Academy of Art University

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Academy of Art University
Academy of Art University building, New Montgomery Street.jpg
Former name
Academy of Advertising Art,
Richard Stephens Academy of Art,
Academy of Art College
MottoBuilt by artists for artists
TypePrivate for-profit art school
Established1929
President
Academic staff
283 full-time
1154 part-time
Students11,071
Undergraduates6,124[1]
Postgraduates4,020
Location
San Francisco
,
California
,
United States
CampusUrban and online
ColorsBlack and Red   
AthleticsNCAA Division II
Websiteacademyart.edu
AcademyArtUnivLogo.png

The Academy of Art University, formerly Academy of Art College and Richard Stephens Academy of Art, is a private for-profit art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded as the Academy of Advertising Art by Richard S. Stephens in 1929.[2] In fall 2019, it had 219 full-time teachers, 831 part-time teaching staff, and 9,812 students;[3] it claims to be the largest privately owned art and design school in the United States.[4]

The school has open admissions and an admission acceptance rate of 100%.[1]​[5]​ In 2016, its accreditor expressed concern over low graduation rates; 37% of students who enrolled in 2010 graduated by 2017.[6]

The school is one of the largest property owners in San Francisco, with the main campus located on New Montgomery Street in the South of Market district.[7]

History[]

It was founded in 1929 as a school for advertising art.[8] The founder, Richard S. Stephens, a painter and magazine editor, led it until 1951 when his son Richard A. Stephens took over, who in 1992 was replaced by his daughter Elisa Stephens.[8] Under her presidency, student numbers increased from around 2000[citation needed] to 18,000 by 2011,[9] but have since fallen to under 12,000[citation needed]. Forbes estimated the Stephens' family wealth at $800 million in 2015.[10]

The school has been participating in the NY Fashion Week event bi-annually since 2005.[11][12][13] Every year, the university hosts a spring show that highlights student work from the school’s 75 disciplines.[14]

The university owns and operates the Academy of Art University Automobile Museum with 200 vintage cars, a collection that started in the 1990s.[15][16][17]

The school has open admissions, requires no portfolio and has an admission acceptance rate of 100%.[1]​[5]​

Accreditation and teaching[]

The school offers associate, bachelor's[1] and master's degrees[18] in about twenty-five subjects.[1] Some courses are offered online.[1][5] As of 2015, the school had not published job placement rates since 2006, and was disagreeing with the US Department of Education over whether it is required to do so.[19]

Academy of Art University received regional accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in 2007.[20] The WASC does not require schools to disclose job placement figures.[19] The school is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.[21] In interior architecture and design, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (taught or online) and Master of Fine Arts degree are accredited by the .[22] The Master of Architecture degree has, since January 1, 2006, been accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board while the Bachelor of Architecture program was granted as of January 1, 2015.[23][24]

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 45% of students who began their studies in fall 2013 completed a four-year degree within 150% of that time (the "6-year graduation rate").[3] For online-only students, the 6-year graduation rate was 6% and 3% for part-time students in mid-2015.[25]​ Approximately 35% of all students were online-only in 2015.[25]​ In 2016, roughly 7% of students completed a four-year degree within the allotted time.[5]

According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics in 2019, the school's graduation rate for "full-time, first-time" students was 45%.[26]

Athletics[]

Main article: Academy of Art Urban Knights

The school sports teams, the Urban Knights, compete as members of the Pacific West Conference in 14 sports in NCAA Division II.[27]

In the 2014–2015 season, the men's cross country team had a second-place finish and the women's team had a record fourth-place finish, earned at the Pacific West Conference Championships. Valentin Pepiot, their third NCAA Nationals individual qualifier, was one of the top finishers from the PacWest in the postseason finale.[28] Academy of Art earned a record 10 PacWest postseason honors. For the 2015, indoor and outdoor track and field seasons, they had seven All-Americans honors and one NCAA individual champion in Jordan Edwards.[28]

Controversies[]

