For Adult Continuing Education courses--unfortunately, unless they carried college credits, there wouldn't be a transcript. Back then, the office in charge would write letters certifying completion of courses, but they were not transcripts. To my knowledge, the only coursework under that program carrying college credits were Pre-College Courses.

I took several courses through the Adult Continuing Education program. I tried a transcript request through BPPE, but they have not records for me. How can I find records of the classes I took?!

Note on transcripts not showing the degree received--if you attended between 1990-1999 approximately, your transcript would exist in two separate indices for the BPPE. One version might not have the degree posted, but the other would. The BPPE did confirm that they search both indices for every transcript request and provide everything they find. Nevertheless, if your transcript doesn't show the degree, I suggest asking them to check the other index.

For some reason my transcript doesn't mention my convocation. Can't find my original diploma. This is all of a sudden a problem as I'm trying to get teaching job.
Not sure what to do here...

SFAI Transcripts: You can order your SFAI transcripts free of charge from BPPE https://www.bppe.ca.gov/students/transcripts.shtml
These transcripts are COPIES of the official transcripts and can be sent directly to the school or employer you need them to go with a letter from BPPE explaining the situation. Since SFAI is no more, no new official transcripts can be generated. So far we have not had any issues with transcripts provided by BPPE. If you should have issues please contact us at info@sfartistsalumni.org

Hi, I recei my transcript but it is not official. The BPPE says they do not generate signed not stamped transcripts. Who can help me with this?

Hi!
I graduated from SFAI in 2013 and I am now in the process of applying for grad school. I just read an article that was published last August about how SFAA is working to get access to the transcripts to help alumni who are seeking access to their transcripts. If you could pass me any information in regards to this topic I would greatly appreciate any guidance and help. Thank you!

All SFAI alumni can request their SFAI transcript for free from BPPE with the transcript request form on this page (upper right corner): https://www.bppe.ca.gov/students/transcripts.shtml
Fastest way is to fill out digitally and email to the email listed on the form! Please help spread the word for people who are not on the SFAA mailing list!

Hi (cc: Maria Theresa Barbist),

Need to obtain my transcripts, I'm applying to grad school with deadlines on Feb. 1 / Feb 15th... I've emailed bankruptcy trustee Mr. Mansdorf and saw the BPPE link, do you have any up-to-date info on who to contact for this?

Thanks so much. RIP SFAI. The death of a dream.

- Elsa, '15 / Painting

anyone who wants to stay in touch:
elsahends@gmail.com / insta: @djdavidhockney

what is the code for unofficial transcripts

SFAI CAMPUS SOLD! Yesterday the SF bankruptcy court overseeing the San Francisco Art Institute’s Chapter 7 case approved the sale of 800 Chestnut (land, building and mural) to a non profit organization lead by Lauren Powell Jobs, David Stull, president and CEO of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Brenda Way, founder of the ODC/Dance Company for USD 31 million! The sale will take months to be official but everything looks promising that a new art school will inhabit this wonderful place!

i have had my alumni email bkocked i need it for my banking life courts cases im in this was immedialy after i mentioned i was sueing megan obrien
i was eseidenglanz at alumni. sfai i am forced to report it to ic3 but why so petty wtf is wrong with the people left their

We discussed the rezoning of the 800 chestnut campus in the SFAA liaison team today and how we can support. Adrian Card and Judy Gittelsohn wrote this for everyone who would like to email to Supervisor Peskin Aaron.Peskin@sfgov.org:

Dear Supervisor Peskin,
As an alum of the San Francisco Art Institute, I am writing to you to voice my support for your proposed redistricting of Parcel Block 49, Lot 1, to become a Non-profit Arts Education Special Use District. SFAI was an important part of San Francisco for 151 years, and this redistricting will help keep that legacy alive. Thank you for your ongoing support of the arts in San Francisco.
Sincerely,

here is the info on rezoning: NON-PROFIT ARTS EDUCATION SPECIAL USE DISTRICT [BF 230294] – Planning Code and Zoning Map Amendments – Ordinance, sponsored by Supervisor Peskin, to amend the Planning Code to create the Non-Profit Arts Education Special Use District (Assessor's Parcel Block No. 49, Lot No. 1, generally bounded by Francisco Street, Jones Street, Chestnut Street, and Leavenworth Street, and numbered as 800 Chestnut Street); amending the Zoning Map to show the Non-Profit Arts Education Special Use District; affirming the Planning Department's determination under the California Environmental Quality Act; making findings of consistency with the General Plan, and the eight priority policies of Planning Code, Section 101; and making findings of public necessity, convenience, and welfare pursuant to Planning Code, Section 302.

this item will be heard at the Historic Preservation Commission on Wednesday, Nov. 1 no earlier than 12:30 p.m. and will also be heard at the Planning Commission on Thursday, Nov. 2 no earlier than noon.


HPC: https://sfplanning.org/event/historic-preservation-commission-108
Planning Commission: https://sfplanning.org/event/planning-commission-222

I am still writing "SFAI, RIP" every time I have to list my degree—just did it again today applying for a Pulitzer Grant to return to Paradise, CA to revisit my reporting the Camp Fire's consequences almost five years ago. I still can't believe the school has closed, even as I saw behind the scenes working on the staff in 1989–1990 and knew firsthand its precarity. Thanks so much for organizing this, I wish I'd known of it sooner!

