"The words 'text' and 'textile' share the same Latin root, 'texere', which means 'to weave'," points out Katie Glusica, SCAD fibers professor, artist, and avowed bibliophile. "We impress upon our fibers students how other disciplines use the language of tapestry and cloth as descriptors. When we talk about writing, for example, we might say 'weaving a story'. There is a fundamental relationship between words and fibers."

A peek into Glusica's personal library shows the diversity of her interests: poetry, astronomy, religion, history, quantum mechanics, fiction. Well-thumbed tomes sport copious Post-Its colored like parakeets' plumage. Currently conducting SCAD Summer Seminar classes for high school students interested in fibers, Katie is happy to make time to discuss a few topical titles.

Jen Bervin, Silk Poems (Nighboat Books, 2017): "These experimental poems move across the page based on the DNA of silk and the movements of silkworms. This book, as an object, is part of the work itself—the cover and pages feel like silk. A great example of text meets textile."

James Essinger, Jacquard's Web: How A Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age (Oxford University Press, 2007): "The invention of the Jacquard loom in the early 1800s spurred the Industrial Revolution and ultimately led to the invention of the computer. Because weaving is such a time-consuming process, the Jacquard loom enabled people to afford more material goods and affected socioeconomic dynamics. Fascinating history."

Brian Greene, Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe (Knopf, 2020): "I learned of this book from an interview with the author on New Books Network. I found myself scribbling notes, talking back to the podcast. Greene is a mathematics and physics professor, and he's big into interdisciplinary thinking, which I like. As humans, we have a crisis if we don't know what meaning is. So, how do we mine our material for meaning, as artists?"

Tatyana Tolstaya, Aetherial Worlds (Vintage, 2019): "Short short stories, beautifully written. Notes about the human condition and soul from a very humanistic and humoristic place. The language is amazing. There's almost a sense of magical realism. Yes, she's a descendant of Tolstoy, who makes an appearance in one of the stories. I've read this whole book twice. Do you want to borrow it?"

Joan Livingstone (editor) & John Ploof (editor), The Object of Labor: Art, Cloth, and Cultural Production (The MIT Press, 2007): "This is a textbook used in the SCAD fibers department, typically with graduate students. It's a series of essays. I'm particularly fond of ‘Material and Memory' by Mary Jane Jacob, where she makes connections between cloth, daily life and ‘the fabric of society.'"

Ching-In Chen (editor), Jai Dulani (editor), & Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (editor), The Revolution Starts at Home (AK Press, 2011) and Alain de Botton (editor), The School of Life: An Emotional Education (The School of Life, 2019):  "Conflict can happen in any situation, including in the classroom. De-escalating conflict is a form of integrity. These are valuable books on creating healthy interpersonal relationships, the importance of emotional intelligence, and how to form and strengthen movements that can create positive change. Timely!"

www.katieglusica.com

The work is more than skin deep. Yet the epidermis is important. In 2018, SCAD Museum of Art presented "Testing the Name," an exhibition of new drawings by Toyin Ojih Odutola. The exhibition continued her exploration of the merger of two fictional aristocratic Nigerian families through the marriage of two men. Working primarily in pastel on paper, Ojih Odutola constructed an episodic, virtuosic body of work. The following remarks are edited for concision from Ojih Odutola's conversation with SCAD MOA curatorial staff.

Toyin Ojih Odutola, "The Proposal," pastel, charcoal and pencil on paper, 53.5" x 47.9" x 2.5", 2017.

Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, New York. © Toyin Ojih Odutola.

Toyin Ojih Odutola:

"Testing the Name" is part of a larger project that I've been working on since 2016. It was predicated by the idea of analyzing and dissecting wealth through historically oppressed bodies, and having the spaces they occupy not be a factor in what they consider themselves to be. The whole experiment was to depict one family who weren't smiling for you, who didn't care about your comfort as a viewer, it was about what they chose to do.

From that, I started to hone in on the marriage of two Nigerian men, one Igbo, one Yoruba. It is illegal to be gay in Nigeria. People say, "Why would you tell this story? It's fictive!" But it could be true. It's about testing the honor of the family name. And the father is saying "The family name is not affected by this." So, you're coming into a space of acceptance, and being human, and the son's narrative is just as important as anyone else in the family. That's the core.

When I first started my career, I was working in ballpoint pen. I was engaging with not only blackness as a material, but also skin. I wanted to show an activated surface, a surface that didn't feel flattened and monolithic. Every material choice I've made since then has explored that or expanded that.

