About MassArt
About MassArt
Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a public, independent institution that prepares artists, designers, and educators from diverse backgrounds to shape communities, economies, and cultures for the common good.
We pursue a just, compassionate, and equitable learning environment
We cultivate rigorous creative practices by observing, questioning, making and remaking
We honor courage, honesty, mutual respect, and self-expression
We believe in the power of art and design to transform our world
Statewide Education Structure
The Governor oversees the executive branch, and one of the divisions within this branch is the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education. This division is overseen by the Secretary of Education and is divided into three departments: The Department of Early Education and Care (DEEC) is responsible for early education; the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) implements laws relevant to grades K-12; and the Department of Higher Education (DHE) supports higher education throughout the state.
The commissioner of the DHE is the executive and administrative head of the department: this office serves the thirteen-member Board of Higher Education (BHE) and is responsible for executing the BHE’s policies and day-to-day operations. The BHE, as well as the board members for DEEC and DESE, is appointed by the Massachusetts Governor, coordinates policies and activities among the Commonwealth’s system of public education institutions, and engages in advocacy on their behalf. The BHE is the employer of record for collective bargaining agreements within the state university system.
The Massachusetts state legislature annually appropriates such sums as it deems necessary for the maintenance, operation, and support of each state university, including collective bargaining agreements. The diversity and dynamism of the work produced by MassArt is a tribute to the Commonwealth’s committed investment in the highest possible rigor of public higher education and the recognition of the long-term value of education in the visual arts.
Massachusetts Public Higher Education System
The Massachusetts system of public higher education institutions is comprised of five campuses of the University of Massachusetts, nine state universities, and fifteen community colleges. These three segments are as follows:
University of Massachusetts: UMass at Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and Worcester;
State Universities: Three are specialized - Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt), Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts;
Six are comprehensive (integrating liberal arts and science programs with professional education) - Bridgewater, Fitchburg, Framingham, , Salem, Westfield, and Worcester State University; and
Community Colleges: Berkshire, Bristol, Bunker Hill, Cape Cod, Greenfield, Holyoke, Massachusetts Bay, Massasoit, Middlesex, Mount Wachusett, Northern Essex, North Shore, Quinsigamond, Roxbury, and Springfield Technical Community College.
MassArt coordinates at the state level with the other eight state universities through a coalition called Council of Presidents (COP) of the Massachusetts State University System, which advocates on behalf of the state university segment.
More information about the state's colleges and universities can be found here on the Department of Higher Education's website.
MassArt Board of Trustees
MassArt’s board of trustees (BOT) were established in 1980 through Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 15A. This body consists of eleven members who create their own by-laws and governance structures. The Massachusetts Governor appoints ten members of MassArt’s board of trustees for up to two five-year terms. At least one of the appointments must be a MassArt alumnx and one must be elected by MassArt’s alumni association. The eleventh board member must be elected annually, no later than May fifteenth, by MassArt students, and must be a full-time undergraduate who maintains satisfactory academic progress. One of the most important jobs a board of trustees has is to hire and evaluate presidents. Trustees also set policies and maintain fiscal responsibility.
Senior Leadership
MassArt’s president implements the policies and direction set by the board of trustees and makes recommendations as to the school’s mission, goals, and strategic directions. The president serves as an ex-officio member of the board of trustees and may be granted the duties, functions, powers and responsibilities as the board of trustees prescribes, consistent with the laws of the Commonwealth. The president may designate authority to the college’s vice presidents: these include the provost/vice president for academic affairs, the vice president for advancement, the vice president for student development, the vice president of administration and finance, and the vice president for strategic engagement. In seeking the broadest engagement possible, the president may also form councils and committees to serve in an advisory role and to provide guidance on key issues facing the college.
All academic credit is granted through the department structure. Some departments are single programs; others contain several majors.
Information on MassArt's undergraduate programs of study, as well as the Foundation Year, can be found on massart.edu.
Department Chairperson
The Department Chair provides leadership in the department, overseeing and administering all department activities and procedures, including the recommendation of curricular and resouce requirements of the department. The chair is responsible for developing a shared departmental vision for the next 3-5 years, ensuring clear and open communications, and acts as a liaison with other chairs and campus constituencies. A full explanation of the chair’s responsibilities can be found in Article VI of the MSCA contract and the MSCA Chair's handbook (2020) (please visit the MSCA Union website for most updated version). A chair serves for no more than 3 successive three-year terms, and is elected by the full time faculty within the department.