Good news! BPPE has received all 10k digital transcripts on Friday and now has all SFAI transcripts from 1960-2022. Please use this form to request your transcript from BPPE! https://www.bppe.ca.gov/students/transcript_req.pdf

BPPE now has SFAI transcripts from 1960 to 1999 which are in paper form and require processing time (available end of august). Check this link for information and contact info https://www.bppe.ca.gov/students/transcript_req.pdf

Transcripts from 2000 to 2022 not available yet since they need to be taken from a server which is being sorted out. Please contact bankruptcy trustee for updates at paul@mansdorftrustee.com

Where do I send a request for transcripts?

Let's start a class action and sue the lenders for loan forgiveness. Holla at me if you're into it. Missyweimer AT gmail DOT com

SFAI Transcripts should be available by the end of August! We will send out an email once BPPE is ready to accept transcript requests! They are currently scanning the paper transcripts (1960-1999) and the digital transcripts will be transferred to them in the next 2 weeks.

When will the transcripts for 1997 be available?

Update from bankruptcy trustee: To SFAI Alumni: (7/14/23 update) - The State DCA BPPE (the agency likely to take over the transcript records) is working diligently to arrange for a transfer of transcript data. Paper Transcripts for the 1960-1999 period are in custody of the State and will optimistically be accessible by August. I expect but cannot guarantee that by some point in August, the BPPE will be in custody of the transcript data. Government administrative processes that I am unable to expedite are controlling the timing matters.

BPPE now has SFAI transcripts from 1960 to 1999 which are in paper form and might require processing time. Check this link for information and contact info https://www.bppe.ca.gov/students/transcript_req.pdf

Transcripts from 2000 to 2022 not available yet since they need to be taken from a server which is being sorted out. Please contact trustee for updates. paul@mansdorftrustee.com

Please contact the bankruptcy trustee for any emergency transcript requests. If you have an unofficial transcript use that and explain the situation. The trustee is working on a longterm solution with the department of consumer affairs (BPPE).

Paul J. Mansdorf

Chapter 7 Trustee

1569 Solano Ave. #703

Berkeley, CA 94707

(510) 526-5993

I literally cannot transfer to UCLA without my transcripts. Panicking.

Anyone know how to obtain transcripts at this point?

SFAI died when it became fashionable to be there, when admin cubicles displaced the drawing studios, …. Before all of that, we lit ourselves on fire, jumped from the cafe roof naked, into the trees below…howling. It was glorious. Metamorphosis was a daily occurrence. Then the computers showed up…and then the well dressed admins….they made the school a failing business. But they sure looked good doing it.

Latest update from Bankruptcy trustee: At the present time, it is not possible to generate transcripts. SFAI no longer exists as an operating entity, there is no one to certify a transcript, and I am attempting to get the California Department of Consumer Affairs (with whom I have been in contact) to administer the transcripts. Sincerely, Paul Mansdorf, Trustee

Here’s my contact, please let me know if anyone has information on getting my transcripts

ZacAmendolia@gmail.com
Instagram - @zacamendolia

Hello Fellow SFAI Alumni,
I’m trying to get a hold of my transcripts from 2004 so I can enroll in City College. The unofficial digital copy would be a good start if the official ones aren’t available at this time. Can someone let me know how to proceed?
Thank you, Zac Amendolia

feel and think

Best wishes, LOTS of luck. Hope I can help promptly.

Good news! A couple of alumni were able to receive unofficial transcripts electronically today! Major thanks to everyone who helped to make this happen!

UPDATE ON SFAI TRANSCRIPTS FROM BANKRUPTCY TRUSTEE:

The current status is as follows:

I am currently not able to generate transcripts. I had anticipated that they would be available from the National Student Clearinghouse, but learned this afternoon that this is not the case.

The Bankruptcy Estate does not currently have resources to retain a vendor to batch output all the transcripts. I will be reaching out to the SFAI Legacy Foundation to see if it will be able to fund such a project. The Bankruptcy Estate may have funds at some future point to do so. I do not know if the SFAA has any ability to fund such a project. Estimated project costs are anticipated to be less than $20,000.

If you would like periodic status reports, please feel free to contact me, if you haven’t heard something in the meantime.


Sincerely,

Paul Mansdorf, Trustee

Paul J. Mansdorf

Chapter 7 Trustee

1569 Solano Ave. #703

Berkeley, CA 94707

(510) 526-5993



All replies to paul@mansdorftrustee.com

Contact to receive SFAI transcripts at the moment (before a more permanent solution is found)

Gregg S. Kleiner
Rincon Law LLP
(415) 840-6385 (Direct)
(415) 672-5991 (Main)
(415)-996-8180 (Cell)
gkleiner@rinconlawllp.com

I want my money back. As a first generation low income minority college student, this school preyed on me. Despite having a merit scholarship and grants, I was talked into taking out a private student loans as well as federal loans that I am still paying back.

I went to ONE semester of this joke school and did not graduate. I am glad to see it close, but feel that there should be restitution for those who succumbed to their predatory financial grabs. Dept of Ed should cancel all loans from this school on the basis of the closure as well as their notorious high fees and low graduation rates.

There has always been a balancing act at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI). Rising from the ashes of the 1906 earthquake and ending up precariously perched on Russian Hill's extreme incline. In an area known for earthquakes and landslides, the building has physically maintained its own balance for 96 years. It is too bad that SFAI (the school/program) became so lopsided and top-heavy that it was unable to maintain its own balance.
Only the mortals have fallen at 800 Chestnut.

P.S. F*ck capitalism. All education (and healthcare) should be free.