Skin is a dynamic entity. The stare that the subject gives is very direct, but the skin is unsettled and dynamic. It feels like they're breathing, that they could come to life at any moment. But their gaze is very direct, whether that's at you or somewhere else in the picture plane.

When I first came to this country, I was immediately aware of how this covering, my epidermis, read before I entered a room. It was somehow a cloud or a front that people would engage with before even speaking to me, before they got to know me. And that fascinated me as a kid, because I am a person. There are contradictions about me, there are a lot of things that come together to make me, and it can't just be one thing. I can't be one person based on an epidermis. So, I play on skin as one way to push against that idea of what we presume to be a person.

My advice for students is stay hungry. The thing that always drove me is that I was hungry, not just for respect and recognition, but to draw. There's a certain compulsion you have to have. There were times when I was in my apartment in Alabama, and I didn't know what my drawings were, but I loved them so much, because I thought: I just want to see this for me. That can be so powerful. And if you hold on to that, whatever comes will come. You have to be satisfied with your mark.

Toyin Ojih Odutola.

A city populated by protesters rises from a tear-streaked face. In the background, Stars and Stripes bears the message: "AMERICA, GOD BLESS YOU IF IT'S GOOD TO YAH."

"Say His Name" is an acrylic-on-canvas painting by Mickey Demas (B.F.A., industrial design, 2020) commissioned by BET. Demas, a graduate of St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C., has created a powerfully resonant work of art in a time of uncertainty and change. As the artist says: "I want my portrait of George Floyd to emphasize his humanity."

Mickey Demas, “SAY HIS NAME,“ acrylic on canvas, 2020.

Mickey Demas:

I'm a Black woman, yes, and I'm a Black person of privilege. I always thought that living in a certain type of house or getting a certain type of education exempted me from police brutality. But as I see these cases and see the people around me crying out, I realize that's not the case.

The opportunity to create this painting for BET came at the right time. It gave me a sense of purpose, as the protests over the death of George Floyd coincide with a lonely feeling that comes from being stuck inside so long.

BET wanted an image that would resonate on social media. I already had an artwork I'd created called "City of Doubt" which shows a woman with a city growing out of her head. BET suggested using that painting as an inspiration for a portrait of George Floyd.

I went to a protest here in my hometown, Burtonsville, Maryland. As we were marching to music, Kendrick Lamar's "Humble" came on. I thought back to Kendrick's performance at the Grammy Awards that began with his lyric "America, God bless you if it's good to you." Kendrick had a flag flying in the background, and I wanted to use that visual in my painting as well.

When a soldier's in distress, they fly the flag upside down. As Black people, we are in distress. I wanted to convey the message of pain. Placing the flag upside down does not imply I don't love this country. But until I feel our humanity is acknowledged by everyone, I must fly it upside down.

I've been painting my whole life. At SCAD, majoring in industrial design became the bridge for all my artistic passions. I think the job of all designers is to improve the standard of living. Most designs are geared towards people of means who look a certain way. So, the real job of design is to create equity and open up conversations that may make people uncomfortable, but will ultimately generate understanding.

Professor Jr Neville Songwe was my favorite industrial design teacher at SCAD. I'd never seen a Black industrial designer before, but it's not just that. He was a professor who, if I didn't get something right, would say, let's sit down and go over this. It was never about an easy way out. He said, if learning isn't going on, then I'm not doing my job. In his class, I created a design for a staple gun that I used as part of an application for a job with Stanley Black & Decker.

At SCAD, I was a member of the Black Student Association. It was the first time where I saw a black students association where the vice president was white. That's progress. SCAD BSA is a fun place to see friends and work on projects together, share ideas and how they relate to our culture. Sometimes I'd bring people to our Sunday meetings who'd never been to BSA. It's always great when new people come, and they see how welcome they are, which means they are welcome to challenge us and ask us questions.

I've received a lot of love regarding "Say His Name" from friends, family, and classmates, some of whom I hadn't heard from in years. Messages of love from people I don't know too. It gives me hope.

More Mickey: MAHD DESIGN.

Jaylyn Lassiter, (M.F.A., painting), embraces natural beauty by showcasing the elegance, joy, and power of Black hair. A masters candidate in Atlanta, Jaylyn’s upcoming Open Studio showcase draws the viewer in to her world, her community, and her life through pieces including "Little Lady," "Locs," and "Bundles." Her collection is a year in the making and her work will continue as she portrays the Black experience in our world today. SCAD Open Studio takes place Friday, June 26-Sunday, June 28.