Program Area Chairs (PAC)
In departments with multiple programs, the Program Area Chair supervises either individual majors or courses required of all students. Duties include annually collecting, organizing and reviewing course schedules and department staffing in preparation for registration, advising the chair regarding hiring, organizing area budget requests, and monitoring expenditures. The PAC reports directly to the department chair.
Studio Managers
Each studio department has at least one Studio Manager. Studio Managers maintain the studio spaces, assist faculty in educating students about studio health and safety practices, maintain and repair equipment, and order studio supplies. Studio Managers are supervised by the Associate Dean for Academic Administration.
Department Assistants
Department Assistants are a source of information and can answer questions about faculty offices, obtaining keys, and the general operations of your department. They will also communicate crucial information and requests from department chairs, Academic Affairs, and other college administrators, as well as collect semesterly information, such as office hours and course syllabi. The assistants have work study students who can copy class hand outs if given advanced notice. Department Assistants are supervised by the Director of Academic Operations.
Department Curriculum Committee
Each department has a department curriculum committee, which in addition to overseeing the departmental curriculum, is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations about the department’s long-range educational objectives, and about academic advising within the department.
There are currently four collective bargaining agreements within MassArt (MSCA, APA, AFSCME, and DGCE), and each has its own governance provisions.
Within the Faculty and Librarian's MSCA contract, language has been negotiated that establishes the MSCA governance committees. Full-time faculty members, students, and administrators contribute in the decision-making process at the college through participation in these negotiated governance committees. Administrators are assigned by the college president, faculty members are recommended by the union’s chapter president, and student members are recommended by the Student Government Association (SGA).
As per the MSCA contract, requests for review of academic policies, course requirements, and other charges must be submitted through the Academic Affairs Department and addressed to the chairperson of the All-University Committee (AUC) for referral to an MSCA governance committee. Recommendations are transmitted from the committee back to AUC, who then reviews and forwards them with any amendments or recommendations of their own to the provost and president of the college. Once reviewed, the president’s final ruling on these academic matters is released to the college community.
Some of the MSCA Committees (per the contract)
All-University Committee (AUC)
Composition: 8 faculty/librarians, 3 students, 3 administrators
Responsible for reviewing and acting upon any recommendation, report, or other matter submitted to it by any standing or ad hoc committee, or to refer to a standing committee or ad hoc committee any matter that a member of the college community shall bring to AUC for consideration.
Curriculum Committee (Standing Committee)
Composition: 10 faculty/librarians, 2 students, 2 administrators
The committee shall evaluate and make recommendations concerning the following: (A) all deletions from, additions to, or changes in the inventory of courses and identification of the department to which the courses are to be assigned; (B) major and general educational requirements and proposed changes therein; and (C) proposals for new major programs of study. In addition, the committee shall from time to time conduct a University-wide study of the overall academic program in order to consider and propose major changes in the curriculum design.
Academic Policies Committee (Standing Committee)
Composition: 10 faculty/librarians, 2 students, 2 administrators
After receiving from AUC any recommendation submitted by any member of the community, the committee shall from time to time prepare and transmit to the Vice President reports and recommendations with respect to the following: (A) the academic calendar; (B) academic standards; (C) standards for admission to the University; (D) policies governing selective retention; (E) educational services that the University should render to the local community; and (F) library services.
Student Affairs Committee (Standing Committee)
Composition: 5 faculty/librarians, 9 students, 5 administrators
After receiving from AUC any recommendation submitted by any member of the university community, the committee shall from time to time prepare and transmit to the Vice President, Student Services, reports and recommendations with respect to the following: (A) needs of the student population to be served; (B) student activities, and (C) student participation in the cultural and social activities of the University. The Committee shall make studies of the practices, policies and trends related to student life at other institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth and in the nation.
Graduate Education Council
Composition: 5 graduate faculty, one grad student, 3 administrators
The council may make reports and recommendations in the following matters: i. the changing of course requirements within the existing graduate curricula; ii. the addition of new courses and identification of the department to which the courses are to be assigned and the deletion of existing courses within such curricula; and iii. the criteria to be applied in designating as such members of the graduate faculty. The council shall receive and may solicit from the academic departments recommendations pertaining to the preceding item (iii).
Ad Hoc, Special, and University Wide Advisory Committees
In addition to the above committees, the MSCA contract allows for the creation of Ad Hoc, Special, and University Wide Advisory committees to handle issues that do not fall under the jurisdiction of the standing committees or Graduate Education Council. These committees are created through the governance process following the guidelines outlined in the MSCA contract.