First off, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at SFAI as a student, student worker; and staff ('86 - '89; and '95), but I think the SFAI model was becoming unsustainable over the decades for a number of reasons:
1) Who wants to (𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒏) go into significant debt to "be an artist"? Especially in this day and age (and in this, frankly, increasingly art-hostile country)? When I graduated in 1989 my tuition debt for 3 1/2 years (some of my community college credits counted towards my undergrad degree, so I didn't need to do all 4 years) was roughly $20,000. That was a lot of money to me, but I slowly paid it off over the course of 10 years (well, O.K., 11 years — I needed to resort to two 6-month deferments during especially lean times). In contrast to my debt from the '80s, 3 1/2 years at SFAI in 2021-22 totaled about $159,824 in tuition (based on this: https://sfai.edu/admissions/scholarships/tuition-and-fees). Unless my math is off (and it could very well be because, hey, I'm an artist. We suck at math [and sports], right? ha ha), that's a 699.12% increase (or almost 8X more costly). Absent dramatic intervention of some sort, shrinking enrollment seemed inevitable. (Oh, and Covid certainly didn't help either.)
2) SF is an incredibly expensive city to live in. High rents —and a generally higher cost of living for most everything— result in challenging financial conditions for students, faculty, and staff to survive in SF. That, in turn, puts pressure on SFAI to maintain salaries at a commensurate rate to retain staff and faculty. At one time, SFAI had a relatively small number of dorms in an attempt to lessen some of the financial strain for students due to high rents in SF, but SFAI couldn't sustain or grow that mitigating component.
3) An educational institute can only raise tuition so much before they start losing their future students to other schools (Academy of Art, CCA) for any number of reasons. Tuition at those schools also seem high by my standards. I think the primary ways to avoid excessive tuition increases are A) increasing the number of the enrolled students; B) securing a substantial endowment; and C) having a really proactive and successful development team to raise money. That didn't appear to be happening at SFAI.
4) Ineffective leadership over the years. But I don't blame them. You can only do so much with a sinking ship. (I wonder how the School of the Art Institute of Chicago has survived)
5) Other reasons I probably haven't considered.

I'm not infuriated at SFAI's demise. Disappointed? Sure. But I've been imagining SFAI morphing into SFMOCA (San Francisco Museum of Contemporary Art) for quite awhile (decades?). Great location. Great views. Already has a cafe. Has an auditorium for presentations/films. SFMOCA could have (non-credit) low cost community classes as a nod to the location's previous incarnation as a school. All the studios could be transformed into exhibition spaces focusing on especially challenging and/or cutting edge work. I just don't want to see it torn down and replaced with high-end condos. But maybe SF is simply not a nurturing place for art right now. That's disappointing. But if SFAI can somehow be reborn in a different (yet art-related) form, I'll be happy.

I am in support of the student group: Students for Action (SFA) who are trying for a last ditch gofundme to halt the loss of the campus.
For $25 per donation it seems an infinitely worthy attempt—at least to buy some time to work on some of the ideas people have offered towards financial equilibrium and reinventing the school.
https://gofund.me/f79127da

Regarding Apple...
As both an SFAI grad in painting, and a long term Apple software engineer ( Final Cut Pro ), I do have some thoughts on this.

I don't see the synergy to be honest.
Apple's focus was the confluence of technology and liberal arts. How to take something incredibly complex and make it seem simple.
I worked with many engineers who did not come from traditional backgrounds, but at SFAI, at least when I was there, it did not reach out beyond the arts world. It pretended as if that world didn't exist... sort of a bubble, and this was sort of it's strength and it's weakness.

This is completely at odds with Apple's culture.
When I heard of USF I was hoping that finally it could be married with other other pursuits.

I think the focus should be not so much the fate of SFAI... for better or worse it is gone. But how to encourage the discipline of creating beautiful stuff in whatever the medium. How can one foster this environment without costing hundreds of thousands of dollars ( ie. debt ). It is sort of interesting to consider how modern the whole concept of an art school is. As a teaching of art creation, is it actually needed?

I just heard about the vlosing.Why and what will be of the buil d ing and t h e Rivera fresco?

As an alumni of SFAI it is important that we conserve this institution for all artist. I personally do not want it to turn into a commercial school like the others.

PS to my below post about Apple: SFAI artist creativity in my mind would surely have a great complementary creative feedback loop to Apple’s own creativity as coming from a different mind set that would bound to widen Apple’s vision in unforeseen ways. So the real return on investment by Apple would be immeasurably high in many ways.

07-16-22
It might seem outlandish but two years ago in thi SFAi Alumni Group despite my living in NYC, mfa SFAI ‘73 on a few different threads when ideas were being tossed around, I suggested Apple as savior - & also presenting several reasons as to both why - & how it could have worked excellently for Apple, even Apple’s bottom line by growing it further & without destroying the true SFAI spirit - & even finding ways of enhancing SFAI’s reputation globally out into the future. Probably, the existing SFAI powers didn’t explore what I suggested - or take it seriously though perhaps aware - but I believe if handled truly creatively at the outset with imagination & vision - a dialogue could have been started. After all, the money involved to make it work in a new visionary way is truly petty ante considering Apple’s reality. Free tuition, & operating on a scale of expanded global recognition would be goals. It could change the Nation & more. I knew Steve Jobs, even did a film with him at a few NYC primary events with Apple & there is no question Steve could have & would have made the mental leap to how & why it could strongly complement Apple’s future. Probably would have taken only a few minutes for his light bulbs to go off. Probably Tim Cook even though a tougher case could even now could make the leap into exploring the benefits to Apple, far beyond aspects of a simple gesture of Altruism, if it were presented to him & Apple in a brief visionary way with a few primary Bullet points. It still could & should be persued. Perhaps this group with huge awareness & knowledge & already deep memories might play a very significant role in moving things forward. It can definitely happen. I can feel it..…
Perhaps, if any think it worth a try please do Share my thoughts & of course expand on them. Please forward to the newspaper, etc. The SF Swig family, collected some of my large paintings for their home & also the crown room of the Fairmont just after I graduated SFAI all directly because of SFAI & i then got to know them but not since. They however with a big family & perhaps still a cultural force in SF might still help things as remembering Cissy etc, I then got to know. Just a thought that might help to get the ball rolling.