Jaylyn Lassiter (M.F.A., painting), “Little Lady,“ oil on canvas, 2020, 30" x 24".

Jaylyn Lassiter:

Growing up in in Chesapeake, Virginia, some people made comments about my hair. Negative comments. Un-educated comments. Comments that made me understand I was different. So, it was easy when I had to decide what to focus on for my senior project in undergrad— the beauty of Black hair. Black hair is more than a style or a cut. For some, it is an expression of who we are and a how we want to be seen in our community. For some, it is a reminder of our heritage and a way to show respect for those that came before us. For others, it is a fun, whimsical style element that can change on the season.

As I began painting my collection, I felt the power of the portraits come to life. At first, I was painting them on a smaller canvas, but I didn’t have enough room to capture the details. I had to crop and make sacrifices that I wasn’t willing to make. Now they are large scale paintings. The canvasses I choose allow me to fully realize the subject and allow the viewer to have a more powerful experience.

Some might not see these as typical portraits. My paintings crop out the wearer, their face and their identity, but these are portraits of hair. The hair is the subject. The hair is the story I am choosing to tell, and that story, much like each face, is unique. No two are exactly alike, and that’s a powerful message the world needs to see.

My first painting was of cornrows and that got me going. When I sold my second painting in this collection—"Locs"—I had this incredible feeling that I was really connecting with my audience. My favorite painting is "Little Lady" of a woman wearing a bright red dress and a string of pearls. Her dark arms and neck are glowing in front of a neutral background. Her hair shows signs of grey, and she has two tightly knotted buns at the base of her neck. It is simple, but I love the details.

These portraits are meant for everyone to enjoy. I am excited to share my work with the SCAD community through Open Studio.

I have felt at home at SCAD and have loved my experience in Atlanta. My passion for painting and my fellow classmates is on another level from where I was just a year ago. Professor Kent Knowles has helped me refine my work and has challenged me to push beyond my comfort zone. His critiques and guidance have really helped elevate my collection.

Going forward I will continue to tell the stories of the Black community. Beyond hair, I want to capture the figures, the people and the individuals who make our community special. The Black community in America is fighting to be recognized. We are fighting to be heard, and honestly fighting for our lives. As part of the Black Lives Matter movement, I painted “No Justice, No Peace." We all need to speak up and make sure our voices are heard. This is how I can do that best.

See more of Jaylyn Lassiter’s work on her Open Studio page.

Top image: “No Justice, No Peace,“ oil on canvas, 2020.

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 26-28, SCAD hosts its first virtual Open Studio, showcasing more than 500 student and alumni works. The 15th annual Open Studio event, a destination for art collectors and enthusiasts, offers exclusive access to work by the university's community of talented artists.

Open Studio will showcase more than 500 jury-selected works submitted by students, alumni, and faculty from across a wide range of degree programs, including illustration, painting, photography, and printmaking. Participating SCAD artists include Anthony 'Mojo' Reed (B.F.A., sequential art, 2015), Carla Contreras (M.F.A., painting, 2019), Jaylyn Lassiter (M.F.A., painting), Elli Burris (M.F.A., printmaking), Conrad Maxwell Girod (B.F.A., photography, 2020), Bradley Collins (B.F.A., painting, 2020) and Ashna Malik (B.F.A., painting, 2020). A portion of proceeds will benefit the SCAD Student Relief Fund, helping students with financial hardships complete their degrees.

"Now more than ever it is important to support and uplift the creative voices in our communities," said Rachel Evans, director, SCAD Art Sales. "SCAD continues to provide a stellar education for fine artists, supporting both current students and established alumni and faculty. SCAD's first online Open Studio event will enable patrons around the world to shop original SCAD artwork from our talented emerging artists."

SCAD Art Sales, a premier curatorial platform, will offer guests access to its expansive artist network through the work on display. Launched in Winter 2016, SCAD Art Sales represents a unique channel whereby SCAD champions its students and alumni. Artwork available for purchase ranges in price, with inventory continuously updated as new and established artists submit work through the SCAD Art Sales online portal.

Open Studio will take place Fri.-Sun., June 26-28 on the dedicated Open Studio page. A "view-in-room" feature will also be available on the mobile platform via the ArtCloud app, making it possible for shoppers to preview works in their home before placing an order.

Check back here for exclusive SCADworks interviews with featured Open Studio artists this week.

