2023-24 Annual Report

As we reflect on the 2023–24 fiscal year, we’re so grateful for the support of our longtime and new supporters, partners, friends and community members.

And this support means so much to us now, more than ever. CIA—and the higher education sector as a whole—has been faring with considerable challenges as we face demographic and sociological shifts, an increased regulatory environment, seismic repercussions of a botched FAFSA rollout, and declining public trust in the value of higher education. Combined, these factors have led to growth in the “non-consumption” market of students not going to college at all. Last academic year, many colleges— including some of our neighbors in Northeast Ohio as well as fellow art and design colleges across the country—also faced considerable budget deficits, programmatic and employee cuts, and even mergers and closures.

At CIA, through the efforts of the Board of Directors and Cabinet, we’ve been working hard to learn from the difficult circumstances faced by other schools. We’ve also been responsibly and proactively engaging in “preventive care” alongside innovation investments to ensure our long-term institutional health and relevance.

For example, this past year we engaged in the next phase of our digital transformation efforts, cost-containment planning, Interactive Media Lab operationalization and academic planning, and other forward-moving strategic initiatives to ensure we remain mission-focused, future-facing and fiscally responsible.

On that note, CIA’s retention investments are paying off. Last academic year, we saw a record-low attrition rate of 2.1 percent from Fall 2023 semester to Spring 2024 semester. Financial barriers aren’t the only impediment to student success, and we’re thrilled to see the positive outcomes of our MOSAIC (Multicultural Orientation Series for Artists in College) program, Jane B. Nord Center for Teaching + Learning, Career Center, and other systemic student success initiatives.

Another key development of our work last year involved transitioning from the “silent” to the “quiet” phase of CIA’s Transformation Campaign, a $35 million comprehensive campaign— “comprehensive” in that it includes a combination of endowment, capital and operating support—that focuses on five mission-defining impact areas. And as the 2023–24 Annual Report goes to press, we have exceeded 75 percent of our goal (more than $27 million so far) and are starting to get “loud” as we enter the Transformation Campaign’s public phase.

We thank you again for your continued support, and we invite you to join us in CIA’s continued transformation as well as in spreading the good word of our College far and wide.

Kathryn J. Heidemann
President + CEO

Cynthia Prior Gascoigne
Chair, Board of Directors