NSCAD faces uncertain future

Art school grapples with O'Neill report

Natasha Krzyzewski works in her studio, showing the space art students need to do their work. A room that could hold 25 to 30 lecture students holds eight studio stalls, each occupied by a student for a semester. Photo: Gerry Wood

The main campus of NSCAD University is housed in the upper floors of historic buildings lining a bricked walking mall in downtown Halifax, with students and tourists filling the busy galleries, pubs, cafes and boutiques below.

For an art institution that began in 1887, it would appear to be a solid, ideal setting, but NSCAD finds itself on shaky ground as it gazes into an unclear future. The school faces financial issues and problems with sufficient space for students.

A government university review by former bank economist Tim O'Neill, released in mid-September, landed on NSCAD's doorstep with a thud. O'Neill suggested NSCAD consider reducing programs, amalgamate with another institution, or both.

An analysis of Association of Atlantic Universities documents suggests space problems developed as enrolment increased in the last decade by one-fifth, from 690 students to 823.

Student groups believe O'Neill's recommendations to raise tuition are not feasible. In an 18-page response to the education minister, the Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Associations argues that "higher tuition fees create a perceived barrier for students who don't yet participate in the system."

Natasha Krzyzewski, president of NSCAD's student union, says that students tell her, "if tuition goes up, I can't go to school."

Smaller classes

University funding is set through negotiations between university presidents and the government. Alvin Comiter, president of NSCAD's faculty union, says the agreement has nuances that go to the core of NSCAD's financial issues.

Both Comiter and Krzyzewski describe student funding as dependent on the student's academic discipline - social science students receive different funding from those in natural sciences or art - and both argue that funding for NSCAD students is inadequate.

Unlike most post-secondary institutions, art schools cannot easily use the money generated by having large classes so subsidize smaller ones. In art schools, studio classes typically have 15 to 20 students - and studio classes are the norm - so the cost of educating art students is higher, as are the space requirements.

Krzyweski says that an auditor's report last year found that the funding of NSCAD's art students was too low, given the cost of providing them their education.

Scott MacDougall, a former NSCAD administrator and instructor, feels there is "something special about an autonomous art school" - it's "a sanctuary for a lot of students, where they feel at home in a way they don't feel elsewhere." Comiter believes this flows from NSCAD being an institution that is run by artists for artists.

With a new university funding arrangement soon to be negotiated, both students and faculty are waiting to hear if new funding for NSCAD will address the financial problems O'Neill identified and allow the institution to remain autonomous.

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