Learning culture credo

SCAD architecture

The SCAD architecture department's commitment to the shared values of the discipline and the profession is captured within the SCAD Architecture Learning Culture Credo (the department's studio culture policy), which outlines how the department fosters a positive learning and teaching community that models the profession's values and ethics.

In 2000, a group of SCAD students attended the 2000 AIAS FORUM and proposed the creation of a studio culture taskforce to adopt values of optimism, respect, sharing, engagement, and innovation. This insightful call for owning and shaping the studio culture in the architecture department led to the creation of the AIAS Studio Culture Taskforce and the development of the nation's first studio culture policy.

Concurrent with the NAAB's adoption of the studio culture condition for accreditation in 2003, SCAD architecture students and faculty developed and implemented the first SCAD studio culture policy in 2004. In 2013, led by the SCAD AIAS executive committee — and with broad-based involvement from students, faculty, and academic leaders — this policy was enhanced and renamed the Learning Culture Credo.

Learning culture credo ownership

The SCAD architecture community of faculty, staff, and students own the department's Learning Culture Credo.

SCAD faculty teach, exemplify, and expect the application of the value statements of the SCAD Architecture Learning Culture Credo.

SCAD staff uphold, facilitate, and promote the value statements of the SCAD Architecture Learning Culture Credo.

SCAD students learn, apply, and share the value statements of the SCAD Architecture Learning Culture Credo.

Learning culture credo

1. We value ourselves as individuals and professionals.
2. We shape our experience as architecture students, faculty, and staff.
3. We respect each other and the learning environment.
4. We are responsible for maintaining an inclusive community where everyone feels welcomed, valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.
5. We benefit from a collaborative design community.
6. We embrace innovation.
7. We cultivate leadership.
8. We prepare for professional careers in a global marketplace.
9. We remain engaged in learning and connected with one another. 

Learning culture credo

1. We value ourselves as individuals and professionals.
   • Maintain a professional studio environment that supports health and wellness.
   • Practice effective organization and time management habits that support both professional success and personal well-being.
   • Demonstrate and expect professionalism in all endeavors.
2. We shape our experience as architecture students, faculty, and staff.
   • Contribute to a positive teaching and learning environment.
   • Promote a teaching and learning environment that is conducive to everyone's success.
   • Display ownership and pride of our teaching and learning environment.
3. We respect each other and the learning environment.
   • Foster a community of respect and professionalism.
   • Show mutual respect, when engaged in dialogue, considering ideas, and providing and responding to critique.
   • Embrace openness and respect when examining ideas and sharing individual perspectives.
   • Approach the studio environment with respect, follow professional practices, and adhere to applicable safety regulations and guidelines.
4. We are responsible for maintaining an inclusive community where everyone feels welcomed, valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.
   • Respect the unique backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints of all and treat these qualities as opportunities to expand our knowledge and enhance our ability to work well with others.
   • Embrace a global community, welcome new perspectives, and work toward a more equitable future.
   • Recognize, celebrate, and engage with the work and ideas of architects and designers who are members of historically marginalized groups.
   • Open our study and practice to a wide range of architectural traditions, approaches, and viewpoints.
5. We benefit from a collaborative design community.
   • Seize opportunities to collaborate with other disciplines within and beyond the School of Building Arts.
   • Pursue new skills, knowledge, and strategies to effectively collaborate with others outside the architecture profession.
   • Engage in experiences offered by SCADpro, SCAD Serve, SCADamp, exhibitions, guest lectures, and signature events to enrich our educational experience.
6. We embrace innovation.
   • Pursue opportunities to generate new and relevant solutions to improve and inspire the communities you serve.
   • Embrace innovation as a process of discovering optimal solutions.
   • Explore how innovation builds upon the accomplishments of the past and does not result from isolated and uninformed efforts.
7. We cultivate leadership.
   • Understand how leadership in the architecture profession requires a strong sense of individual responsibility for the health, safety, and well-being of the public.
   • Learn, develop, and practice the leadership abilities expected of professionals in the architecture discipline.
   • Hone leadership abilities as members of organizations in the architecture department, the School of Building Arts, and throughout the university.
8. We prepare for professional careers in a global marketplace.
   • Explore the global nature and scope of the architecture profession, and variety of architecture-related professions.
   • Consider SCAD's international study opportunities as a means of obtaining valuable experience for professional careers in a global marketplace.
   • Identify and pursue the wide range of internships and careers available in the U.S. and abroad with support from SCAD career and alumni success advisers.
   • Expand professional opportunities by participation in the Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®) and preparation to pass the Architect Registration Examination.
9. We remain engaged in learning and connected with one another.
   • Embrace lifelong learning in dedication to mastering the principles and disciplines that define the architecture profession.
   • Draw upon and support the robust network of architecture alumni.
   • Remain active in the architecture alumni community and stay connected to the department, the School of Building Arts, and the university.

Download the full learning culture credo