Francisco, a city known for the vibrancy of its art and design community, and online through AAU’s CyberCampus. In addition to offering M.Arch and BFA degrees in Architecture, the Academy also offers AA, BA, BFA, MA and MFA degrees in Acting, Advertising, Animation and Visual Effects, Art Education, Art History, Fashion, Fine Art, Game Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Architecture and Design, Landscape Architecture, Motion Pictures and Television, Multimedia Communications, Music Production and Sound Design for Visual Media, Photography, and Web Design and New Media. AAU continues its essential ties with the Stephens family through the President, Elisa Stephens, the granddaughter of the founder. While AAU’s urban location, core values and belief in an education by artists, for artists remain the same, the University has obviously seen tremendous growth in the 83 years since its founding. Today, the school consists of an urban campus encompassing 38 buildings, connected by an extensive Academy transportation service. AAU is well-placed to serve students in the context of 21st century education, attracting a diverse student body both nationally and internationally. Over 46% of the student body consists of minority or international students. In line with 21st century trends in higher education, AAU serves nearly 5,000 transfer students (45% of the undergraduate student population). AAU’s curriculum is delivered both onsite and online, allowing students to select a modality or complete their degree using a combination of both. Thirty-six percent of AAU students study exclusively online and 56% take at least some of their classes online. AAU’s core commitment to promoting equal access to a rigorous art and design education, clearly manifested in its mission-based, inclusive admissions policy for undergraduates, is also in tune with today’s students, many of whom have not had access to such training in their secondary schooling. AAU also offers extensive educational support services to ensure that all students have access to the skills they need to succeed. Mission The Academy of Art University prepares aspiring professionals in the fields of art, design, and communications by delivering excellent undergraduate and professional degree and certificate programs. To achieve its mission the Academy of Art University: • Maintains an inclusive admissions policy for all persons who meet basic requirements for admission and instruction and who want to obtain a higher education or in-depth learning in a wide spectrum of disciplines in art and design; • Teaches a disciplined approach to the study of art and design that encourages students to develop their own styles that bend their talents, technical skills and creative aspirations with professional knowledge; 7 Academy of Art University Architecture Program Report- M-Arch September 2012 • Enlists a dedicated and capable full-time and part-time faculty of career artists, designers and scholars who are professionals and whose success as educators comes from their ability to teach students through the wisdom and skill they have amassed through years of experience and study; • Operates in an urban context so that academic programs can draw upon and contribute to the cultural wealth of those communities that are served; • Provides a creative environment that is at once supportive and challenging and underpinned by excellent personalized teaching and support services that address the needs of students of diverse ages and backgrounds; • Offers an undergraduate general education program designed to stimulate development of critical thinking and communication skills and to encourage emerging artists to draw upon a variety of disciplines, to look at issues from multiple perspectives and to cultivate the ability to function as educated global citizens; • Manages in an ethical and efficient manner and administers the finances in a prudent fashion; and • Fosters optimum quality in all aspects of programs and service AAU is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (receiving a 7-year grant of initial accreditation in May, 2007) and nationally accredited by the National Association of School of Art and Design (NASAD). AAU also has programmatic accreditations through NAAB (M Architecture program only) and CIDA (Council for Interior Design Accreditation, BFA and MFA Interior Architecture and Design programs). History, Mission, Founding Principles of the Program AAU’s Architecture Program began in the fall of 2001 as an emphasis within the Interior Architecture and Design program. In the spring of 2002, AAU’s graduate Architecture program launched as two-year program open to students with a four-year undergraduate degree in architecture, interior architecture, or a related field. The department subsequently designed a 63 unit M. Arch degree and after proceeding through the NAAB accreditation process, was granted Candidate Status in January 2005 and Initial Accreditation in July 2006. In 2007, the program expanded to include an additional,