Policies
DEPARTMENTAL ABSENCE POLICY: The attendance policy is at the discretion of the professor and should be clearly stated in the syllabi for each course. If a student feels that a specific policy is unclear or unmanageable the student must make an effort to resolve the issue with the professor within the first week of the course. This should provide the student with enough time to resolve the issue or drop the course without financial penalty. The department will support whatever policy is clearly stated by art and design professors in their syllabi.
PERMANENT COLLECTION & ACCREDITATION POLICY: The Art & Design Faculty reserves the right to make selections from current work each year to add to the permanent collection of outstanding student work that is used in public exhibitions. All work done in class by regularly enrolled students is the property of the department until released, and the department reserves the right to exhibit or reproduce such work in publications of the university. Original projects & assignments produced in Interior Design courses by students may be retained by the department for use during an upcoming accreditation visit of the program. Students are encouraged to make duplicates of project drawings and documents. The retained projects will be made available for a short period of time for pick-up following the accreditation visit, after which they will be discarded. Students are advised to make photographed versions of most projects as a way to build an ongoing portable portfolio.
Procedures
DEPARTMENTAL PROBATION: Art & Design Majors who fail to meet the guidelines for art majors established in this section of the handbook may be placed on departmental probation at the discretion of a faculty panel. Students who have not made a significant effort to improve their performance during the 1st semester probationary period must change to a non-art major. This policy is intended to function as a part of the department’s academic advising policy rather than as a disciplinary measure—that is to say, it is intended to help identify students whose interests lie outside the field of art and guide them towards a more appropriate field of study rather than as a punishment. A copy of the current probationary contract is provided later in this handbook.
ACADEMIC ADVISING: Your Academic Advisor is the faculty or staff person assigned to oversee your coursework at ACU; this person will be an invaluable resource as you make plans for your academic study. In addition, your Academic Advisor will help you with all kinds of administrative work that you may encounter during your ACU career, such as changes to your majors, applying for graduation, securing transfer credit, and so forth. Entering Freshmen will be advised by their University Seminar instructor. Senior Art majors will be advised by the Chair of the department and/or the Administrative Coordinator. All other Art majors will be assigned a member of the Art faculty. Interior Design and Pre-Architecture majors will be advised by a faculty member in their field of study after their Freshman Fall semester. INTD and PRAR majors are strongly urged to meet with an advisor in their field of graduation, securing transfer credit, and so forth. Entering Freshmen will be advised by their University Seminar instructor. Senior Art majors will be advised by the Chair of the department and/or the Administrative Coordinator. All other Art majors will be assigned a member of the Art faculty. Interior Design and Pre-Architecture majors will be advised by a faculty member in their field of study after their Freshman Fall semester. INTD and PRAR majors are strongly urged to meet with an advisor in their field of study during the Freshman Fall semester.
VOLUNTARY PORTFOLIO REVIEW: Any student who has already completed his/her first and second year reviews and wishes to have his/her portfolio reviewed by a faculty panel may do so at the same time as the student reviews. The panel will offer a constructive critical review of the student’s portfolio with the intent of identifying strengths and weaknesses for specific attention during the last part of the student’s ACU career before applying to graduate school or searching for professional employment. Senior Interior Design majors participate in a mandantory portfolio review near the end of their final semester.