<p>Mini:
I get the feeling my daughter is the only student coming in as a freshman intended B.F.A. studio art major. It was emphasized to me by staff, the other day, that the AU art program is not like a conservancy. It really seems to be geared for students who may have taken an art course in high school and thought it would be a good elective as part of the Gen Ed requirements. It is real shocker to them that my daughter is coming in as an authentic art major with talent. It is not appropriate in any way possible, Mini, to give all her studio art classes away to upperclassmen with little to no art talent or any serious intent in the B.F.A. major. I was also told there were rarely any B.F.A. majors because there too many class requirements and it would preclude a student from double majoring or minoring in something. Hence, the student who chooses the B.F.A. would be your most serious art student there. So, people, please give her an art studio course. My daughter validates the B.F.A. program but they do not get it? Also, how is a a university administrator, Art Dept chair, ureachable for over a week?</p>
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<p>Vacation. How many weeks a year do you take off? </p>
<p>You have to understand that faculty cannot take vacations whenever they want. They are tied to the school year, so when school ends for the summer, they can finally leave to spend time with their families. Also, as I said earlier on the thread, the faculty, including department chairs, use the summer to work on scholarship, much of which occurs outside the university environment. For all you know, the department head may be in, say, Italy, viewing a private collection or going through archives. Or he may be spending uninterrupted time in his own studio. He may be working on a book out of his home office, or at a conference. Yes, a chair cannot ignore his email and phone messages all summer, but he will be more difficult to reach.</p>
<p>“I get the feeling my daughter is the only student coming in as a freshman intended B.F.A. studio art major.”</p>
<p>So, alternatively, your daughter is in a unique situation, one the registrar, etc. has never faced before. So they did what they usually do. And there is likely a person who can undo it, and he can’t currently be reached. What I DON’T see, yet, is failure to support the art program, difficulties in attitudes, etc. - just a group of folks faced with a situation they haven’t faced before, and a need for guidance from the department head. Based on the information you have thus far, I think you are reading far too much into it. Which you are allowed to do, of course; you are a parent, and you are paying the bills. Hope it works out.</p>
<p>“I just finished Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, Outliers. One of the points he makes is that intelligence is not enough for success,”</p>
<p>Maybe because he misdefined “intelligence”, which is common among the testocrats. ;)</p>
<p>Even if it does work out for her to take the recommended classes this coming year, does she really want to be the trailblazer for this B.F.A. program? (Sort of like being a human guinea pig - the degree appears to be a project AU is still working on, still figuring out - an interesting experiment but still in its development phase.) </p>
<p>One’s first year of college is stressful enough without added uncertainty.</p>
<p>I know someone suggested this awhile back but is it possible to take a class or two at GW or Georgetown? I think that is what the consortium is designed for. It may be helpful to look at just to exhaust all options.</p>
<p>Mini:</p>
<pre><code> Oh my god! This IS a situation the art registrar and the advisors have faced. She and her husband ran the Fine Arts Dept. at AU for years. He sadly passed away last year. The B.F.A. program has been around for at least 25 years. He was a very beloved art professor, dept. chair, and managed the AU art collection. She said not many kids have pursued B.F.A.recently because they like to take double majors which a B.F.A. precludes. DC:The consortium is not recommended for freshman by AU. Can you imagine. She has to take her MAJOR courses at another institution? Ridiculous!!! Thank you for the suggestion DC, but that is unacceptable.
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<p>Upsetmom</p>
<p>Mini:</p>
<pre><code> Simply stated: If the art department is not supporting my daughter’s taking studio art classes(serious talented intended art major B.F.A. kid)) than they are not supporting the growth of their own department. They are putting her and me through stress and discouraging, not enouraging her, thus resulting in not supporting the development of their program with talented kids!!! That is so obvious. This is not a pilot program. AU has had studio art majors for years, but it is waning, because now, ironically after Katzen building is established, they are not caring about theor art program or an innocent ,unsuspecting, incoming freshman.