SFAI admin is corrupt and remains unaccountable. The wave of outrage that followed their closing announcement two years ago was only shuddered by a citadel of lawyers and zero correspondence. Not one complaint was formally acknowledged. Good luck thinking the dept of education or any oversight exists. Really considering contacting USF to file direct complaint if any faculty were retained. Exploitation of the arts and artists is the great tragedy here. Academia is the problem.

Like many, Mixed feelings about the merger with USF.
I got my BFA in 2004, then my MAT at USF in 2006.
But:
Their School of Ed was good, outward looking, community-oriented, and surprisingly progressive.
At USF, I was given an opportunity to go to Peru to set up a trial program for teaching Photography with Writing. This became part of my thesis.
They used some of my photos in their literary mag.
USF, like SFAI, has an excellent Library.
As an atheist, I never had any real problems with them, and even learned some things about Jesuit thought. Most notably, you do not go to a community to "do good". You go to help yourself become a better person through service.
A cynic can easily say that they will turn around and sell the property for a pretty penny. This is "realistic," and possibly true.
But as a cock-eyed optimist, I see multiple opportunities for turning out better artists – and activists.

MY three years at SFAI, 1972-1975, were among the best in my life. And in large part that is because the Art Institute was a place of self-discovery and freedom of thought and choice. It's hard to believe that USF would not fundamentally change the essential nature that made SFAI so unique and wonderful. But do I have another solution, no. But it is hard to understand how a school so close to the billions of Silicon Valley dollars couldn't find benefactors that could save the school.

Good day, and thank you for the work you are doing to keep SFAI the important cultural institution it has been and was intended to be. One thing I haven’t seen yet is a document of the spending of SFAI. I believe we could keep it simple, not offer to give away all kinds of things to donors, and just be the art school it has been. I’m a graduate from 1971 and my experience at SFAI was life changing. I wish we would stop buying land, buildings, and other things not relevant to creating art, and just focus on being the unusual, highly regarded, art school it has been, and was, during the years I attended. Please, don’t give it all away! Kit Carson 1971

It seems like USF saw an opportunity to take advantage of a desperate situation in which they could purchase prime real estate in North Beach for a steal. Best case scenario is they stay true to the initial statement of intent and SFAI has a more "business savvy" University to handle its financials. Unfortunately it seems like USF said whatever they thought the SFAI community wanted to hear in initial discussions to get access to the location. Poor financial decisions were made by the board for years and the community was slow to take action. The school (regardless of being a fine art academy) should have updated its curriculum years ago to include educating students on the business of the contemporary art industry. Many alumni graduated with extensive debt and were extremely lost on how to navigate the art world. It's truly heartbreaking to think about losing this place, not being able to visit campus, faculty losing their jobs, current students not getting their degree. That said, I think an acquisition might be the only answer at this point - I just wish it was not USF. It's very possible they could purchase the campus and resell it for the $.

I felt very encouraged, supported and proud to be a SFAI MFA student and then alum. We all know what a unique art institution SFAI has been. Will that end? Is its integrity for fine arts non practical arts instruction over? Have the ideals that the students and faculty held dear been tossed under the bus (or into the kiln)? Is money the only thing that will turn these new policies from the merger around? Please advise, thank you

I think that USF should honor its original letter of intent and keep the faculty, staff ( including offering positions to all the staff and faculty let go in 2020) and retain its current student body under the terms with which they were admitted. Then. Grow SFAI at USF under the aegis of USF, but allowing full artistic freedom and expression. Also, please protect the integrity (and add to it too!) of the Anne Bremer Memorial Library and Archives. Thank you.

If USF takes over SFAI there are many things I'm concerned about. I'd like to mention one major difference that particularly effects the SFAI Admissions criteria. After I graduated from SFAI with BFA in 1980 I got hired to work in the SFAI Admissions Office. Over time I moved up to the position of Director of Admissions and with a great staff we turn the enrollment from less than 300 students to our goal of 720. One important lesson I learned was from a study done by the Chicago Art Insititute in collaboration with all the National Association of Art and Design schools (NASAD). The study was to find out how many art students had learning difficulties/Dyslexia. The study showed that more than 65% of art students had some form of Dyslexia. We realized that we had to set up a way to help our students be successful at the academic course levels. We tested all new students at Orientation to catch those who could benefit from a special program to help them. So in lieu of the English Comp requirement we had them take a special English program. I'm not sure if SFAI still has the program. I'm worried that USF doesn't understand what is unique about many art students that have a weakness in reading and writing but have superior qualities in visual literacy and gain a deeper understanding via text or oral learning than typical students. USF will require students to take calculus and foreign languages. I don't think USF knows that Art Magnet H. S. students have studied in addition to their academics they take 5 art studio foundation courses. By the time they reach art school they don't need to study basic art foundation again. They are attracked to SFAI to finally determine their own journey to explore and experiment with their ideas. SFAI gets the best fine art magnet students in the country. Not many general high school students are ready for the rigors of SFAI and need lots of hand holding. If you want to be a top notch art school you have to know how to talk to attrack High School and Transfer students. It's not the same as a liberal arts school. That is just one aspect of Admissions i worry about, there are many others as well. SFAI has saved many kids lives, they find there home and chosen family at SFAI.

