Draft plan to bring SCA onto main campus

Over the past 18 months the University of Sydney has explored various options to enhance visual arts education and research offered by Sydney College of the Arts (SCA) in NSW. As part of the goals of Strategic Plan 2016-2020, the University has now released a draft change proposal that aims to fulfill a vision to bring SCA into the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) to Camperdown/Darlington campus. Students and staff will be consulted on the changes in coming weeks before details are finalised.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney, Dr Michael Spence, said: “At the core of our planning are the current and future students wishing to pursue pure visual arts degrees and education. We also see additional opportunities to make visual arts practice a more integral part of the educational opportunities at the University of Sydney for all students.

"We also want to enrich the educational opportunities for those students enrolled in visual arts degrees who may want to broaden and deepen their engagement with subjects and disciplines offered by other faculties.”  

This will allow for the reimagining of the structure and delivery of the current curriculum and streamlining of facilities and space, to provide greater access to diverse academic communities that will also ensure financial viability for SCA as part of a high quality arts education. 

“The location of SCA at Rozelle is constraining choice and options for our students. The large Rozelle campus is not only costly to run, but flawed as a model for providing the best education to our SCA students,” said Dr Michael Spence.

The SCA draft change plan proposes a transition phase to fulfill teaching of current coursework students, the supervision of higher degree research candidates, and to give current students access to facilities to complete their University of Sydney degrees.

The University believes that changes will need to be made to SCA degrees and majors offered. However, it remains committed to relaunching the Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in 2018.

The vision for SCA will see a reduction in the number of staff because of the proposed focus on particular disciplines. SCA staff will be given the chance to express their interest in a voluntary redundancy, which will be considered based on the staff expertise needed for the visual arts school on Camperdown campus and the transition phase. The final administrative and technical staff requirements, student space, and SCA facilities on the University’s main campus will depend on the agreed change plan.

The relocation of SCA follows current plans to move other faculties and schools of the University of Sydney from satellite campuses, as part of its Campus Improvement Plan. The University’s Health Sciences Faculty at Lidcombe and Nursing School in Mallet Street, Camperdown are scheduled to move onto main campus by 2019.