</code></pre>
<p>Upsetmom</p>
<p>So which is it? This is not a new situation for them, or it is. If it is not, the registrar does what he always does, which is to provide priority to students by class, all of whom registered BEFORE the university knows what first year students are attending. Then, they leave it to department heads to do what they always have done, to provide opportunities to students as needed and by exception.</p>
<p>Alternatively, it is a new situation, your d. is unique in their annals, and as they all seemed to tell you, they are awaiting word from the department head.</p>
<p>This is very upsetting, I agree. But you are jumping to all kinds of conclusions simply not in evidence, or at least not from you’ve written thus far. Thus far, all I see is a department head on vacation.</p>
<p>I may have missed something in the discussion here: First, I will have to say that my son will be a junior at AU and we have been very well served there in his areas of interest (IR, Arabic, Political Science). But maybe AU is just not the right “artistic environment” for your D. Why not try to pick up on your other college options as others have also suggested? At this point, you will always be waiting for the next bureaucratic snafu at AU and it might be better to start college happy to be somewhere else. I sincerely hope that everything works out well for your D and regret the frustrations that you have had to face thus far.</p>
<p>It’s obvious from responses you are getting from non art people that they just don’t get it - that there is a huge difference between an art major in a BFA program and an art major in a BA program and both art programs are very different from traditional math/science type majors. Truthfully, I didn’t get it either, until my daughter was looking into programs 4 years ago. You must be so frustrated - as I suspect that some of the people you are dealing with at AU are ignorant about the BFA process. I originally thought all art students at all colleges took similar classes. I was wrong. My daughter got frustrated because I didn’t even realize their was a big difference between art and design, although both require an art foundation year. On the other hand, there are many BA art programs that we came across where those differences didn’t exist, where art majors (and even Graphic Desgin majors) only received a brief, general exposure to the field, maybe a few electives in GD, but these students received a very strong liberal arts background. The feeling is that the student would go on to grad school to receive the specialized art education. Undergrad was to get a strong broad exposure to all areas.</p>
<p>For most students (all types of majors), 1st year and even 2nd year students take a variety of general ed and elective classes, only choosing a major at the end of 4th semester. So, getting closed out of a class now and then really doesn’t cause a big problem. Then again, many people are familiar with engineering programs, which is somewhat similar to an art program in that those programs are extremely structured and demanding and begin on day 1. Students usually don’t “choose” their classes; they are assigned to them by their advisor. Students adhere to a strict curriculum set by the university. That’s why kids can’t switch into engineering later on. It’s simply too late and they’d be too far behind. The same thing goes for BFA majors. Foundation year (1st yeat) is demanding and provides the basic background (foundation) for all art classes to come.</p>
<p>It seems incredible to me that a school offering a BFA program doesn’t require this foundation year (and in this case, doesn’t make it easy to accomplish). If this is AU’s policy now, under this new head, then I think they are sending a message loud and clear. They may have built an impressive art building, but that doesn’t mean it’s intended for “art majors”. AU may be providing a nicer environment for ALL of their students as a way to enhance the college experience for ALL students… It appears this is AU’s focus at this time.</p>
<p>I am very sorry your daughter turned down RISD and MICA because those schools will provide the art direction you are seeking and it is OBVIOUS now that AU is not the environment you are seeking. I really don’t understand how you were so mislead into thinking she would receive a strong, seriously challenging art program given their registration policy and the fact that they don’t have many other serious art students. I don’t doubt you, by any means, so don’t think that’s what I’m saying here. At first I thought you just didn’t do your homework and compare curriculums but you have cited examples of classes she must take, from their website, so I can see how you might misinterpret the situation, especially if they seemed welcoming and supportive. </p>
<p>I agree with you that any BFA program worth its weight must offer and require extensive art training and provide those classes. THey MUST have openings available for art majors. Others posting here seem to dispute the need or common practice that sections are set aside for ART majors only, but I have found this to be the NORM, not the exception, in schools which offer a BFA. So once again, I have to wonder WHY you want to stick with AU. It seems clear they are offering art as a side dish, for those who want to take it as an elective. Do you really see any evidence that they will support and challenge your daughter for four years? Besides, do you really think your daughter will benefit from being only one or one of the few BFA majors? Critique is a huge part of growth. Whose work will she see critiqued besides her own? Plus, at this point, she may be viewed as a “complainer”, unhappy with their system.</p>