Saddened that this institution with such prestige was allowed to be preyed upon by essentially parasites for so long, leading to its demise. Legal actions should be taken to prevent it from being absorbed by USF. If it can't continue to operate as an independent institution, it should be turned into a museum and put into hibernation until it can.

So many thousands of people chose to go to this school and many/most took out large debts to make it happen that they still are paying on. To erase the history of what Sfai was by allowing it to be absorbed by USF is not only a disservice but seems criminal. Once the prestige is gone, sure the experience and degree is still there, but that is not what we all payed for or what this institution deserves.

I would rather see sfai preserved as a museum in tact than absorbed by USF which will destroy its legacy.

MFA 1970 - With all the ups and downs, SFAI is one of the most important art schools anywhere/ever. It could never retain the unique qualities merging with any other institution. The only possibility I see is to find a remarkable person or foundation to continue its legacy in their name/s. Where are the artists, actors, filmmakers, art lovers etc. who have been given or made so much money from the arts. Wouldn't any one out there want to leave their name/s associated with such a legacy? Think Creative.

I couldn’t agree more. SFAI needs to be autonomous. It could never be a Jesuit shool. And never should be.

Faculty jobs need to be preserved at all costs. There are great colleagues at USF
That are allies, they are a strong
And good to collaborate with independently of the hard ball negotiators. They resist these same people consistently.

I believed from the beginning of these discussions that SFAI's values and mission, conflict mightily with those of USF. This situation now, is just not surprising. Just how conservative is this university and what kind of history do they have supporting the arts?

Really, I find it hard to believe that, with some of the richest people in the world living in the Bay Area, SFAI can't put together a fund-raising team that can tap into the new millionaire and billionaire"art lovers" residing in the Bay Area.

This acquisition would inevitably result in the demise of our beloved institute. It will become a hollow shell with nothing to claim but a name.

If they are unable to secure a dignified offer, I would rather see SFAI close their doors with the institute’s long-standing legacy intact.

My feeling and thoughts...University of San Francisco lied from day one.There was never any intention of combining any academic programs or working with faculty and students at SFAI. The promises made when the acquisition plan was revealed were nothing more than empty words for PR purposes.

SFAI was a slow moving train wreck of mismanagement. The administration, faculty, and incompetent trustees, refused to acknowledge that the school was business. SFAI needed to respond to market demand. Instead, the faculty kept shoveling out flaky course offerings. They taught courses revolving around their personal interests, and not what the students needed to know. Many teachers had charming personalities, and endeared themselves to students, but that's not what constitutes academic focus and rigor. The administration and trustees allowed that to happen. Enrollment demand dropped off, and the school discounted tuition (via financial aid) to keep the seats full. It turned out to be a death spiral.

One million years ago, in 2002 to be exact, I applied to and was admitted to USF's visual arts program which at the time had a joint degree with CCAC program, but upon arrival I learned that USF was starting its own art program and I had a choice, whether to commute by bus every day of the week to CCA (C- at that time)'s campus or whether to navigate the new program emerging at USF. Perhaps wrongly so I chose the latter and inevitably I was impacted instead by Carlos Villa and Rigo 23 who were both SFAI proffessors recruited by USF to impact that program. And it was a good program, one that helped make me the person and artist I am today AND one that inevitably led me back to SFAI. Where I returned in 2011 to pursue my MFA, and where I felt the full impact and legacy of art instruction in the bay area. SFAI is special, it was special when I returned for my MFA and in fact it was the reason that my BA years at USF had any value at all.

With this merger I see a potential for SFAI to continue to be a location for inspiration and artistic exploration in the bay area, but only with the right assurances and process in place. What has always made SFAI a unique institution is its people, the staff and the faculty that commit to its model of learning and its ability to inspire. This is crucial for USF to protect and maintain, both now through the transition and into the future, when the identity of SFAI will be much more associated with USF as a whole. Concerns over censorship, independence, artitic intent and oversight must not be allowed to creep into the fabric of SFAI, because it is and has always been a place to pursue freedom.

I hope that this letter helps to reinforce that. Both today and in the future, because it is what matters, not profits, not admissions, but art, and what that art says.

-chad

If this is handled right, can be great for USF and SFAI. Ironically, I've went to both schools. I hope that it's just in name but SFAI can keep the irreverent and independent spirit but benefit from USF's academic rigor. I would love to see how these two can mix together. I want my degree to mean something so this would keep it from being voided.

This is a tragedy. At this point in history, we need a place where radical voices can be nurtured to counter right wing, fundamentalist fascism. I am sickened by the greed that has destroyed one of the last schools where kids who don’t conform, could get an education that strengthenEd their voices. It is scary as well as foul that we will lose future generations of visual thinkers who challenge the status quo.

Fellow Alumni,

My name is John Coggins, BFA, December, 1975. Beginning August, ’73, when i began at the Institute, a struggle between the faculty, staff, students community and the board of trustees had been brewing for weeks if not months, because the board wanted to change the Institute’s direction toward an elitist corporate run organization in the image of the rich board members. They hired the contract breaking Minneapolis Art Institute president, demoted Fred Martin, brought in an outsider from England as interim administrator, as similar issues to the Institute’s current situation arose, causing a more than three years fight to maintain SFAI’s heritage, history, and legacy.