In 2009, four former admission officers alleged that the school had compensated them based on how many students they could enroll, which is an incentive-based illegal recruitment technique and defrauding of the federal government.[6][19][29] The school took in over $1.5 billion dollars in federal aid to be repaid by students since 2006.[10] The former employees became whistleblowers in a federal case, suing the school in U.S. District Court in Oakland in 2009.[19]

In May 2016, the city of San Francisco brought a lawsuit against Academy of Art after possible violations of city land-use laws, including the unauthorized conversion of rent-controlled housing to academic use.[30][31][19] In December 2016, the school was ordered pay the city $20 million in fees, purchasing low-income housing and additional low-income housing for seniors.[32] It failed to meet the terms of the agreement and in January 2020 the agreement was amended, requiring the Academy of Art University to pay $37.6 million to the city to build affordable housing.[33][34] The Academy of Art settled a $60 million case after the Stephens' family LLC's acquisition and use of real estate in San Francisco for illegal student housing.[10] It had converted 33 of its 40 buildings from residential use to private use which were out of compliance with zoning codes, signage laws or historic preservation rules in San Francisco.[10][35]

Notable alumni[]

See also: Category:Academy of Art University alumni

Notable faculty[]

Past and present faculty of the school include:

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Academy of Art University. Peterson's. Accessed January 2014.
  2. ^ "The Academy of Art University is a school with a soul". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Academy of Art University. College Navigator. National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed June 2016.
  4. ^ "Who We Are". Academy of Art University website. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Academy of Art University. US News and World Report. Archived 28 August 2016.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Academy of Art could face federal trial over fraud suit". SFChronicle.com. February 11, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  7. ^ John Cote (November 15, 2010). "Academy of Art land use violations ignored". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Brickman, Sophie (May 22, 2011). "Elisa Stephens of Academy of Art University". SFGate. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  9. ^ Lee Romney (July 9, 2012). "San Francisco rule would encourage building student housing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Academy of Art could face federal trial over fraud suit". SFChronicle.com. February 11, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  11. ^ "Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week". mbfashionweek.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  12. ^ "Academy of Art University (San Francisco, CA, United States)". Fashionista. 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  13. ^ "FashionLedge.com". www.fashionledge.com. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  14. ^ "The Academy of Art University's Spring Shows Keeps on Springing". Juxtapoz. September 9, 2020.
  15. ^ Clark, Meaghan (March 12, 2015). "ust How Much is Academy of Art's Vintage Car Collection Worth? — The Bold Italic — San Francisco". TheBoldItalic.com. The Bold Italic. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  16. ^ "Classic cars go on display at the Academy of Art University". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  17. ^ "Join the Chronicle VIP party at the 57th annual International Auto Show". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  18. ^ Home: Graduate Schools: Academy of Art University. Peterson's. Accessed January 2014.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Savchuk, Katia. "Black Arts: The $800 Million Family Selling Art Degrees and False Hopes". Forbes. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  20. ^ "Statement of accreditation status: Academy of Art University". Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities, Western Association of Schools and Colleges. July 19, 2007. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  21. ^ "Accredited Institutional Members". National Association of Schools of Art and Design. 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  22. ^ "Accredited Program History". Council for Interior Design Accreditation. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  23. ^ "Architecture programs: Academy of Art University". National Architectural Accrediting Board. 2006. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  24. ^ "School View". www.naab.org. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b Katia Savchuk (September 7, 2015). Black Arts: The $800 Million Family Selling Art Degrees and False Hopes. Forbes magazine. Archived August 19, 2015.
