All by design: Paula Wallace

The creative industries don’t just provide an essential part of our daily lives through our screens, speakers and headphones – they’re big business. In 2022, arts and cultural production contributed US$1.1 trillion to the United States’ economy.

Despite this, creatives can sometimes be overlooked and not properly recognized for the value they provide to society – but not at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

As the world’s most comprehensive university for creative professions, it currently enrolls more than 17,500 students, each of which is pushed to achieve their maximum potential. As well as visionaries in the arts, its alumni contribute to various sectors such as health care, technology and engineering.

To establish and lead such an institution not only requires strong leadership competency, but also a deep passion for education.

"I cherish every moment of my life at SCAD – I have my dream job," Paula Wallace, President and Founder of SCAD, tells The CEO Magazine. "Every day, every decision feels pivotal and promises one more opportunity to serve and love students, launching their careers like no university on the planet."

Wallace has truly been there since day one, and proudly remembers the moment SCAD enrolled its first student. "That was a big day," she says. "No milestone can outshine that one."

"Look around: everything you see and touch is shaped by creative professionals."

Yet they’ve certainly given it a good go. Ever since that day in 1979, SCAD has been pushing boundaries and reshaping the traditional understanding of what an art and design university can be. Not only has this taken them across the state of Georgia, it has taken them across the world.

"Honestly, we have big days at SCAD quite often," Wallace says. "The founding of SCAD Lacoste, our permanent European location, in 2002 propelled SCAD into the vanguard of universities with an international presence.

"The creation of SCAD Atlanta in 2005 invited students to study among many of the world’s best employers and precipitated the transformation, a few years later, of Atlanta into the world capital of film and TV production.

"In 2011, we opened the SCAD Museum of Art, the world’s finest teaching museum, and launched SCADpro, the university’s in-house business innovation lab."

With clients such as Apple, Google, BMW and Deloitte, SCADpro takes its students and alumni, nicknamed ‘SCAD Bees’, to the forefront of innovation across multiple industries.

"Our SCAD Bees make the world better for everyone," she says. "Designing and creating the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the games we play, the stories we love, the interiors where we work and live, the healthcare environments that help us heal, and on and on.

"Look around: everything you see and touch is shaped by creative professionals."

A lifelong passion

Wallace’s passion for education runs deep in her veins. She comes from a lineage of educators.

"I've always been a bit of an outsider, beginning my career as an elementary school teacher. My mother, a lifelong educator in the Atlanta Public Schools, loved to say: ‘A teacher on her feet is worth two in the seat’."

She lives this ethos as President of SCAD, as a constant presence in its hallways and classrooms. Despite her long-standing tenure, she has been conscious not to lose her connection with the beating heart of SCAD.

"I want to hear from faculty, engage with students, observe classes and conduct studio visits to see and offer feedback on student works-in-progress," she says.

Wallace is now also embracing SCAD’s technological prowess to help impart her wisdom to students.

"I spend a considerable part of my day engaged in what I call edutainment, working with my creative team to produce thoughtfully researched educational content for SCAD and the wider global audience," she says.

Her podcast On Creativity has hosted leading names in the creative industry, such as Ron Howard, Millie Bobby Brown and Diane von Furstenberg, for entertaining and eye-opening conversations.

"Each episode is a masterclass that explores the industries SCAD students are preparing for, and where SCAD grads are already leading and contributing," she says.

"I’ve always chosen to do more, not less, and I have never regretted it."

Not only is Wallace an educator, a leader and a podcaster, but she is also an author. She says that her latest book, Lessons in Leadership, is inspired by her students. "Their minds are so curious, their hearts and hands so eager to build a better world," she says.

Wallace wanted to continue to inspire people, SCAD graduates or otherwise, to make a difference. The story of the book reflects the remarkable success story of SCAD.

"I wrote Lessons in Leadership for anyone who feels called to lead. It features 10 key insights from across my 45-plus years at SCAD," she says.

"I wanted to get it all down on paper for people to study and apply in their own careers: how I created this unpretentious startup, and how we’ve grown SCAD into an international powerhouse with three locations on two continents and nearly 18,000 students this year."

One lesson Wallace picks out is number three, which is to ‘aspire to be best in class’. ​​"You don’t become Apple or BMW or SCAD overnight," she says. "But your vision, even from the earliest moment, must focus on that audacious, outrageous outcome."

Undoubtedly, it’s this vision and ambition to improve that has brought Wallace, and SCAD, their success. She still carries forward lessons from early in her working life that have continuously driven her forward.

"I learned this in my early years of teaching as I entered each new day with a decision: I could simply meet institutional standards, or I could go above and beyond to immerse students in the grand adventure of learning," Wallace says.

"I’ve always chosen to do more, not less, and I have never regretted it."

Building the future

Her unflinching dedication to the future of the students at SCAD means that Wallace ensures all its facilities are supporting the best possible learning experience. For students, few built environments are as important as their residences.

SCAD has adopted the concept of building on-site student accommodation with a vision to maximize student performance and engagement, providing an integrated learning environment.

"We know from our own research that students who live on campus attend more classes, earn higher grades and are more likely to graduate on time," Wallace says. "That finding alone has compelled major construction of new residence halls at every location, including SCAD Atlanta."

"My focus has always been fastidiously set on the quality of SCAD, the magic we create for our students and the mission to launch their careers."

