Interview with Sawyer Rose

SFAI Students Work to Protect the Legacy of Bay Area’s Oldest Art School
by: Sawyer Rose

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Bianca Lago, NCWCA Board Director and San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) MFA Candidate, gives us the
latest on SFAI’s proposed acquisition by University of San Francisco (USF). Lago’s group, Students for
Action, is opposed to the deal in its current form, and has instead been working with top-level
government and school officials to implement a restructuring of the art institute that has been an
historic part of Bay Area arts culture since 1871.

How did SFAI find itself in acquisition talks with USF?
In 2015, when SFAI made arrangements to buy the Fort Mason campus, they had finally reached a point
where they were financially secure. They were able to get an amazing deal on a long-term loan with a
really low interest rate, so they did it. Unfortunately, it was a $19 million expense that they have not
been able to recoup during COVID pandemic when the school almost shut down. In fact, a lot of people
didn't even know that the school reopened.

What was USF’s initial offer?
USF buying SFAI was sort of a last-ditch effort to save the school. USF gave SFAI an initial letter of
intention in January 2022, which they presented as a merger by acquisition. At first, people at SFAI were
worried because the two schools seem to have very different values. People were concerned about their
ability to express freely. They wondered what kind of restraints would be put in place.
But the letter of intention said USF was going to pay all of SFAI’s bills. They were going to pay for the
plumbing repairs at SFAI, and all of the ADA compliance work that was needed. And they were going to
keep all of the faculty and honor the contracts they had with SFAI. All faculty and staff retirements were
going to be saved, and students were going to maintain the financial packages they had received from
SFAI. Everything was supposed to transfer over seamlessly.

Why did USF back out on its proposed terms?
Then, on May 6, 2020, USF went back on its letter of intention, stating that they could not guarantee any
SFAI jobs at USF because they needed to prioritize their faculty who were upset about the acquisition.
The faculty at USF have been asking for a 2% pay increase for years and were troubled that USF could
seemingly find millions of dollars to acquire another school, but not to give them a raise.
So, with hopes of an easy merger off the table, June 30, 2022 is the deadline to decide whether the
acquisition deal will still go through or if SFAI will have to file for bankruptcy.
In either of those scenarios, tenured faculty that had been at SFAI for decades would likely be left
without jobs. International students would lose their visas. Students looking to transfer to other art
schools found that most application deadlines were already passed – that is, if they could find a school
to take them. Many MFA programs won't accept transfer credits, so students were faced with having to start their degree all over.

What part have SFAI students taken in subsequent planning and negotiations?

Some students and I didn't want to accept that there were no other options for SFAI to explore. We
started a coalition called Students for Action. So far, we've been working diligently, building plans for a
restructuring of SFAI that we would implement over the next one to three years. We’ve also designed a
media campaign, and have begun the process of drafting new bylaws and operations manuals for the
school.
To put these plans in place, though, we need to raise $10 to 25 million by June 30. If we make the $25
million mark, SFAI can operate for three more years until they get enrollment back to a self-sufficient
level. After that, the school can start focusing on applying for an endowment. I think these goals are well
within the realm of possibility.
We’ve spoken with Jeff Sparks at Sen. Scott Wiener’s office and we're getting endorsement from the
Senator. We’re working on getting a meeting with Governor Newsom and with Mayor London Breed,
too. There's potential for us to get some of the surplus funding after their budget decision, which
happened June 15th.
We're collaborating directly with the SFAI Board of Trustees and Alumni Board as well. Right now,
they’re setting up two accounts that donors can contribute to help the cause. Donors are guaranteed
that their money will be returned to them if SFAI doesn’t reach their fundraising goal and the USF
acquisition goes through, or if SFAI has to declare bankruptcy.

What can people can do to help?
First and foremost: tell your friends. Please let people know this is happening.
Then, secondly: if you're able to, please donate at https://sfai.edu/support-sfai/making-a-gift/. It is tax-
deductible and we have some great offers for donors. We’re interested in small dollar contributions just
as much as large donations or corporate sponsorships.
SFAI has been a huge cultural powerhouse for so long. I can't even imagine what the Bay Area would be
like without the school and the influences of the artists who have come through there. It’s so important
for it to be protected.