I agree with Colby Luckenbill’s statement about the Jesuit order’s history as an enforcer of Catholic doctrine, dogma, and preservation to maintain control. When i read
USF was in the mix with UC to oversee SFAI, a RED FLAG immediately went up, and i thought SFAI should not go near USF because of its Catholic Jesuit ownership.

This negotiation should cease, it does not bode well for SFAI’s 151 years of heritage, history, and legacy. There has to be a better way to preserve SFAI than give in to

this dogmatic Catholic University. This situation is dire. The SFAI community is between a rock and a hard place. USF is in the cat bird seat w/MONEY & POWER and can dictate terms to their advantage, leaving us w/the short end of the stick.

We alumni should be duly and regularly (daily or weekly) informed about SFAI’s negotiators meetings w/USF repentatives. There does not seem to be any transparency as to what’s happening in negotiations.

Sincerely,

John Coggins

I am graduating from the MFA program at SFAI this year. I work at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. It is the only free standing art college funded by the state. It has partially privatized but is still part of the State College system. The state recognizes academic freedom and does not sensor artists there from my experience. Would not it be better to see if the State of California was interested in a free standing art college as part of its system? Wouldn't this be better than this craziness? Just a suggestion. I hope SFAI lives on,

Dear Father Paul,

Thank you for buying our school; we think your are getting a pretty good deal, but thanks anyway.
Just in case you don’t know what you are getting yourself into (we are pretty sure you don’t know what you are getting yourself into), a couple of things you should probably know..,you could call these the Ten Commandments of SFAI…or just call it an instruction manual.

1. Freedom of expression is our lord and thou shall not have others.
2. Though shall not follow any rules.
3. Though shall not design, illustrate or fabricate for commercial use or financial success.
4. SFAI is and shall remain a haven for outcasts, dreamers, rebels, queers, and freaks.
5. Honor Jeff Gunderson and his SFAI archive, it shall remain in place and protected for all eternity as Jeff is our savior.
6. Thou shall not hang crosses on our campus, unless they are part of a larger installation that provides a critical discourse on the current state of the Catholic Church and its boss.
7. Though shall not disregard women’s rights and the right to free condoms.
8. Though shall not tell our faculty what to do as they do not tell their students what to do either.
9. Though shall not sell our campus/church to the highest bidder, as it is a holy place for all alumni, staff, faculty and the Spirit of Diego Rivera. Additional ghosts are in the tower.
10. Though shall not remove the basketball hoop from the courtyard EVER.

it is most important that SFAI not be just subsumed into USF, esp. if there is a "further sale" of the "asset" of SFAI name and archive. Can the archive be maintained as its own entity "just in case" there is further division - and even include alumni data/ records?

I am hoping that if USF acquires SFAI, that SFAI will remain an autonomous fine art school, as stated in the petition written by SFAI alumni
https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/sfai-at-usf-merge-action-needed
I feel strongly that the merged schools will have better success by maintaining the SFAI legacy and reputation intact. Students around the world are interested in attending and getting a diploma from SFAI. I am hoping that remains in force.

I think the compass of the school should be pointed towards maintaining its authentic integrity, which includes protecting the architecture, library, studios and the spirit and rich history of the school in terms of its encouragement towards creative freedom and independent thinking and exploration. Irreplaceable.

As an Autistic woman at SFAI I don't understand why we were lied to by our Board leaders and how they could invite me back to get my New Genres BFA degree from SFAI, after telling me to literally study elsewhere because I was a sophomore at the time (2020) and I have been studying there since 2018.

I don't think we can pre-judge or assume anything about the merger. We know nothing, we are only acting on emotion and the fear that our beloved school will be no more. While I understand this feeling and on some levels share it, I will reserve judgement until I know facts and until something, anything is said that is tangible.

I am writing this after many years since my time at SFAI in the late 90s. I am breaking that silence now. I often say that if I hadn't gone to SFAI and dealt with the challenges of that time there, that I would not have continued to make work for as long as I have.

I have many misgivings about submerging SFAI into the religious mission of USF. I have also known many wonderful theater and dance artists who were not Catholic and had a surprising amount of freedom as teachers at USF. That said, if this results in a Jesuit art school, then it's truly the death of what was a center for relentless inquiry in which no topic was too holy to examine, take apart or blow up. It also sounds like this acquisition may be the only path for SFAI at the end of its long and messy journey.

Cheers! Good faith in best outcome for SFAI with the merger. Hopeful of improved checks and balances in the future. International Town Hall meetings have been a plus.

*USF not SFU (typo)

I share the concerns voiced below about SFAI’s financial independence, governance, and very existence. That’s why I want to recount an experience in Catholic education.

The chaplain at my high school was a great progressive Catholic priest. He spoke of prayer as the heart of social justice and often quoted Archbishop Oscar Romero. I learned the radical core of Jesus’ teachings from him.

Through him I also learned the limits of Catholic dogma, and took a left turn from away the life of a priest toward one as an artist.

The exchange described below was one of many theological discussions we had in the chaplain’s office after school. It is a cautionary tale of free thought inside an institution which, at its core, must remain infallible…

I asked:
If Saint John says that God is love, and Jesus tells us to forgive seventy times seven times (a euphemism for infinity), then how can hell exist as a permanent punishment, as a state of being forever absent from God’s presence?

He folded his hands, thought for a while, and then said: “I’m no longer able to continue this conversation.”

I had asked a direct question about a core tenet of Catholic dogma and as an ordained priest he was prohibited from any conversation which contradicted that dogma.

