THE ART OF A
COLLEGE EDUCATION
Toland says the university’s fast
growth reflects a willingness to
teach art to anyone who is interested, not just a privileged few.
“Most people haven’t had the
chance to develop a portfolio,
especially if they don’t have parents that can pay for art classes
and can afford to take summers
off to make art,” she says. “The
school is their opportunity to
prove themselves.”
Still, the Academy’s expansion has sparked bitter confrontations with city planners and
slow-growth activists, who argue
the school’s real estate appetite is
helping to exacerbate a citywide
housing crunch, making San Francisco increasingly unaffordable for
all but its wealthiest inhabitants.
“When you’re growing with no
end in sight, that’s like a cancer,
like a virus,” former San Francisco
Deputy Mayor Brad Paul says of
the school’s real estate empire.
The school’s academic reputation is also at risk. California
higher education officials recently blocked it from receiving
state tuition grants, arguing that
its recent graduation rate of less
than 30 percent doesn’t justify
further public investment.
In addition, a group of former
HUFFINGTON
10.28.12
A RAPIDLY GROWING
STUDENT BODY
Enrollment at the Academy of Art University has grown swiftly in
recent years, more than doubling since 2005.
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
recruiters has filed suit against
the school, claiming some of its
student enrollment growth was
the result of bonuses, raises and
other enticements offered to recruiters if they met sales targets.
Compensation schemes rewarding
recruiters based on the number
of students enrolled violate federal law. The Academy declined to
comment on the matter.
“It seems to me that money is
their number one priority,” says
Natalie Wilkey, who got a BA from
the school’s fashion merchandising program in 2010. “They’re not
about the community, it’s more
like they’re a corporation.”
For-profit colleges such as the
Academy of Art have proliferated
over the past decade, growing the
2008
2010