i. institutional support and commitment to continuous improvement

School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects
Master of Architecture
Master of Architecture with emphasis in Interior Architecture
In most departments at SAIC, the greater percentage of courses are currently taught by part-time
faculty. In response, the adjunct stabilization reviews were designed to assess the faculty and curricular
needs of each department. This process, overseen by the Division Chairs and the Dean of Faculty,
presents each department chair with the ratio of part-time to full-time faculty in their department,
considered in context with the number of courses, enrollments, graduate students, programs and
special facilities. This analysis has proven valuable in helping departments articulate their needs. For
example, some departments need more full-time faculty, while professional degrees such as the MArch
require a balance of full-time faculty and part-time professionals. The adjunct stabilization process has
proven valuable for the Deans Office when planning for future full-time searches.
4) Institutional accreditation self-study
Every ten years, SAIC undergoes a joint accreditation by the School’s two institution-wide accrediting
bodies: the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the
regional accrediting body; and, the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the specialized,
discipline-based accrediting body. SAIC’s next accreditation visit will take place in 2012–13 academic
year with the two-year institutional self-study process beginning during the 2010-11 academic year.
During Fall 2010, the administration will establish the parameters, workplan, and calendar in agreement
with its accrediting organizations. This will inaugurate a two-year period of self-assessment in all areas
of the School, resulting in a major reporting document. Central to this assessment will be the strategic
initiatives drafted by the Strategic Planning Committee’s and the formation of the committee’s action
groups, which will also be determined this fall.
5) Systemic challenges and assessment
The minimum per-course-rate (PCR) for beginning part-time faculty was increased by $200 to
$3800 for Fall 2010. Faculty with the rank of Adjunct Assistant Professors receive a minimum PCR
of $4000 plus benefits, and the small number of Adjunct Assistant Professors with ten or more
years of service who were earning a less competitive wage were moved to $4200 PCR. The Part-
Time Concerns Committee, composed of elected faculty working with the Office of the Deans and
Division Chairs, continue to discuss issues of rank and compensation, and are considering a model
that considers numbers of courses taught rather than years of service. To do so presents a unique
software challenge, and staff and programmers are currently pursuing this model in PeopleSoft, the
institution’s common data storage system.
In 2008-09 the faculty in the AIADO department appointed three program directors: one for
graduate programs in Architecture and Interior Architecture, one for undergraduate programs (BIA
and BFA with an architecture pathway), and one for Designed Objects. Academic year 2009–10
had five searches, which resulted in eight hires and two Full-time Visiting Artist appointments, two
of whom were appointed in the AIADO Department. In, 2010–11, the School is conducting eleven
searches. This increase among full-time searches was due, in part, to the thorough data collected
during the adjunct stabilization process, described above.
The financial course sailed by SAIC has remained steady because enrollment numbers have met
projections. For a tuition-driven school such as SAIC—which receives a significant portion of its
annual budget from tuition revenue—this has been advantageous; however, it is not a tenable long-
range plan. As discussed more fully in section I.1.4 Long-Range Planning, one of the major strategic
initiatives going forward is to move SAIC to a less tuition-driven financial model.
Architecture Program Report | 42