Art is a critical practice. The Catholic church cannot abide critique. Therefore the second SFAI joins SFU its critical discourse will be curtailed. Students will be able push critical theory, but only so far, only to the edge of Catholic convention.

SFAI’s finical footing has been unstable off and on since its audacious founding, and I don’t have any answers. This is merger is an answer. But it comes with a cost. My art practice was shaped by the limitless possibilities at SFAI and I want that beautiful, deeply critical, generative space to remain for those who come after me. Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

It is USF. Not sfu or sf state.

If your wish is that corrupt and or incompetent admin and board members are going to be gone after this. The former head of operations at SFAI who has repeatedly been said to be involved with these deals as well as unlawful firings, left sfai to work at USF recently and has now been giving USF leadership tours of SFAI.

But who cares anymore about these small details.

I think this is the transition that needs to happen, all change brings difficulties.

My general sense is there will be push and pull as the liberal arts standards a broad education meet the 'deep studio' ideals of the SFAI, BFA and MFA at SFAI. Having said that, there is also potential for PhD and cross disciplinary degree within the new setting. Having said that, I am not sure how anyone can make meaningful art - in the world - today without a good grounding in history, philosophy, politics, economics and spirituality. The benefit of USF is that the education in all of these subjects is both broad and as deep as anyone wants to go.

As an alumni that graduated long ago, I can't quite see - what 'SFAI is' as a teaching institution anymore. It was more of an attitude than a curriculum in the mid 1980's. The recent work done by the Reimagine Committee started to put some flesh on those bones for me. Then it got caught up in a classic SFAI tangle of opposing interests. So, from my POV I have no idea how SFAI will respond with any strategic intent to the negotiations at USF. But maybe some of you know something I don't.

https://www.kqed.org/arts/13892120/the-san-francisco-art-institute-that-could-have-been

Finally, I have no fear of religion (it is a choice). The Jesuits are intellectually rigorous and inclined to think their way through a problem rather than respond through spontaneous judgements of right and wrong.

My fondest memory of SFAI was a seminar with Al Wong where I was talking about Feng Shui and its relevance to my thinking about land and water in my art practice. He gently pushed all my books aside and asked if I had a few hours to spend with him. We walked and talked Chinatown working our way through various shops and even hardware stores. We walked to the roof of a tenement where he explains we were at the fisherman's temple and unpacked the god and deities that were relevant to people of the sea. We ended the day with meal of things that challenge my working class New England idea of food - as he talked at length about the black hat Feng Shui tradition that was practiced in San Francisco's Chinatown. All is still a friend. He is still making art. Some of his most important work can be found at the SF Zen Center. Honestly, I never thought he was taking -anything- away from me because he was a believer. It was all give. It still shapes who I am how I relate to the world as an artist and a more than lapsed Catholic, with an interest in Shinto, Ryūkyū Shintō, Buddhism, Sikhism and Judaism. You can study all of that and more at USF.
Al's point was to remember a book is a book.

Change is not always welcomed or easy to take...but in some cases it is necessary to grow.
SFAI LEGACY ALIVE!

Despite repeated requests, I have not learned of any realistic alternative plans other than the shut down of SFAI. On that basis alone, I am thankful for this opportunity,

Absolutely the best path forward. How is SFAI survive without this? Seriously doubt we will find a better opportunity than this to save our beloved school.

Is this a letter from the current student body of less than 20 students?


Dominic Angerame
Class of 79 MFA Filmmaker, Professor and Film Historian

PS

Jesuits are “free thinkers” and not necessarily strick Catholics. I have a Jesuit University student background and never once was any religion shoved down my throat as a firm believer in LGBT and Q rights, women’s rights, birth control, abortion, etc.

PS.

In 1982 I was teaching Cinema Studies and Film Production at the Academy of Art. At that time the Academy had a program that included students from USF that wanted to study art, they could take classes there. The USF students I had were quite incredible. They were committed to creating their art, did research and we had great class discussions. Their input was great for the Academy students because it gave them untold insights into the films we created and watched in the classroom.

I am in favor of this merger. It is time to fire those administrators that led SFAI into incredible debt for such a stupid project as getting space at Fort Mason. In the 80s SFAI had 400 students and both undergrads and grad students attended all studios and classes at the 800 Chestnut St site. We did not seem to have a need to purchase real estate in such a pricey city as San Francisco.

SFAI would benefit greatly from this merger not only would there be an increase in the student body but also administrators who just might know how to do their jobs.

Is this a letter from the current student body of less than 20 students?


Dominic Angerame
Class of 79 MFA Filmmaker, Professor and Film Historian

PS

Jesuits are “free thinkers” and not necessarily strick Catholics. I have a Jesuit University student background and never once was any religion shoved down my throat as a firm believer in LGBT and Q rights, women’s rights, birth control, abortion, etc.

A ps. In the 1980s I was teaching at the Academy of Arts. They had an exchange program with USF students who wanted to study art. The students I had from USF were fantastic. They were anxious to learn about film (I was teaching Cinema Studies and Production), fast learners and dedicated to their work. We had great conversations and they offered invaluable insights to art/cinema and my Academy students learned a great deal from them.

I am totally in favor of this merger. Time to get rid of the administrators at SFAI who helped accrue this massive debt in a stupid effort to go to Fort Mason, etc. I believe what will emerge would be a more impressive SFAI and help aid the bad reputation it has been suffering over recent times.

Dominic

While I know the school had changed considerably since I attended, its roots as a studio school distinguished it from other art schools, in the vein of the Art Students League, only accredited. The original footprint on Russian Hill created an intimate place for artists to develop, and when I was there it didn't accept students right out of high school in order to make sure they were mature enough not to require hand-holding. Students were, in fact, a range of ages and backgrounds, and the average age of first-year attendees was 23.

