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The Center for Art & Design at The College of Saint Rose has been re-accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), meaning the College has proven it meets all of the highest standards for preparing art and design students to work as professionals in the visual arts.

Saint Rose was first accredited in 1991. Re-accreditation is voluntary and involves an in-depth self-assessment, a site visit by peer institutions, and a NASAD commission review. In October 2017, the NASAD commission approved re-accreditation for Saint Rose during its annual meeting. Thirty-two institutions applied for re-accreditation and institutional membership renewal, and 10 institutions were approved without any deferment, including Saint Rose. As a result, The Center for Art & Design is not required to undergo the process again until 2026-27.

“The recent re-accreditation affirms that we serve art and design students at Saint Rose at the highest level,” said Saint Rose President Carolyn J. Stefanco. “It is a testimony to the dedication of our faculty that they would seek out this re-accreditation process in order to ensure that they meet NASAD benchmarks and the needs of our students as they venture into the world as art and design professionals.”

“The Center for Art & Design’s NASAD re-accreditation demonstrates the collaborative spirit that faculty and staff clearly show on a daily basis,” said Kris Corso Tolmie, chair of The Center for Art & Design. “Their dedication to the educational experience of each student and their commitment to offer innovative curriculum that explores traditional and contemporary techniques demonstrates that we live out our mission to develop ‘each student’s ability to see aesthetically, act creatively, think critically, and make lasting contributions as innovative artists, designers, educators, scholars and leaders.’ This recognition is a point of pride because it acknowledges that our work to ensure our students’ best interests is key to their success. As noted by our evaluators, this achievement affirms what my faculty colleagues and I know to be true, The Center for Art & Design ‘has a promising future that will serve its student body with integrity and vision.’”

According to NASAD’s philosophy on accreditation, “The process of accreditation reflects many concepts used in creating or recreating works of art. Both accreditation and making art involve the use of conventions as bases for inspired creativity or as points of departure; both are effective to the extent that their elements and procedures are rationally integrated; and both are successful to the extent that the final product reflects uniqueness of its source and concept while fulfilling commonly held objectives,” according to NASAD’s philosophy on accreditation. “Art and design are professions requiring talent, knowledge, skill, and dedication. Employment depends almost entirely on demonstrated competence. Success is based primarily on work rather than on credentials. Experience tells us that art and design, though dependent on talent, inspiration, and creativity, require much more to function as a significant spiritual and educational force. Talent without skills, inspiration without knowledge, and creativity without technique can account for little but lost potential.”

Approximately 360 national and international institutions are NASAD members.