a letter from President Elisa Stephens

Apparently this is where the money is going to. But how does this reflect the cost for online students when most of this is for on-campus students?! Thank you for voicing your concerns regarding the increase in tuition. Please see the explanation below. If you have any further questions please reach out to me at ssangimino@academyart.edu Serita Sangimino Vice President of Student Affairs A Message from President Elisa Stephens The mission of Academy of Art University is to provide all students with a world-class education. We continuously striving to advance our facilities and to ensure that our students’ skill sets remain current with market and industry standards and with access to cutting edge equipment and software. We provide these updates to our students while maintaining average tuition costs for an art and design education. You may compare other institutions’ rate by visiting the links at the end of this letter. In addition, we continually employ a faculty of professional and award-winning artists, and we also continue to grow our students into the same award-winning professionals. That’s what makes us different, and the reason we feel we are the best choice and value for your educational investment. It is my pleasure to announce that along with standard computer refreshes and software upgrades, the Academy has also undergone multiple facility and equipment advancements listed below to provide our students with the latest in technology and resources. In order to continue such enhancements while maintaining college affordable, we have been successful in keeping a tuition increase to a minimum. Academy of Art University: o Renewed its agreement for FREE Enrolled Student Subscriptions to Adobe Creative Cloud o Updated several classrooms from digital projectors to NEW LED and LCD Smart TVs o Made several student lounge improvements at 410 Bush o Implemented sound upgrades at the 625 Sutter Theater o Executed multiple equipment upgrades in Studio and Equipment rooms o Completed multiple computer and software upgrades o Added NEW Task Chairs in various labs and classrooms at 180NM o Upgraded the power in the 5th floor student lounge of 180NM • The School of Game Development (180NM): o Acquired a NEW PC classroom for collaborative projects (Rm 825) o Pre-ordered NEW Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Equipment – arriving in April • The School of Music Production & Sound Design (466 Townsend): o Implemented a NEW Virtual Instrument Library o Added a NEW MIDI Orchestra Lab – launching in the Spring o Upgraded its Foley Room to incorporate a NEW 80” TV along with additional storage and aesthetic treatments (Rm B20, 180NM) • The Schools of Game Development & Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media o United to launch a NEW course called Augmented Reality (GAM 498.12/MUS498.12) o This new course also offers NEW Equipment such as: ▪ Project Tango Development Kits ▪ 3D Real Time Audio ▪ Go Pros with 360-camera navigation support • The School of Photography (180NM): o Acquired NEW Photo Equipment to support NEW Motion Capture classes o Updated its digital photo classroom (Rm 815) with MacPro machines & Eizo Displays o Diversified to the finest photographic prints with the addition of 16 Epson HDR printers • The School of Multimedia Communications o Launched a NEW Drone Class with an off-campus facility set-up • The School of Motion Pictures & Television (180NM): o Upgraded their Telecine Machine • The School of Architecture (601 Brannon): o Acquired a KUKA KR Agilus Six Robot Arm, leading the way in emerging technologies • The School of Landscape Architecture (2801 Leavenworth): o Moved to its NEW Location at the Cannery and expanded into Suite 302 o Acquired a NEW Copier and Large Format Scanner • The School of Interior Architecture & Design (601 Brannon): o Hired NEW Executive Director, Grover C. Dear, Jr. (FAIA, HKIA, ARB, LEED AP) • The School of Fine Art – Sculpture (2801 Leavenworth): o Installed a NEW Mold Making/Casting Studio o Restructured to open additional workspace for students o Expanded for a NEW General Studio • The School of Fine Art – Painting (701 Chestnut / 60 Federal): o Upgraded from wooden easels to NEW Metal Easels • The Schools of Jewelry and Metal Arts and Industrial Design (1849 Washington) o United to expand the 3D Print Lab o Added a NEW Drill Press o Added a NEW Other Mill Milling Machine o Added a NEW Sherline 4000C Lathe o Added NEW 3D Printers in the lab, which include: ▪ A MakerBot Replicator Z18 printer ▪ Four Afinia H480 printers ▪ A Form 1+ Resin printer ▪ An Afinia H800 printer Please review and compare the tuition rate from similar institutions by visiting the following sites: http://www.artcenter.edu/.../tuition-and-fees/tuition.html http://www.collegeview.com/.../san-francisco-art.../tuition https://www.cca.edu/admissions/tuition I am so pleased to have you as part of our student community. Welcome and I wish you the best of luck! Respectfully, Dr. Elisa Stephens President, Academy of Art University