<p>Perhaps the AU program had a good reputation at one time, but would you still think so if you were investigating the program today, based on what you know, and not based on what others have told you or their experience 20 years ago? I would hate to see your daughter short changed… I really don’t mean this to disparage AU. It probably provides strong programs in other areas, but as AU told you, it does not offer a conservatory or art school equivalent program. Unless you are willing to relax your art curriculum standards, I think it’s time to move on, even if it means delaying enrollment for a year. This really doesn’t sound like the environment you both seek.</p>
<p>Mini:</p>
<pre><code> Once again, no intended B.F.A. student should be closed out of ALL studio art classes. This is unheard of and AU should know better. This is simple:
</code></pre>
<p>Daughter=intended fine art, B.F.A. major, AU staff said she will be in small art classes, will get attention. will get personal space to work in;(told to her on Accepted Students Day)</p>
<p>B.F.A.= requires 73 credit hours total, but 18 credit hours of studio art required before you even declare it as major in sophomore year.</p>
<p>Daughter= needs to earn 12 to 18 prescribed hours of studio art, according to the FINE ART registrar starting now in order to graduate ON TIME!!!</p>
<p>Daughter is closed out of all studio classes from the get go!!!</p>
<p>Head of Art Dept.= can’t be reached</p>
<p>Fine Art Registrar=limited power, places kids on waiting lists</p>
<p>Advisors=do not understand the B.F.A. or B.A. programs in the arts.-limited power, places kids on waiting lists</p>
<p>Office of Provost=Only allowed to work with assistant to Provost who knew nothing about the art programs at all. Promised to call me several times. Never does and I have to keep calling back with no results .</p>
<p>Presidents Office=called there. Guy who answered said that they will not address indidvidual student problems. Said to call the Provost office on a daily basis til they do something.</p>
<p>Conclusion: Administration doesn’t care about art program or innocent high school student
sold on the program on Accepted Students Day.</p>
<p>Tuesday morning your daughter needs to call RISD and MICA and see if it is too late for them her to matriculate there in the fall. Time to start formulating Plan B.</p>
<p>Where is the AU staff to clarify their position and their rules? I’m sure they don’t want future students to think the AU’s instructions and promotion of their services are deceptive and unprofessional!!!
Staff, please respond, a student should not be given false expectations or information. Otherwise, what kind of example is this for future professionals? I don’t know about this school but it upset me that a new freshman experiences such treatment.
Best Wishes for your daughter and please relax…I understand your frustration. I’m sure that if AU is a good University they will resolve the problem.
As parents we want the best for our children, but please relax, give them a couple of days to resolve the problem (Only because your daughter loves the University). In the meantime contact the other universities (RISD and MICA?) to discuss alternatives.</p>
<p>So I went to the website - it says right there that the BFA is within the College of Arts and Sciences, and basically exempts the student from none of its requirements. It also says Art 105 and Art 210 are required - so unless the head of department has arranged with the registrar to exempt the student from them, they are still required. It also says there are no such creatures as BFA students before 18 credits are earned. Is any of this different from your understanding? (I know my d. had no opportunity to commit to her area of specializatioon until she had 18 credits.)</p>
<p>So I see the registrar following its standard procedures, and the advisors and provost ceding that authority to the head of the department, who hasn’t been reached. I see no evidence that the Administration doesn’t care about its art program (which, note, has been structured inside its College of Arts and Sciences, which I imagine would look very different at RISD.)</p>
<p>But, and this is where I know absolutely nothing and am totally ignorant, I would have thought American an odd choice for a BFA relative to a place like RISD. A career in fine arts is difficult enough already, and I would imagine a place that specializes in producing graduates headed toward such careers would have liikely been a better choice. When my d. accepted American, she knew she had closed off the music conservatory option, and was clear she didn’t even want to major or minor in music. So she (and we) experienced American’s flexibility, and her ability to get around the usual requirements a big plus. But had she been headed in the direction of a music degree, she would have known well in advance that it was embedded instead the College of Arts and Sciences, which had many, many requirements outside of performance. Certainly you and your d. see something there which isn’t obvious to me.</p>
<p>Anyhow, I hope it works out for your d., and that if RISD is in her future, it turns out to be a great choice!</p>