Top image: Bradley Collins (B.F.A., painting, 2020), "1.3.5.2.4.5.6," acrylic on canvas, 2019, 50" x 60".

"We don't need to just make room, we need to change the defaults," writes Dr. Roy Christopher in his book Dead Precedents: How Hip-Hop Defines the Future (Repeater Books, 2019). As a scholar and theorist, Christopher engages critical thinking with pop culture to show that innovation is a key to liberation. As a SCAD communications professor, he is beloved for his kinetic lectures and candor. Catch Roy cruising around Savannah on his bike, and he's happy to stop and talk about his favorite new records and the power of the written word. Here are a few books the avowed bibliophile deems crucial to his development as a writer and educator.

Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (Houghton-Mifflin, 1964): "There's no way around the importance of Marshall McLuhan and this book to my research interests and my ideas about teaching. Originally conceived as a media-literacy primer for high-school students, this book was reconfigured and became the bible of media theory."

Hakim Bey, T.A.Z.: The Temporary Autonomous Zone (Autonomedia, 1985): "This book (the full title is T.A.Z: The Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism) is ultimately what I strive to create in a classroom, especially one teaching communication: a space where the rules are determined by the discourse of those present, improvisational structuration applied to pedagogy."

Tricia Rose, Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America (Wesleyan University Press, 1994): "The first full-on academic exploration of hip-hop culture, Dr. Rose's Black Noise showed that anything that compels learning is fresh fodder for teaching. I go back to this one often."

Tina Fey, Bossypants (Little, Brown, 2011) and David Lee Roth, Crazy from the Heat (Hyperion, 1997): "These two books, ostensibly autobiographies, are actually handbooks for managing people and projects, two of the main skills needed for running a class and a classroom. I use anecdotes from both of these books in lectures and when constructing syllabi."

James Gleick, Chaos: Making a New Science (Scribner, 1987): "If not for this book, I wouldn't have become a reader instead of a viewer, a scholar instead of a spectator, a teacher instead of a journalist. I reread it regularly. The effect this book had on me is well-documented in this interview from 2015."

Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner, Teaching as a Subversive Activity (Delacorte Press, 1969): "Teaching might not seem like the coolest thing to some people, but if everyone read this book, we'd be considered rock stars. Postman and Weingartner make teaching sound downright dangerous. And it is, you know."

Read Roy's interview with Tricia Rose in the forthcoming Follow for Now, Vol. 2 (Punctum Books).

www.roychristopher.com

In a department that openly advocates sustainable design, fibers student Victoria Wanjuhi's master's thesis, "Cluster," is an ingenious commentary on the global textile and fashion industries. Her work is also wildly enjoyable as abstract art.

Wanjuhi (pronounced Wa-jo-he) received her B.F.A. in fashion design from SCAD Atlanta in 2013, worked in the garment industry as an assistant designer for four years ("I saw how much waste was created with mass-produced clothing"), then came to SCAD Savannah to pursue her fibers M.F.A.

"Cluster" emphasizes the importance of rethinking discarded materials. While Wanjuhi refers to her accompanying thesis paper as "an exhibition catalog," her writing is a rigorously researched analysis of the effects of the first world shipping undesirable fabric to less developed nations. Wanjuhi studied how specific communities in Kenya, India, and Brazil deal with the deluge, inspiring her to create the extraordinary "Cluster."

Victoria Wanjuhi:

When I was a teenager, I used to deconstruct denim; I'd cut it up and sew it back together. I'd heard this term "fashion designer" and googled the best fashion school. SCAD came up. I spoke to a recruiter, and showed her a dress I was making out of boxes. I thought, they won't take me, it's too strange. But SCAD said yes! My SCAD journey, including the years between degrees I spent working, has been a decade of discovery.

Upon entering the graduate program at SCAD, I took a knitting class with professor Liz Sargent. I was reminded how much I loved working in abstract forms. Then I took a printmaking class that allowed me to explore how I could transfer my tactile fiber works into two-dimensional prints. Techniques from different disciplines became essential to my fibers projects. My thesis work explores processes including machine knitting, printmaking, and jacquard weaving. 

I went to visit Kenya in 2018, after 10 years away, with my Mom. It was a good time to go. That was the start of exploring the craft of beading practiced by Maasai women. The result was "Scraps of Denim," a set of four Jacquard woven pieces, using leftover threads from my previous projects, embellished with colorful Maasai glass beads to create color contrast with the blue background. I collaborated with Noonkokua Enole Naingisa, a local artisan based in Maasai Mara. We designed the layout of the beadwork for textiles, while the sequence of beading was based on her artistic decisions.