Tuition costs so exorbitant that become large student loan debt for artists is a crime and a deterrent to enrollment. If new graduates must work so hard to service these loans, they have no time to develop and grow as artists once they are out of school. I would hope that SF State has a more affordable tuition than the private art schools do these days, and that could/should be a benefit to SFAI. I do wonder if there is a way to keep SFAI part of the league of Independent Art Schools, which allowed students to take a year in one or another of them?

I cherish the nurturing I received and would wish it for all beginning artists. Perhaps art history and other courses required for graduation and accreditation could be held at SF State's main campus, allowing the original buildings to return to purely studio practice, and the Diego Rivera Gallery to continue to be an exhibition venue that enriches the lives of the city and the students.

I have concerns that the theology of a Roman Catholic University will collide with what could be described as the free wheeling culture of SFAI.
On the other hand, hopefully the Trustees at USF will take a firehose to the SFAI administration, trustees, and some third rate academicians who have their claws into the school.
There is a competitive job market for academics. SFAI could've and should've have hired MUCH better teachers. Certain departments were rife with deadwood, from the top down.

Free thought and expression are fundamentally incompatible with Catholicism. This immutable fact guides USF's hiring and admissions decisions, which will not change, and those who claim otherwise are either fools or liars.

Overall I support the merger as a way to bring academic excellence to SFAI’s respected contemporary arts program. In my experience, the ability to provide top tier academic offerings (beyond art theory and history) has been severely lacking for decades. A facet that could bring the SFAI legacy into a new, sustainable, and necessary position.

As an alumni, I am concerned about the application of religious institutional priorities to the unhindered discourse necessary within the arts. Not just in the curricula but also as a hindrance to student experimentation, institutional investments, blanket progressive support to challenging content, and the implied pressure of religious impingement upon student health & wellness services as well as an overall progressive campus culture - all of which are necessary for a fine arts program of worth.

So many questions, where to start? Is the SFAI campus going to remain intact and used as an arts education facility? Will applying to SFAI also mean applying to USF? How did SFAI get in this mess?

Will SFAI retain its legacy as a unique and venerated college of fine art? Or will the university dilute its character by turning it into a department of the school of art and architecture?

Will the Chestnut St campus remain? What renovations are planned? Will there be a scholarship or grant program for students that qualify artistically but are not able to pay tuition or buy supplies?

What about a woman's right to choose? Merging with Catholics puts SFAI's persons of conscience in a terrible position, and shows how checked out SFAI is about social issues.

I am concerned about the perceived value of my degree when seeking employment in the future.

How USF and SFAI can commit with the community to improve diversity in the instituon?

A religious institution taking over

Did USF do due diligence when they made the offer? If so they must have known some of their social/religious positions would release a shitshow of contrary opinions, it's not like the Academy of Art deal that was just about the Benjamins. I, like many others, at first thought the merger was with UCSF since UC made the original bail out.

what is the mission statement? why usf?

How will the values of USF impact the future of SFAI?

I only see this as a positive for SFAI. Through the years, the school cut essential student services--its alumni department, career services, and most recently the cafe--not to mention studio facilities and equipment that have been stagnant for years. Resources from a bigger institution may actually help put SFAI back on the map.

I am concerned that USF is run by the Jesuit order of the Catholic Church which is, in turn, overseen by the Archdiocese of SF. I am worried that this religious entity will put its mark on SFAI and SFAI’s commitment to freedom of expression. I am also wondering how the religious views of USF might translate to concrete practices that might limit the freedoms of female faculty, staff and students. By this, I am specifically referring to the abilities of these three constituents to access their rights to good reproductive health care. There is also the wee detail of how the Catholic Church hierarchy is structured ( females need not apply!) and gay people are ok as long as they don’t have sex. Might these policies/doctrines have an overarching affect on the SFAI ambiance and culture?

The character of SFAI is unique. When I attended, there was a similar move towards a merger with an art school which the majority of students managed to block. I don't believe SFAI will really survive a merger with a large university.

Will artworks that are critical of religion be allowed, rejected, suppressed, or tolerated?

Seems to me before handing over the $50 million mural by that commie Rivera there ought to be a commitment to governance autonomy for SFAI. Otherwise just call it USF on Chestnut. And let the legacy of SFAI “rest in peace!?!”

I’m concerned about staff and students reproductive rights; support for queer and trans communities; opportunities for radical critiques and actions without censure or censorship.

I'm uneasy about handing the art institute over to a Catholic institution.

The SFAI I attended/received my BFA from in 1970 was a supportive environment for exploring new media and new technologies. It was open to ALL. What will be left, aside from the building and the name, after "merger" with a Jesuit institution?

Will the merger lower the cost of tuition? This remains the greatest hindrance for young and emerging artists looking to obtain a BFA or MFA.

Concerned SFAI will not be a separate art school and will be rolled into USF

USF practicing independent in school that traditionally breaks ground is not only avoiding the issues that SFA I had, especially with black and brown students and education. But it's part of a crusade to control art. The students that were cast out into the cold due to lack of funds. And due to the pandemic should be recompensated in the negotiations.

Is the academic programming going to change?

Will SFAI retain its autonomy as a unique and distinguished college of fine art or will it be absorbed into the university as a department?

I’m not real pleased about the merger but I suppose it’s better than the alternative. I’m concerned USF will turn it into a faint shadow of its glory days. That would be sad.

Will students be required to take an actual English composition and math courses now?