SCAD prepares talented students for creative professions through engaged teaching and learning in a positively oriented university environment. SCAD SERVE, the university’s philanthropic arm, builds on this mission by empowering students, faculty, and staff to drive environmental change through intentional sustainability initiatives that improve quality of life in SCAD’s hometowns of Atlanta and Savannah.
Envisioned and led by SCAD President Paula Wallace, SCAD SERVE focuses on four critical areas of environmental impact: sustainable food systems, green building practices, responsible consumption, and environmental justice. Through these pillars, SCAD SERVE transforms education into action, to implement meaningful, community-centric solutions.
SCAD SERVE’s signature programs—SCAD SERVE Community Fund, Paint Our Parks, and Design for Good—demonstrate the initiative’s commitment to lasting impact. From funding local nonprofits and revitalizing public spaces with alumni-designed murals to solving real-world challenges through student-led design thinking, SCAD SERVE fosters the next generation of sustainability leaders.
The goal is clear: to create innovative, tangible, and sustainable outcomes that address pressing community issues while amplifying SCAD’s positive economic and environmental influence.
SCAD SERVE brings sustainability education to life through a comprehensive, three-pronged strategy: Volunteerism, Curriculum, and Studio. This integrated model transforms traditional academic boundaries into dynamic platforms for environmental action, engaging SCAD’s entire creative community in real-world problem-solving and community impact.
Volunteerism mobilizes students, faculty, and staff in hands-on initiatives that directly benefit SCAD’s hometowns of Savannah and Atlanta. With 1,095 volunteer registrations and 2,969 hours across 134 projects, SCAD SERVE has led coastal cleanups, Tybee Beach restoration, food donation drives, and tree planting campaigns in environmentally inequitable neighborhoods. These efforts improve air quality, support climate resilience, and foster economic stability. The Buzz Bus program exemplifies this impact, expanding from one to twelve events with 1,100% growth, distributing over 15,000 art supplies and engaging 5,261 students in environmental education.
Curriculum integration embeds sustainability into SCAD’s academic core. Forty-one faculty across 40+ disciplines lead Design for Good courses, empowering students to solve real-world challenges for nonprofit partners. This cross-disciplinary approach ensures every student—regardless of major—develops environmental literacy and understands how their creative practice can advance sustainability. Projects like Tharros Place, where interior design students created trauma-informed spaces for survivors of human trafficking, demonstrate how curriculum-driven initiatives address social sustainability.
Studio components mirror professional consultancy, with multidisciplinary teams developing scalable solutions for community partners. In Sweet Auburn Works, students from advertising, interior design, photography, and business collaborated to support economic development in Atlanta’s historic district. The Lorlee project exemplifies environmental stewardship through historic preservation, converting the former Pulaski House into 22 workforce housing units while addressing housing inequity.
SCAD SERVE’s execution is rooted in deep community partnerships. Through the SCAD SERVE Community Fund, the university has invested $1.772 million in grants to 134 organizations, supporting initiatives that generate innovative, tangible, and sustainable outcomes. These partnerships ensure that SCAD SERVE’s work is locally relevant, inclusive, and impactful.
Challenges included coordinating cross-disciplinary teams, aligning academic schedules with community needs, and ensuring measurable outcomes across diverse projects. SCAD overcame these through strategic planning, strong leadership from President Paula Wallace, and a culture of collaboration that permeates the university.
SCAD SERVE’s uniqueness lies in its fusion of creativity, education, and environmental advocacy. By engaging students across 100+ degree programs and measuring success through tangible outcomes—trees planted, art supplies donated, murals painted, and lives impacted—SCAD SERVE proves that sustainability education can drive lasting change. With an average of four projects per week, SCAD SERVE demonstrates how creative education catalyzes environmental transformation, preparing students to become sustainability leaders in their careers and communities.
Through its innovative strategy and execution, SCAD SERVE has created a replicable model for how universities can lead environmental change—one that blends academic excellence with community engagement to build a more sustainable future.
SCAD SERVE successfully met its objectives by transforming sustainability education into measurable community impact. Through its three-pronged approach—Volunteerism, Curriculum, and Studio—SCAD SERVE empowered students, faculty, and staff to implement creative solutions that address environmental and social challenges in SCAD’s hometowns of Savannah and Atlanta.
Volunteer efforts resulted in 1,095 registrations and 2,969 hours across 134 projects, including coastal cleanups, tree planting in underserved neighborhoods, and the Buzz Bus program, which distributed over 15,000 art supplies to 5,261 students. These initiatives improved air quality, supported climate resilience, and advanced environmental justice.
Curriculum integration reached 40+ disciplines, with 41 faculty leading Design for Good courses that embedded sustainability into academic experiences. Students developed real-world solutions for nonprofits, including trauma-informed design for Tharros Place and circular economy models through the Campus Art Supply Initiative.
Studio projects like Sweet Auburn Works and The Lorlee demonstrated scalable, multidisciplinary solutions for economic development and housing equity. SCAD SERVE’s $1.772 million Community Fund investment and partnerships with 134 organizations amplified its reach and impact.
SCAD SERVE’s success is evident in its tangible outcomes: trees planted, murals painted, art supplies donated, and lives transformed. By engaging over 100 degree programs and fostering collaboration across disciplines, SCAD SERVE created a replicable model for sustainability education. It prepares students to become environmental advocates and creative leaders, proving that design-driven philanthropy can catalyze lasting change.
