Savannah College of Art and Design

Richard G. Rowan, Paula S. Wallace , May L. Poetter and Paul E. Poetter legally incorporated the Savannah College of Art and Design September 29, 1978. [ 6 ] In September 1979, the university first began offering classes with four staff members, seven faculty members, and 71 students. [ 7 ] Initially, the school offered eight majors: ceramics, graphic design, historic preservation, textile design, interior design, painting, photography, and printmaking. [ 8 ] In May 1981, the first graduate received a degree. The following year, the first graduating class received degrees. In 1982, the enrollment grew to more than 500 students, then to 1,000 in 1986, and 2,000 in 1989. In 2014, the university enrolled more than 11,000 students. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a rash of faculty suicides prompted a nervous reaction from school administrators. The unrest led a competing art school to open downtown, igniting an "all-out war." [ 9 ] Student unrest grew in the early 1990s regarding student representation within the school, culminating in 1992 with the detonation of an explosive device at the administration building, and two more later that year, at the Savannah Civic Center . [ 10 ] SCAD opened a study abroad location in Lacoste , France in 2002 that provides programming for the various academic departments offered by the university's degree-granting locations. It launched an online learning program in 2003 that U.S. News & World Report ranks as among the best for bachelor's programs in the nation. [ 11 ] In 2005 the university opened a location in Midtown Atlanta that merged with the Atlanta College of Art in 2006. In September 2010, SCAD opened a Hong Kong location in the Sham Shui Po district. [ 12 ] Ivy Hall houses classrooms for SCAD's Atlanta campus Richard Rowan (who was married to Paula Wallace at the time) served as president of the college from its inception in 1978 until April 2000, when SCAD's board of trustees promoted him to chancellor .

As chancellor, Rowan spent most of his time traveling and recruiting international students and staff. In 2001, he resigned the job and left the college. [ 13 ] Paula S. Wallace is the current president. Wallace, formerly Paula S. Rowan, served as SCAD's provost and dean of academics before becoming president. As president, Wallace directs the internal management of the institution. Wallace has led the collaboration for several annual events, such as the Sidewalk Arts Festival, Savannah Film Festival, a Fashion Show, SCAD Style, deFine Art Festival, Art Educators' Forum and Rising Star. Questions have been raised about the unusual pay packages granted to Wallace and her family. [ 14 ] Paula Wallace received $9.6 million in compensation in 2014, and 13 members of her family have received $60 million over the past 20 years. [ 14 ] The university's second museum, SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film, opened in 2015, at SCAD Atlanta. [ 15 ] [ 16 ] In 2018, a student started a petition calling for better mental health services for students after two suicides occurred after the beginning of the 2018 academic year. [ 17 ] In 2019, SCAD increased the number of professional counseling staff and created Bee Well, which provides virtual and physical counseling, wellness workshops, and a 24/7 toll-free emotional support hotline. [ 18 ] In March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SCAD transitioned to entirely virtual learning for all students, while allowing international students and others to remain in residence halls following social distancing protocols. [ 19 ] In June 2020, SCAD discontinued studies at its Hong Kong location, citing concerns about student safety and academic quality following the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests and the COVID-19 pandemic . The North Kowloon Magistracy was returned to the city.

[ 20 ] [ 21 ] In June 2020, in the midst of Black Lives Matter protests around the U.S., SCAD created an office of inclusion and announced related initiatives to address systemic racism, including the addition of 15 endowed scholarships for Black students. [ 22 ]

Poetter Hall , originally Preston Hall, was SCAD's first building and first historic restoration project. Bradley Hall was formerly a United States Marine Hospital . Facilities SCAD's efforts to work with the city of Savannah to preserve its architectural heritage [ 23 ] include restoring buildings for use as college facilities, for which it has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects , the National Trust for Historic Preservation , the Historic Savannah Foundation and the Victorian Society of America. [ 24 ] The college campus includes 67 buildings throughout the grid-and-park system of downtown Savannah. Many buildings are on the 22 squares of the old town, [ 25 ] which are laden with monuments, live oaks and a Southern-Gothic feel. Located in Atlanta 's Midtown , SCAD Atlanta includes classroom and exhibition space, computer labs, library, photography darkrooms, printmaking and sculpture studios, a dining hall, fitness center, swimming pool and residence hall. [ 26 ] [ unreliable source? ] SCAD Atlanta's Ivy Hall (also known as the Edward C. Peters House ) opened in 2008 after extensive restoration. [ 27 ] In 2009, SCAD Atlanta opened the Digital Media Center. [ 28 ] Cylinder press in the Atelier de Gravure at SCAD Lacoste The SCAD Lacoste campus is made up of 15th- and 16th-century structures. The campus includes an art gallery, guest houses, computer lab and printmaking lab. In Hong Kong, SCAD occupied the renovated historic North Kowloon Magistracy Building, with more than 80,000 square feet (7,400 m 2 ) . It was equipped with classrooms, meeting areas, computer labs, an art gallery and library. The Hong Kong campus was closed in June 2020 after 10 years in the city. [ 29 ] The college's first academic building was the Savannah Volunteer Guards Armory , which was purchased and renovated in 1979. Built in 1892, the Romanesque Revival red brick structure is included on the National Register of Historic Places .