The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture faces a $1 million funding deadline by August 25, or it will lose accreditation and be forced to cease its master of architecture program. Founded by the famous architect in 1932, it's one of the oldest independent schools in the country, but was until recently part of The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, an arrangement which now violates accreditation rules for institutions of higher learning that require them to be financially autonomous. According to new Dean Aaron Betsky, who started in January, it's important to protect the institution's "one-of-a-kind education," which takes advantage of the facilities at Taliesin and Taliesin West.
"We teach architecture in a way that just isn't available at other schools," he says. "We've worked hard to streamline the curriculum, so it's not just about designing boxes, but about a more open, beautiful and sustainable architecture."
Betsky, who spoke by phone during a trip to Los Angeles to attend a fundraiser last weekend, feels confident the school can meet its obligations. Forced to raise the funds due to a decision by the Higher Learning Commission, which threatened to remove the school's accreditation because of a new rule that says all educational organizations must be incorporated separately from their sponsoring organizations, the FLW has been raising funds for months, but just made the situation more public. The FLW school was already given an extension, and has tapped various alumni and famous architects, which has brought it halfway to its goal.
・50 Shades of Gray: Matching Concrete and the Challenges of Restoring Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple [Curbed]
・The Organic Beauty of Frank Lloyd Wright's Graycliff [Curbed]
・"Lost" Frank Lloyd Wright Home Rediscovered in Milwaukee [Curbed]
・Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West is Getting More Eco-Friendly [Curbed]
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