Kibera, in Nairobi, along with the Brazilian favelas in Rio, and Dharavi in Mumbai, India, are resourceful communities that have taken ownership of their environments. From the outside, these alternative communities appear endless and clustered; when you enter, you realize that there is an underlying organization at play and that the inhabitants are aware of their footprint within their communities.

SCAD taught me that having access to diverse creative fields is a huge advantage. I collaborated with Juanita Holmes (B.F.A., fashion, 2013) to create handcrafted couture shoes from upcycled material, and with Victoria Lake (M.F.A., animation) to create a 3D depiction of the favelas.

By exploring the possibilities and potential of materials, we can give new life to what has been discarded. "Cluster" reflects my world view. I'm proud of my SCAD experience.

www.wanjuhi.com

"He makes glamour for the next generation," read the headline of journalist Naomi Elizée's Teen Vogue profile of Christopher John Rogers (B.F.A., fashion, 2016) in February, 2019. At that moment, Rogers had just shown his second New York Fashion Week collection. In November, he was awarded the first-place, $400,000 prize Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)/Vogue Fashion Fund. The transformative award gave Rogers the juice to rent a studio in Soho, create his own eponymous line, and hire full-time the team he'd been working with since his days at SCAD.

This week, Rogers and his brand director Christina Ripley (B.F.A., fashion marketing and management, 2016), studio director David Rivera (B.F.A., dramatic writing, 2016) and production designer Alex Tyson (B.F.A., fashion, 2016) participated for a special Guests and Gusto virtual chat, hosted, appropriately, by Elizee. The wide-ranging, hour-long conversation, watched by SCAD students online, addressed what it means to work in fashion at this moment, and the joys of dressing celebrities including Michelle Obama, SZA, Lizzo, Cardi B, Lil Nas X, and Priyanka Chopra.

Elizée brought up the fact that brands big and small alike are struggling to stay afloat in a moment where there are no red carpets or editorial shoots.

"In the fashion industry, everything is interconnected," agreed Tyson. "This has forced us to literally sit still and recharge. I hope it only happens once!"

"Most of the people we work with have become like family: makeup artists, hairstylist, buyers, store owners," added Rivera. "Knowing that we're going through this together, we have a responsibility that for Spring/Summer 2021 we will make a collection that is joyful and hopeful about the future."

On how the fashion world will be changed, and what current SCAD can hope for, Rogers emphasized versatility and vision: "I think the days of being a blank slate and trying to please everybody are over. People are going to be focusing on hiring people who have an incredible amount of intention and are adaptable to many different situations.

"Show people that you care and are passionate about what you're doing. The summer before I graduated from SCAD, I interned in New York. I didn't have money to go out, so I was just working. One of my internships was with Tanya Taylor. She said, 'Who here knows how to illustrate fashion sketches?' I ended up sketching out their audition for the Swarovski collective. She got the sponsorship, and all the things I sketched for her wound up reaching fruition. She introduced me to the Swarovski team, and I was able to use Swarovski elements in my senior collection at SCAD."

The CJR team's final word? "Remember to be kind and check in with everyone!"

Thanks to Michael Fink, Dean, School of Fashion, Naomi Elizée, and all the Bees who Zoom-ed in!

In much of the country, medical workers on the frontlines are dangerously exposed to COVID-19 as they treat patients and save lives. Personal protection equipment is in short supply. Savannah hospitals are braced for a surge in cases throughout the month and the need for PPE is accelerating.

To champion Savannah's medical community as they treat patients and prepare for a sharp rise in cases, the SCADpro design studio has partnered with the SCAD industrial design to devise and produce face shields for frontline medical workers at Savannah's St. Joseph's/Candler Health System using the university's high tech resources and state-of-the-art 3D printers.

The SCAD shield is engineered to relieve pressure on the ears, minimizing the facial bruising commonly experienced by medical workers as they work long hours to stem the novel coronavirus. SCAD is producing 30 shields a day and has already donated 90 of them to St. Joseph/Candler. At the request of Savannah hospitalists, SCAD has also designed and is 3D printing special straps that help keep the masks medical workers are wearing from rubbing on their ears. So far SCAD has delivered more than 250 straps to Savannah doctors and nurses.