<p>Run, don’t walk, to RISD or MICA and plead your case. These are wonderful schools for BFA candidates and I bet your daughter would thrive there. At this point in time, she should be worrying about dorms and roommates, not fighting what sounds like an unbending, unresponsive, possibly misleading bureaucracy. The mountain you & your D are climbing now with AU could continue for several semesters; as another poster remarked, it sounds like your daughter is a guinea pig for AU’s BFA program. This does not bode well for her future at AU if she really wants a BFA.</p>
<p>What RISD kids are doing now (last I checked a few weeks ago) is starting a traveling sketchbook. One kid draws on a few pages in the sketchbook and then passes it to the next kid on the list, and so on. Then the last kid will bring it to RISD in September. (They’re organizing it over facebook.) Your daughter would probably enjoy using her energy to create art rather than fighting AU to get the art classes she needs!</p>
<p>Mini:</p>
<p>Yes, you are clearly supporting my point! Art 210 IS required to start earning the 18 credits towards declaring yourself as a B.F.A. That is exactly what they are giving away to upperclassmen and not a freshman who is interested in the B.F.A. The 105 is not a studio course. You are clearly defending my point that the art department wasn’t careful to set aside the 210, 205, etc. for freshman who actually plan to major in art. Yes you need those 18 credits and you need to start them now to graduate on time. They are considering placing her in an upper level course because of their mistakes and also she is too advanced for 205 and 210. Thanks.</p>
<p>Upsetmom</p>
<p>Wow! I’m so so so sorry. American has some great PR people that know how to sell the school. I visited them and really liked it. Had they not screwed me on financial, I probably would have seriously considered it.</p>
<p>Mini:</p>
<pre><code>I forgot to clarify again that my daughter chose AU over RISD and MICA, because when we visited those schools on their accepted students days and info sessions, it was clear that academic subjects were not emphasized enough. My husband, daughter ,and I ultimately came to the conclusion that to survive in the world that you really need an academic background combined with the development of art skills to be prepared to face the business world when you leave college. You need to be able to communicate intelligently, write well, know math, have some business sense etc. We thought that AU having a business program, Communications etc., would be a perfect combination of business, liberal arts, communications with her FOCUS still being fine art. In fact, at the end, she was choosing between Syracuse and AU. Syracuse had a broad based program with a bachelor’s of fine arts art program. She decided she liked AU’s campus and weather(haha) better. She also took a pre-college course at AU, 2 summers ago and liked the campus. So, it is not quite that simple that MICA or RISD is better than AU. I have to tell ou that I have a combined degree of me history/econ degree from Johns Hopkins University and art from MICA. Just going to MICA would not have me afforded the great jobs I obtained with the academics from Hopkins. She thought she could get this great combo of art and academics from AU without attending 2 schools like I did. MICA’s neighborhood was dangerous with no guaranteed housing on campus after 1st year. At the accepted students day there a kid on a discussion panel there who said he had been robbed near MICA. It has changed since I was there frankly. RISD did seem very practical. They bragged how they made diplomas out of cookies and constructed these odd rafts to float on the river. Honestly, I did not see the emphasis at all on academics there, though Brown is across the street. I kinda thought RISD was overshadowed by Brown.
</code></pre>
<p>Upsetmom</p>
<p>I’m more than a little confused. To me, it sounds as though AU offers a BFA degree without a BFA program behind it. The OP indicated that her daughter wanted a more liberal arts curriculum, which is why she chose AU offer specialized colleges, but such a program would have its disadvantages – not that this particular problem could have been anticipated.</p>
<p>Upsetmom: I posted before I read your latest messages. Sorry. </p>
<p>Th problem, as I see it, based on your observations and Mini’s info, is that the B.F.A. degree is more academic-based than most programs, which means that students, as in most colleges, don’t declare their majors until sophomore year. In other words, she cannot be in the BFA program until she has finished her first year at AU. To graduate on time, she’ll have to take almost all the rest of her courses in the art department. That makes sense since a B.F.A. is a degree that makes no pretenses of being anything other than a highly concentrated study of art. I suspect that because it is within the College of Arts and Sciences, it must open its courses to all students, with preference given to majors, something your daughter cannot officially become until sophomore year. </p>
<p>When it comes down to it, the very qualities that attracted your D to AU are those that are keeping her out of the courses she wants to take. </p>
<p>Clearly, since you and your daughter don’t seem interested in talking to RISD to see if they will take her after all, your D has settled on AU as a fine university that will serve her interests in the long run.</p>