  26. ^ "College Navigator - Academy of Art University". nces.ed.gov. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  27. ^ "Academy of Art University". NCAA. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b Garcia, Rob. "ART U Track & Field Announces New Coaching Staff". The PacWest. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  29. ^ "Fact Sheet: Protecting Students from Abusive Career Colleges | U.S. Department of Education". www.ed.gov. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  30. ^ Vic Lee (May 6, 2016). SF suing Academy of Art University for alleged permit violations. ABC News. Accessed June 2016.
  31. ^ Lee, Vic. "SF suing Academy of Art University for alleged permit violations". ABC News. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  32. ^ Brinklow, Adam (December 19, 2016). "Academy of Art settles with city, pays $20 million in fees". Curbed. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  33. ^ "Academy of Art University will pay San Francisco for the affordable housing it eliminated". SFChronicle.com. January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  34. ^ https://sfgov.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=7986178&GUID=CE545264-55F8-4A18-9D34-050E60838398
  35. ^ Phillip Matier; Andrew Ross (December 19, 2016). "Academy of Art agrees to $60 million settlement of SF lawsuit". San Francisco Chronicle.
  36. ^ 2015 Universiade bio Archived April 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  37. ^ "Artworks of Henry Asencio". Crown Thorn Publishing. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  38. ^ "Legendary Star Wars Special Effects Makeup Artist Announces Retirement". Makeup Artist Edu. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  39. ^ Jump up to: a b Katie Baker (November 17, 2009). "Ask The Appeal: Does Academy Of Art University Have Any Notable Alumni?". San Francisco Appeal. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  40. ^ "The 2005 Pulitzer prize winners – feature photography: Deanne Fitzmaurice". The Pulitzer Prizes, Columbia University. Retrieved December 17, 2006.
  41. ^ Vicky Jenson. ACME Film Works. Accessed June 2016.
  42. ^ Dunhill, Heather. "Qs for Fashion Star's Kara Larick". Heather Dunhill's Fashion IQ. Sarasota Magazine. Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  43. ^ Sarah Gish (March 20, 2012). "My essentials: Kara Laricks of 'Fashion Star'". Ink Magazine. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  44. ^ "2009 Sonoma International Film Festival". ScreenDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  45. ^ "Chris Milk Official Site". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 7, 2008.
  46. ^ "Academy of Art's Epidemic Film Festival". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  47. ^ "Jolene Marie Cholock Rotinsulu Kumparan Facts". Kumparan Magazine. June 20, 2019.
  48. ^ "Guess What?: Rudi Soedjarwo: Leaving the old rules of movie making behind". Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  49. ^ Susan King (August 26, 2009). "For Diane Baker, one scene leads to 50 years". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  50. ^ "Tom Bertino". Nova Online. 1997. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  51. ^ "The Animated Side of Star Wars: An Interview With Rob Coleman, The Film's Animation Director". Animated World Network. August 1999. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  52. ^ "A Pair of Entrepreneurs Focuses on 'Nutrients for Your Brain'". WeWork. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  53. ^ "This Twenty-Something Ditched His Dream Job At Google And Now He Has A Startup That Sells Brain-Enhancing Pills". Business Insider. August 6, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  54. ^ . Academy of Art University, Board of Directors, Administrators and Faculty, accessed January 25, 2019 https://www.academyart.edu/wp-content/uploads/board-of-directors-administrators-faculty.pdf
  55. ^ "Q&A: "Evening Magazine" co-hosts Jan Yanehiro and Richard Hart". San Francisco Chronicle. July 22, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  56. ^ "Sony Pictures to produce "Tehranis" by Director Kamshad Kushan". Payvand Iran News. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  57. ^ "Tim McGovern". Visual Effects Society. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  58. ^ "Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage". Discovery. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  59. ^ "Witzend - groundbreaking 1960s indy comic with art by Wallace Wood, Art Spiegelman, and Frank Frazetta". BoingBoing. August 13, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  60. ^ "Artist Interview with Terryl Whitlatch". Copic. March 15, 2011. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  61. ^ Josh Flynn (December 28, 2010). "Ready to Win". Slam Online. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  62. ^ Peter Hartlaub (July 22, 2010). "Yanehiro, Hart now at Academy of Art in S.F." San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  63. ^ "Faculty". Academy of Art.
  64. ^ "Film Director Jack Perez on "Where's Roman"". Apple Podcasts.

Coordinates: 37°47′16″N 122°24′02″W / 37.78785°N 122.40065°W / 37.78785; -122.40065

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