About Campus Life

Campus Life & Leadership

What is Campus Life?

About Campus Life:

Campus Life & Leadership works with student's suggestions and ideas, helping to plan and implement activities and events at the Academy throughout the year. Our goal is to foster better student community by providing opportunities for students to meet, relax and have a good time while they’re in school. Sounds simple enough, but there are some challenges.

The Academy is open enrollment, which gives everyone a chance to succeed as an artist, but there are no ‘typical’ students. We attract all ages and ethnicities from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Our urban campus is comprised of 32 buildings and 14 Academic majors. We host a unique student population that comes from around the globe. And despite a plethora of advanced technologies and equipment for student use, there is no physical student union. San Francisco is our playground.

Activities and events are planned to maximize enjoyment. And although all students may come here with talent – some have not yet developed the necessary social skills it takes to commune as artist and designer – ready to live and work in today’s real world of art and design. Campus Life & Leadership focuses on communication and the ‘quality of University life’ that becomes the student's experience. Campus Life is common ground for students’ career preparation, networking and fun.

And speaking of fun, Campus Life & Leadership offers a lot of free events designed to appeal to students so they will come out and meet each other. Some of our activities are mild and others are wild. Students start with cool ‘meet & greet’ mixers during orientation week and activities continue throughout the year and commence with the Spring Boat Party on the Bay. Events are important opportunities that give students a chance to collaborate with their peers. To be successful in art and design, you have to get to know a lot of people.

We don’t like to limit ourselves, so there’s plenty of variety for everyone: low cost field trips to Las Vegas, Yosemite and Tahoe (ski/snowboard) weekends, winery tours, Muir Woods hikes, bonfires at Ocean Beach, the Santa Cruz boardwalk, and Alcatraz are just a few of the places we like to go. The Bay Area has a wealth of entertainment resources and we take full advantage of this.

Most of our activities and events offer: Free food at many locations around campus, live entertainment and DJ’s at student parties. We also help plan student art shows, and some academic departments’ special events that set the tone for our Campus Connections programs that outreach to students in each department.

Campus Life & Leadership is more concerned with quality events over quantity. But with that said, we’ve had an unprecedented number of events and activities this year. Our office is located at 655 Sutter Street next door to The Egg. Just drop by, or call 415.614.1174 for an appointment.

We have a student lounge called The Egg, located at 655 1/2 Sutter Street. The Egg is where a lot of student club meetings are scheduled, as well as a party space for students’ use at night and on the weekends. The Egg is alcohol-free, but we still have a lot of fun.

Student social and academic CLUBS on campus continue to be a big hit. These clubs are for the students – by the students, and they offer more students a chance to meet in smaller group activities and projects specific to their major or group identity. There’s no place like home, and clubs can be the base for our international student community as well as those who seek advanced opportunities within their majors. Check out all student clubs and what they offer in the clubs section on this website or contact campuslife@academyart.edu for more information.

The Campus Recreation and Club Sports department also offers students a variety of intramural activities each semester. Co-ed basketball, baseball, volleyball, yoga and dance workshops and other sports are scheduled during the semester. Students can also work out in the Free Academy Gyms and swimming pool located at 620 Sutter Street.

WHERE TO FIND EVENT INFORMATION: Campus Life & Leadership produces The INFORMER calendar of events found on my.academyart.edu the home-grown Academy student website and discussion board which is maybe not the prettiest, but we are working on making it easier to navigate, and it’s here for students to use to make their own connections. Calendar updates are made daily. There are also hard copy flyers posted around campus promoting activities and events, but to ensure the most current and accurate event information, check the out the website first. Also: Students can now see Campus Life events on Facebook.

The free Red Book Student Guide and Calendar is a yearly Campus Life & Leadership project that gives Academy students tips on time management, list school resources, and tells the real story, from continuing student perspectives, of what it’s like to go to school here – from our students’ own experience. It’s a lot of hard work! Get used to it.

We use the words: “Love Life” on our logo for a reason. Campus activities & special events, parties, art exhibitions, field trips and most other extra curricular activities begin with Campus Life & Leadership, and ends as a student experience that may last a lifetime.