President Elissa Tenny Celebrates Our Students

Each fall, I address the incoming students from the steps in Griffin Court, the light-filled, central atrium of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Modern Wing.

It’s a grand space. The Renzo Piano–designed architectural drama intensifies my speech about the amazing resources these new students now have at their fingertips. I talk about the students’ accomplished faculty. Their caring staff. The amazing libraries, studios, and programs. The museum’s collection, which is a survey of centuries of human imagination. I tell them that these things are what make SAIC a unique and unparalleled place to study and make art. And that’s true. But even the combined brilliance of all this wonder doesn’t make the School of the Art Institute of Chicago a school. Students make schools.

That is why this issue of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago magazine is dedicated to students. As I share in one of the feature stories, the reason I got into education was because I wanted to help students find their purpose. I was a first-generation student, and I didn't have the easiest time finding my path in college, but when I finally did pinpoint my interests, the classroom became a place not just of passive learning but active belonging. In my career, I’ve watched that same connection happen for generations of students. At SAIC, I’ve worked alongside countless partners to remove barriers to access and deepen support systems so that students can find success at SAIC and beyond. Students make SAIC what it is, and they have so many stories to share.

In this issue, you will see where SAIC students are making an impact in incredible internships, learn their favorite spots in Chicago and pieces at the museum, and understand how what SAIC offers has transformed their college experience. You will meet some of the newest students, celebrate one of the oldest student organizations on campus, and so much more. I hope you enjoy reading about SAIC’s students as much as I do.

Focusing on students makes this issue especially important to me. Poignant, too. Since I came to SAIC to implement a strategic plan with a transformative effect on the student experience, supporting students has been the cornerstone of my work. And now, as my retirement approaches in July 2024, I am filled with a wistful gratitude. So thankful to have been a part of an amazing School with the irrepressible talent of emerging artists, designers, and scholars at its core. And premature melancholy that I won’t be greeting the class of 2028 next fall. Luckily, as the stories in this issue attest, the splendor of SAIC students shines on, bright enough to make our School a school that can be seen far beyond campus and well into the future.

Enjoy the view,

Elissa Tenny
President ■