Huffington Magazine Issue 20 | Page 42

THE ART OF A COLLEGE EDUCATION number of student enrollments more than fivefold nationwide since 1999. They advertise heavily on subway cars, highway billboards and late-night television, often promoting degrees as a path to career advancement. Such schools have increasingly caught the eye of federal regulators and state attorneys general, who have moved to crack down on institutions that promise more than they deliver, leaving students stuck in debt and without improved job prospects. Some of the largest players in the industry, including the University of Phoenix, have experienced enrollment declines over the past year as government regulations have tightened. Unlike the for-profit system’s many problem children, the Academy hasn’t been charged by authorities with violating any laws, and many art and design professionals and students consider its curriculum top-drawer. Also, unlike many for-profit institutions that have sprung up almost overnight in recent years, the Academy of Art has a long tradition in San Francisco, with a history stretching back to the late 1920s. The school’s student loan default rate — often an indicator of HUFFINGTON 10.28.12 poor student performance after college — is well below the national average, and far below the average default rates of other forprofit schools. Administrators cite statistics from last year showing an 80 percent job placement rate for graduates, though school officials say the measurement is preliminary because the U.S. Department of Education has not finalized the formula. “Because we make sure every student learns the fundamentals, employers tell us they love hiring our grads,” says Sue Rowley, the university’s executive vice president of educational services. “They don’t have to retrain our grads on basic skills.” In many ways, the Academy’s profile and problems are more akin to the woes facing law schools, which also have been criticized for over-enrolling students who are then burdened with heavy loan debts and graduate into an intensely competitive and unforgiving job market. As the Academy aims for continued expansion on the ground and online, former students and faculty have questioned how a university rooted in the creative arts will be able to follow through on promises of practical career training. Research has found that students graduating with degrees