The new halls of residence at SCAD Atlanta, named FORTY FIVE in commemoration of SCAD’s 45th anniversary, shapes up more like a luxury resort than student accommodation. It features a rooftop pool, fitness center and dining areas, as well as cutting-edge workspaces and studios. There are both indoor and outdoor performance spaces, with both a 650-seat theater and the SCAD COURT courtyard with LED screen.

"At SCAD Atlanta, we've created an exquisite, integrated learning environment in the very heart of the city that strikes the perfect balance of a home away from home," Wallace says.

Among the stars

The opportunities on offer for SCAD students extend beyond their world-leading facilities. Wallace has helped transform SCAD, and the state, into a cultural hub.

"Georgia is now the world capital of film and TV production, bar none, and SCAD played a starring role in making that happen," Wallace says. "In 1998, I created the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, the largest university-run festival in the world, which added serious momentum to burgeoning film production in the state."

The festival brought the heavy hitters of the film industry to Georgia, giving them the chance to discover the state’s filmmaking potential for themselves.

"They saw that the state had everything they needed: a year-round climate for shooting; every conceivable location – city, country, farm, forest, mountain, beach – and most importantly, thanks to SCAD, a pipeline of pro-level film and TV talent."

"Georgia is now the world capital of film and TV production, bar none."

The industry certainly took notice. Now Georgia is home to some of the biggest film studios, with Wallace citing both Trilith (Marvel) and Great Point (Lionsgate) in Atlanta alone.

"In Savannah, SCAD students benefit from an epic backlot that any producer would cherish," she continues. "Our 4.5-hectare SCAD Backlot at Savannah Film Studios is the biggest movie-making backlot in higher education, with hyper-detailed outdoor scenes and interiors that ground a variety of cinematic stories.

"And right next to the Backlot lives an LED volume stage, that creates eye-popping animation and tech as seen in the Star Wars galaxy and the Marvel Cinematic Universe – all for SCAD students."

For budding filmmakers, this unparalleled access to the epicenter of the film and TV industry is invaluable.

"The media and entertainment industries generate an estimated US$14 billion in the Georgia economy and employ 40,000 creatives – ample opportunity for our Bees," Wallace says.

"We’re fielding a lot of calls from the film business, booking the Backlot and the LED stages for commercial work. We almost always say yes, provided the production hire SCAD students, which they do.

"SCAD exists to launch pro careers. The Backlot helps. That’s why we built it."

It’s no surprise, then, that SCAD alumni occupy major roles at the world’s biggest streaming studios, from Netflix, to Amazon Prime and Disney+. "SCAD is the place for film, from screenwriting to casting to shooting to festival screening," Wallace says. "You can do it all at SCAD. We’re a full-service university."

Helping the community

For Wallace, while providing her SCAD Bees with the best possible opportunities is her central focus, she also has a keen and compassionate eye on the community.

"I created SCAD SERVE Community Fund earlier this year to transform lives in our SCAD hometowns of Atlanta and Savannah," she says. "The fund awards SCAD grants ranging from US$100,000 to US$1 million. We’ve allocated up to US$10 million for our first funding cycle, now underway, to improve lives in Georgia on top of SCAD’s whopping US$1.3 billion dollar economic impact in Georgia."

By integrating and applying the expertise of the university, as well as partnering with nonprofits and government, the Community Fund has maximized its effectiveness.

"The fund addresses challenges in four specific areas: clothing, housing, food and the environment, and has become a leader in all four," Wallace explains. "From fashion and architecture to sustainable design, these are disciplines we teach better than anyone, which means we know how to enact lasting change."

The SCAD SERVE initiative continues to make a tangible difference in the Savannah and Atlanta communities.

"SCAD is the only university in the nation to create workforce housing for frontline workers, at no cost to taxpayers – resulting in The Lorlee on Pulaski Square in downtown Savannah, with 22 gorgeous units at below-market rents," Wallace says.

"Furthermore, through SCAD’s Tree Equity Initiative, our students and faculty members conducted heat studies of Savannah’s underserved neighborhoods, which resulted in our planting and continued care of native tree species throughout the city."

"We know how to enact lasting change."

Despite this strong community focus, SCAD’s raison d’etre, as she puts it, is to launch the careers of creative professionals. SCAD SERVE fulfills this, too, by offering students the chance to lead these community projects.

"The project invites students to gain priceless leadership experience collaborating with community leaders," she explains.

"In this way, SCAD SERVE functions as the pro bono counterpart to SCADpro, where students engage in applied research and implement practicable solutions for external clients. In this case our clients are local entities, rather than global brands like Apple and Paramount+, who are our SCADpro clients."

For Wallace and SCAD, the future promises more of the same. As ever, she continues to insist on giving her students flowers for their achievements.

"They’re launching sustainable sneaker lines and circular fashion brands, as well as winning Emmys and Oscars for storytelling and technical brilliance," she says.

"One current SCAD industrial design student is researching ways to improve food distribution and safety in his hometown of Mumbai, India. A SCAD graphic design alumnus is leveraging digital tech to put a government ID in the hands of every unhoused person in the United States."

It is because of the incredible difference that her students are making around the world that she remains as committed as ever to nurturing talent, Wallace explains.

"My focus has always been fastidiously set on the quality of SCAD, the magic we create for our students and the mission to launch their careers."