As a former member of the IADT faculty, I feel it's important to post some factual information here for prospective students who want the most for their educational dollar. I do not believe (regardless of your program of choice) that IADT is a school that cares about you, your academic career, your future, or the quality of education it has to offer.
For starters, everyone should know that the FACULTY does in fact care a great deal about their job and about their students. They plan a great deal on their courses and material and deliver it in a method that is appropriate to their student's field of choice. Many instructors have extensive background experience in their field of instruction and their degrees rival that of many four year colleges. IADT's faculty cares about their students.
It's the administration that punishes the faculty for reprimanding students. Often, very qualified and competant instructors are laid off or fired for "making waves" or making students contemplate quitting school. Believe me, it happens more then you think.
The problems with IADT does not lie with the instructors, but rather the managent and their "tactics" for aqcuiring students and their financial aid checks that simply never bounce. Prospecitve students are told how they will recieve a multitude of "freebies" including free bus passes, IADT merchandise, meals (the school has no meal program, unless you count the vending machines), computer software, and internships with companies such as Viacom, Industrial Light & Magic.
I know this firsthand because I had MANY students ask me where they go for their free meals, where they pick up their bus passes, and when they start their internships (the school has no internship program in any department as far as I know). The school has no contacts with the aforementioned companies.
The caliber of student that attends IADT is easily influenced by the "freebies" that simply never pan out. At least half of the students that attend IADT have criminal records for problems such as drug use, sale of narcotics, grand theft, assault, and parole violations. I taught both day and evening programs and while teaching, several students wiould come to class late with an escort of gang members wearing do-rags and gang colors. I even had a student come to class with an ankle tracking device.
Many of these students are unable to complete simple sentences in simple english, they cannot use a ruler, do not poses simple mathmatic problem solving abilities, and some even lack the ability to read. Students FREQUENTLY come to class unprepared without the necessary equipment to perform their assignments and projects. However, they do remember their headphones, CD Players, dinner, and video games. Grafitti finds its way into the restrooms, hallways, and the elevators on a routine basis. Equipment and personal theft is high (but the ratio is kept VERY quiet by the administration) with instructors and students having personal items stolen from purses, bookbags, and yes even the faculty offices. I myself personally caught a student in the act of reaching his hand up into a vending machine (with two rulers bracing the doors) and taking candy bars. Theft is rampant, and again, ignored so that prospective students will continue to go sign over the checks.
It isn't uncommon to have the Pittsburgh city police enter the building and take a student (s) out in handcuffs for skipping bail, theft, or for something much worse. I myself was personally witness to students being taken out in handcuffs on two occasions, both during the daytime. The school has absolutely no security measures in place and virtually anyone could simply walk into the building and go into any open classroom.
I personally caught a student (with a friend of his that did not attend the school) in one of the PC labs, burning copy after copy of Music CD's (for what I believe) to sell on the streets. Stacks of empty jewel cases were next to each computer tower.
Because this percentage of students will not be able to attend a traditional four-year college, IADT specifically targets students like this by telling them whatever they want to hearso they'll sign on the dotted line. Students in financial situations such as these will instantly qualify for financial aid from both the state and the federal government. Because these checks simply never bounce, the management does whatever it takes to keep these students at IADT for as long as possible. Students are allowed to fail a class three times before the school has to let them go... But loopholes are OFTEN found in state laws and students often continue to find their way on the class roster.
In the beginning of a term, my class roster would have approximately 25 students on it.By midterm, it would drop to half of that, and by the end of the term, I may have had 10 students remaining on the roster. Some of these students simply do not attend school, yet the school makes it quite simple to pass by allowing them to just "make up" the work during the breaks between school terms... The students simply do not learn about accountability or the importance of going to work.
MANY times, students would ask what they have to do to get a "D" so they could pass. The school has no attendance policy and has maintained this stand for as long as I can remember. Think about it... If they had an attendance policy, where would the checks go? What about the students who represent dollar signs? More often in department meetings I would hear about "numbers" instead of "retention" and "attendance". If the numbers are down, the faculty would be asked to call students at home and convince them to come back to class.
The housing department puts students in the worst neighborhoods, some of them are a hike from the school. Often I heard stories about students being forced to move from one housing development into another one during a weekend, sometimes using public transportation as their only means of moving. I only HEARD this, and admit that I do not know if it is the truth.
Several of the department heads simply do not have a degree or practical work experience in their actual department. They may have a degree in something like Cosmotology, but not in their subordinates field. Students are often frustrated when their concerns are not taken seriously by department heads who simply are not aware of issues that plauge students because they have no experience in the work they supervise. This problem is equally compounded for the faculty when the rules are constantly changing in the favor of students who continue to skip class and ignore IADT policies.
Again, the instructors are ordered not to "make waves" in favor of the dollar signs. Student desks and chairs are always breaking (if not already broken) with table legs held together with duct tape and pins. Several times in my classes, students fell off of chairs as they broke while they were sitting in them. When administration was told of this, their response was "when we get the numbers back up, then we'll order chairs", but they continue to hire admissions reps. Students spray art chemicals in hallways with no ventilation, often the fumes are toxic with strong odors. And, a faculty office was removed to make room for a indoors student smoking lounge. The entire faculty now resides in three rooms, one room has approximately 18-25 faculty memebers crammed in like a Cathy Lee Gifford sweat shop.
Faculty furniture is equally aged and broken, with several instructors fixing their shelving and chairs with tape, glue, and pushpins. The school does have a library, but the administration refuses to hire a full-time librarian which often leaves the library closed when the students need it the most.
The students who ARE responsible, turn in assignments, and have a general passion for their education are often left behind because more attention is spent on keeping the "troublemakers" in school, and virtually ignoring the ones who truly wish to be there. To pour salt into the wounds, Graduation ceremonies are constantly pushed back (to save the administration money) to combine several classes into one ceremony.
For example, students graduating say in January, their ceremony is pushed forward to July or perhaps August. Students who live out of state will have to come back for their actual diploma, sometimes 6-8 months after graduating. Graphic Design students (on several occasions) have had their portfolio review sessions curtailed or even cancelled. I personally spoke to several students (with tears in their eyes) talking about how their familes and prospective employers would not be able to see the fruits of their labor because the portfolio show was cancelled. I have been told that Graphic Design employers simply do not attend IADT portfolio shows any more for one reason or another.
The students are simply not taught the important lessons that you can't learn from a book. Often I heard about a student being hired from IADT, only to be fired shortly after due to poor work ethic, inability to come to work, or their lack of practical and communication skills. Unfortunately, the students do not recieve a quality education because the instructors lesson plans are "padded" by the administration to not be to difficult and challanging. If they feel it's too difficult, or that students might find it too challanging, they will simply change it.
On several occasions, I had students inform me that they had spoken to my supervisor and were granted an additional week to complete the assignment (believe it, it happens). Even though the student had 2-3 weeks for the assignment, they did not learn how to budget their time (and the consequences of what happens if they don't), but rather that they can get what they want if they whine enough. Remember, it's about "numbers" and dollars at IADT, not your education.
If you are a prospective student, I urge you to look elsewhere for your college education. Perhaps, if the faculty at IADT started their own school, I would recomend it in a heartbeat. I believe that should you attend IADT, your 1.5 years would be a nightmare, rather then giving you (the student) the opportunity to be excited about your future.
The administration is a million miles away from understanding what their students need and is more concerned with dollars and their own office space (yes, they have their own offices). The faculty is severely handicapped and can only hope for the best for their students rather then provide it to them.
IADT is a mistake for anyone. Believe it.
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