ABOUT AICAD
Mission and Purpose
AICAD - the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design - is a non-profit consortium of 35 leading art schools in the U.S. It was founded in 1991 by a group of 25 presidents who felt a need for the similarly structured art schools to come together so as to mutually develop their schools and programs. Our mission is to help strengthen the member colleges individually and collectively, and to inform the public about these colleges and the value of studying art and design.
AICAD colleges educate more than 45,000 undergraduate and graduate students each year, plus many thousands more in summer and continuing education programs. Our students are drawn from all 50 states and more than 60 foreign countries. Over 70% of these students receive financial aid to support their education.
Membership
Membership in AICAD is open to colleges in the U.S. that are: private; nonprofit; free-standing (that is, not a department of a larger college or university); specialized colleges of art and design; BFA and/or MFA degree granting; and accredited by NASAD (the National Association of Schools of Art & Design) and the appropriate regional accrediting agency (New England, Middle States, North Central, Northwest, Southern, and Western).
We also have seven International Affiliates in Canada and overseas, all of which must meet the equivalent criteria in their home countries.
Programs and Activities
As noted above, the basic mission of AICAD is to help strengthen the member schools individually and collectively. To do this we engage in a variety of activities that are determined by the senior staff of the member schools. These include:
distributing information about AICAD and its members, and about art and design education and careers, to students, parents, teachers, and others;
conducting regular conferences and symposia on contemporary academic and administrative subjects;
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operating an independent studio and internship program in New York City (New York Studio Program);
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overseeing student exchanges and mobility among the member schools and international affiliates;
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gathering and analyzing substantial institutional data annually, accompanied by analysis and forecasts to assist in future planning efforts;
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providing members with information about current art and design education issues, and about relevant legislation and government policies;
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working with other educational and cultural groups on various policy issues and mutually beneficial programs; and,
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maintaining a communication and information exchange system for senior staff and faculty of the member schools, including frequent meetings to discuss timely issues.
GOVERNANCE
Responsibility for the general direction of AICAD is vested in its Board of Directors, which consists of the president/CEO of each of the 35 member institutions. Financial and administrative oversight are provided by a seven member Executive Committee. Daily management and services are provided by the Executive Director.
Executive Committee
Chair
Samuel Hoi (President, Otis College of Art & Design)
Vice Chair
Happy Fernandez (President, Moore College of Art & Design)
Treasurer
Michael O'Keefe (President, Minneapolis College of Art & Design)
Secretary
Larry Thompson (President, Ringling College of Art & Design)
Chair, Leadership & Strategic Planning Committee
Kay Sloan, (President, Massachusetts College of Art & Design)
Chair, Institutional & Professional Development Committee
Tom Manley (President, Pacific Northwest College of Art)
Chair, Enrollment Drive & Development Committee
Fred Lazarus (President, Maryland Institute College of Art)
Executive Director
Bill Barrett has served as Executive Director of AICAD since 1994. Prior to joining AICAD, Barrett was president of San Francisco Art Institute (1987-1994) and Dean at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC (1981-1987). Before that he was at Parsons School of Design in New York City (1970-1981) in various administrative positions.
Barrett has a BFA in Industrial Design from Rhode Island School of Design and an MA in Higher Education Administration from New York University. He is a Past President and a Life Fellow of NASAD, the art and design accrediting body, has chaired a dozen accreditation visiting teams, and served on numerous NASAD and CAA panels. Currently he is a trustee of the Oxbow School in Napa, CA, Treasurer of the International Network of Schools for the Advancement of Arts Education, and a representative to the NAICU Secretariat.
Contact:
AICAD
3957 22nd Street
San Francisco, CA 94114 USA
Phone: 415-642-8595
(Office hours are 8 AM to 5 PM, Pacific Time)
Staff:
Executive Director
Bill Barrett
Executive Assistant
Rebecca Deans
New York Studio Director
John Tomlinson
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