SCAD-ATLANTA

For more information on programs offered
at SCAD-Atlanta and how to apply, please call
877.SCAD.ATL (877.722.3285).

August 17, 2004, 4 p.m.

SCAD EXPANDS PRESENCE IN ATLANTA TO INCLUDE ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
SCAD-Atlanta Facility to Open in 2005

SAVANNAH, Ga.-Savannah College of Art and Design President Paula S. Wallace announced today that the college is planning to expand its presence in Atlanta in 2005 with a new facility to be called SCAD-Atlanta. The college opened a contemporary art gallery in the Buckhead section of Atlanta in 2001, and has an active alumni chapter in the area, which includes successful SCAD alumni employed in Atlanta at CNN, The Cartoon Network, Cox Communications, the Design Consortium, Emory University, Fathom Studio, Georgia Pacific, Georgia Tech, Heery International, Hirsch Bedner Associates, Macquarium, and Thompson, Ventulette, Stainback and Associates, and others.

"This is an opportune time to build on the success and experience of SCAD in Savannah by opening another in-state facility to serve our students," Wallace said. "An expanded presence in Atlanta also will allow students to benefit from the resources offered by a major metropolitan area to help fulfill their educational goals."

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2004, the college is expecting record enrollment this fall, and will serve 7,000 students in Savannah during the current academic year. In 2001, the college expanded study-abroad options for SCAD students with the establishment of SCAD-Lacoste in the medieval village of Lacoste, France. Last year, the college launched distance education programs, offered via SCAD e-Learning.

Wallace said SCAD-Atlanta will offer undergraduate and graduate courses. The courses under consideration for SCAD-Atlanta include advertising design, animation, architectural history, art history, broadcast design and motion graphics, English as a second language, fashion, foundation studies, graphic design, illustration, interactive design and game development, interior design, liberal arts, painting, sequential art, and visual effects. Some residential capacity also is being explored.

The college will begin accepting applications for both full-time and adjunct faculty, as well as administrative and professional staff, immediately.

Although no final decision has been made as to SCAD-Atlanta's location, a facility with convenient access to all parts of the metropolitan area is a major consideration.

The college's enrollment and facilities in Savannah have developed rapidly since opening in 1979. Enrollment has increased from 71 to nearly 7,000 for fall 2004, including students from all 50 states and more than 75 countries. Approximately 10 percent of SCAD students are international. Savannah facilities have grown from one building to more than 50, with approximately 1.5 million square feet in Savannah's historic district.

SCAD Senior Vice President for Recruitment and Communications Pamela Rhame said the college's prospect database shows there is a strong interest in a SCAD education in the Atlanta area. Rhame added she believes SCAD-Atlanta will also draw new students from well beyond Georgia.

"SCAD-Atlanta is a logical next step for the college, considering the fact that the majority of the applications from the state of Georgia come from Atlanta," Rhame said. "However, a site there will attract students not only from the Atlanta metropolitan area and Georgia, but also from other states and countries."

Students of SCAD-Atlanta will be eligible to receive state aid, such as the HOPE Scholarship, Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant, and the Governor's Scholarship, as well as federal financial aid, Rhame added.

The college's savannah gallery, at 3096 Roswell Road, Atlanta, has exhibited the work of well-known artists including Joyce Tenneson and Benny Andrews, as well as SCAD students, alumni, faculty and staff. The new SCAD-Atlanta facility will include classrooms, studios, computer labs, administrative space and exhibition areas, and will serve as an admission center for the college, hosting information sessions, portfolio reviews and special lectures.

The college has notified its accrediting body, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, of the intent to open a facility in Atlanta.

For more information about admission, academic programs and curriculum, please send e-mail to scadatl@scad.edu.

For media information, please contact:
Bruce Chong,
SCAD Dean of Communications
912-525-5225, bchong@scad.edu

Marti Bledsoe,
SCAD Asst. Director of Public Information
912-525-5224, mbledsoe@scad.edu