University leadership and faculty are diligently working on the initiative, led by SCAD Chief Operating Officer Glenn Wallace. "We rolled up our sleeves, fired up the printers, and started prototyping immediately," said Wallace. "I'm proud that our SCAD community is contributing to Savannah's wellbeing, as we have done for years, but now in a new way. SCAD is poised to make a serious contribution to the medical community, and our design has already improved the day-to-day of many healthcare professionals."

SCAD has also acquired and delivered more than 1,000 N95 masks to St. Joseph's/Candler and Memorial hospitals, and the university is investigating new opportunities, including a project to produce a reusable, easily disinfected mask with SCAD community partners that would offer a superior alternative to the N95 masks in short supply. SCAD is employing the innovative technology of its Gulfstream Center for Design, as well as Fahm Hall, home of SCADlab and the university's jewelry degree program.

SCAD is honored to support its community and the nation during these challenging times, and always. The university will continue to provide innovative design solutions as the city rises together to stem this crisis.

About SCADpro: SCADpro is a design and innovation studio that generates business solutions, products, and services for the world's most influential brands. Recognized as the premier university partner in higher education and among design agencies worldwide, SCADpro infuses fresh thinking into faster, smarter, and better results for a client list of global giants, including Google and NASA.

Learn more about SCADpro here.

Through the award-winning SCAD eLearning platform, SCAD launched its virtual spring quarter Monday, March 30, 2020 for more than 15,000 students around the globe. 
 
A pioneer in online creative education, SCAD has made significant enhancements to strengthen digital resources for this historic transition to virtual learning. These new online resources include Zoom-enabled masterclasses, conversations, and demonstrations with industry leaders like artist Marilyn Minter, creative director Donald Robertson, costume designer Ane Crabtree, actor Tommy Dewey, tastemaker Carson Kressley, and many other friends of SCAD.
 
In addition to offering an expansive electronic library archive, the university has arranged for students to have access to more than 35 software programs utilized in the professions SCAD graduates will soon be entering. From anywhere in the world, SCAD students can create captivating graphics and storyboards using Toon Boom, the same software used by leading animation producers. Students have the capability to create 2D and 3D games and immersive environments with Unreal Engine and Unity and develop superior graphics using Cinema 4D and ZBrush. They also have access to a full music-production suite with Ableton Live, the same program used by digital music impresarios like Diplo, David Guetta, and Deadmau5. 
 
"SCAD's virtual resources meet and often exceed what our graduates will be using in the workplace in their future professions," said Dr. Gokhan Ozaysin, SCAD chief academic officer. "These resources are available to students regardless of location. We've crafted a curriculum for students to get comfortable with distance learning, as so many creative fields call for flexibility and remote work environments."
 
SCAD is the first creative university to earn the Instructional Technology Council's award for Outstanding Distance Education and the rank of Excellence in Institution-wide Online Teaching and Learning from the Online Learning Consortium. 
 
Of SCAD seniors, 63% have already taken an online class and are well positioned to excel during remote learning. SCAD eLearning students are taught by the same experienced faculty members who teach students at SCAD locations across the globe. 
 
"These are unsettling times affecting all of us, and the need to move to virtual classes is understandably disconcerting to many, especially those who've never taken an online course," said Dr. Audra Pittman, vice president, SCAD Atlanta.
 
"SCAD has been a world leader in online education for over a decade. We already offered 27 degree programs entirely online, the online world is not new to SCAD," said John Buckovich, vice president, SCAD Savannah. "We realize, for many of our students, virtual learning is not necessarily what they envisioned for our spring quarter, but change and the unexpected are part of everyday life. Our students and parents can have confidence in SCAD's ability to provide seriously substantive instruction every quarter, pandemic or no." 
 
To further assist students and faculty, SCAD also announces:
 

• Any student completing a course this spring and who is not satisfied will be offered a free retake of the same course. 
• No late fees will be charged for the spring quarter. 
• Fees for setting up a payment plan for the spring quarter will be waived. 
• All students will be allowed to register for Fall 2020, regardless of account balances that would normally prevent registration. 
• Students who chose to move out of SCAD residence halls are having their spring quarter housing and meal plan charges refunded in full, and will be able to keep the university housing portion of their scholarships for the spring quarter.
• Students who choose to defer enrollment until SCAD on-ground classes reopen will not lose their scholarships.

 
For more information on SCAD eLearning, visit scad.edu/elearning.
For more information on SCAD's robust response to COVID-19, visit scad.edu/coronavirus.