<p>Upset mom,
I guess we will just have to disagree about the Welcome Centers move. I am not saying anything that other posters haven’t already said and to be honest it sounds like you aren’t considering other posters input and instead just repeating what you have already said without allowing yourself to be open to the fact you may be wrong. Either way, the truth is that none of us will know until the fall when students will be in Katzen working and can tell us how the move has impacted them. All we can do for now is hope that the move does not prove to be distracting and art students can continue to flourish, and produce works of art that will be enjoyed by the many new visitors each day.</p>
<p>As for changing AU, don’t you think it may make sense to wait until your D has been there for at least a few weeks to suggest your changes? Like I already said AU most likely does not solicit advice for what changes are needed from a forum where in reality anyone could be posting. Also, for change to happen AU really needs to hear it from its students, not that your opinion is not valuable but since your daughter is the one attending it is her opinion that will be heard instead of yours. College is a time for young adults to come into their own, to step away and become more independent and voicing your own opinion is a part of that. Not all your changes will happen, and not all of them will happen right away. Your issue with classes is a perfect example of this: they saw an issue with their classes and fixed it, because a lot of students were shut out. But remember that in the future your daughter may be shut out of more classes, and they may not be able to open new sections, she will instead have to wait until the next semester to take the class. Upperclassmen get first pick of classes because they only have a few semesters left to take them, thats just the way it is. Your D picked the school because of the academia offered along with the art, well based on that alone she knew that art was not AUs largest major, instead of now criticizing them for that embrace the reasons why she chose AU to begin with. </p>
<p>I know you have said you want to change AU instead of just transferring, but AU is not going to make major changes to fit your D’s needs if that is not the direction they want the school to go in. Instead of focusing your energy on fixing a school to meet your D’s needs as an artist, why don’t you focus on a school that already is all of what your D is looking for in school?</p>
<p>In May, students are on waiting lists all the time. In fact, it is these early registrations that AU uses to measure demand, and to decide what additional faculty resources will be needed in the following semester. My d. is currently on two waiting lists, and she knows from experience that she is likely to get into both courses. She was on one last semester, and got in. One was in music. Students learn to advocate for themselves, and work with their advisors in finding the best possible academic possibilities. </p>
<p>AU is NOT cutting its budget like most schools. In fact, it is growing it. This is because, for better or worse, they spend less than 1% of the endowment in its annual operating budget. They are adding faculty, not cutting them. They just created a new “entrance” to the campus, which is at Kogod. When the new SIS building opens, there will be two entrances.</p>
<p>NIC89, Uskoolfish, Momwaitingfornew, and Mini:</p>
<pre><code> Thank you for your thoughtful posts. I will most definitely take into account what you have all said. I do hope that when my daughter finally attends AU, the contact she will make with the art department, will greatly increase her odds of getting placed in studio courses without constant uphill battles. I would think that at the minimum, in order to fulfill BFA requirements in a program they already have, that they would have to make every effort to give her those required courses.
</code></pre>
<p>The graduate programs are increasingly popular, especially with the rankings and reputations of the international service, public affairs, and business schools soaring. They are indeed a profit center, and also reasons why AU needed new or expanded Kogod and SIS buildings. Government and private agencies are increasingly turning to American to fund part-time MBAs. Capital fundraising now occurs mostly outside the budget, with both the Kogod expansion and the Katzen Center paid for without endowment spending. In addition, while the strategic plan calls for a smaller undergraduate student body, unexpected yields have resulted in a temporarily larger one, with more income (but more stress on housing and first-year language programs) resulting.</p>
<p>You are so right! It is fantastic how the SIS, Public Affairs and Kogod are moving up quickly in the ranks. Now lets get the whole of AU in the top 50 of US News Rankings by bringing up all departments including science and the fine arts!!! It is very possible!!</p>
<pre><code> Before you make unfounded remarks, read all of the past posts on this topic, not 2 or 3. If you had read the previous posts, you would know that I do not merely comment on my concerns on this post but have contacted and spoken to administrators on every level from the Art Dept to the Office of the Provost. Do your Homework before making comments. I have valued the suggestions of the posters when talking to the administration. I now have an ongoing dialogue with one of the art professors as well. I try to solve problems not take the easy way out like you profess.
</code></pre>
<pre><code> You obviously possess a craving for grilled cheese sandwiches, as your metaphor is quite baffling. May I suggest a grilled cheese with Gruyere or Colby as soon as possible.
</code></pre>
<p>“I now have an ongoing dialogue with one of the art professors as well.”</p>
<p>Oh dear. Unless AU has hired you as a consultant or your reputation in the art world is so spectacular that they would welcome your free advice, this is a very bad idea. It’s your daughter who should develop relationships with faculty members, not you. Just imagine if all the parents took it upon themselves to do this! Your class scheduling problem was solved. Any future problems should be handled by your daughter. Now it’s time to take a giant step back and turn off the 'copter engine.</p>
<pre><code> The art dept. themselves wants get this program going and respected. They welcome suggestions. When my daughter starts classes, she will take the role of advocating for herself.
</code></pre>
<pre><code> You are right. I think that everything will eventually work for my daughter, and I thank you all again for holding my hand through this. I wish you the best for your students in the coming school year!!!
</code></pre>
<p>According to what the President of AU said when he announced it at the accepted students day, the increase in budget is coming from a surplus that AU has been running for a couple of years. They are hiring 60 new faculty. (I think I have that number right.)</p>
<p>Upsetmom,
As I said in my first post I read the whole thread, I had actually been following it for days before I felt inclined to post. I know you don’t just comment, and I have commented on you calling the school so much. As a current college student myself I can say from experience that colleges respond better to students who advocate for themselves. Speaking with administrators is not going to make much a difference, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but the administrators at American probably know more about how to improve a program than you. They are the ones deciding what direction they want the school to go in, and determining the best way to make that happen: your posts, phone calls etc. are not going to the be the source which they consult to determine to how to move American up in the ranks. I never said you have or should have taken the easy way out, an on that note if you think transferring is easy maybe you should do your homework. All I was trying to say, and maybe it didn’t come across as clearly as I intended was that, instead of trying to change American so that it becomes the right fit for your D and your family that you find a college that more closely resembles your ideal to begin with. If you and your D, or just your D are set on American than why not try to find some of its great qualities and focus on those? I’m not saying ignore anything (good or bad) but instead of constantly complaining, maybe you should find more of a balance and note some of the more positive experiences. You don’t have to share them on here, but maybe considering some of the better aspects of AU along with what you have already pointed out will help you go into the new school year with more balanced perspective.</p>