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Our CommitmentIDEAS Council
The IDEAS Council was established at KCAI in 2020. Our vision is to create a campus community that embraces, nurtures, and demonstrates the core values of inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and sustainability (IDEAS).
The Council is comprised of a broad cross-section of faculty, staff, and students working collaboratively to inspire, develop, and promote an IDEAS-centric culture through advocacy, education, action-oriented initiatives, open dialogue, and information-sharing among the KCAI community.
Through the IDEAS Council, all members of the KCAI campus community (administration, faculty, staff, and students) are provided with a forum for sharing and developing IDEAS-related information and initiatives.
In striving for a better KCAI for all, the IDEAS Council warmly welcomes any feedback and ideas: ideas@kcai.edu
Leonard Pryor Fellowship
Toward our goal of fostering an IDEAS-centric culture, KCAI strives to attract, retain, and support faculty from underrepresented groups and to provide IDEAS-focused opportunities for faculty, staff, and students. To help support this need, KCAI has created the Leonard Pryor Fellowship to be awarded to an artist or designer whose background and art or design practice will help to foster and support a more inclusive community at the college.
Council Bylaws
Find the current bylaws below.
2024-2025 IDEAS Council Members
Faculty
Keith Kirkland – Leonard Pryor Fellow
Eleanor Lim-Midyett – Liberal Arts
[Vacant]
Staff
Sienna Henson – Jannes Library
Ronnie Knight-Beck – Administration
Malisha Meador – Registrar’s Office
Students
Kylee Crisswell – ’27, Graphic Design & Creative Writing
Jenny Niehaus – ’26, Graphic Design
Morgan Underhill – ’26, Illustration
Statement from KCAI on SB134
Here at KCAI, we are committed to protecting all students and giving them safe, inclusive place to learn and thrive.
As such, we want to address the Missouri General Assembly’s recent consideration of legislation to censor gender identity in K-12 public education settings: KCAI is strongly against any legislation that marginalizes the LGBTQ+ community.
We oppose all discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, and strongly believe that Missouri Senate Bill 134 puts students at risk for depression, anxiety, and even suicide.
Here at KCAI, we will not tolerate discrimination of any kind. This bill sends an alarming message to already vulnerable youth in our communities. We understand that this bill is directly aimed at K-12 schools, but we also recognize it sets a dangerous precedent and ramifications for all levels education.
We must stand together to voice our opposition.
The mission of the Kansas City Art Institute is to prepare gifted students to transform the world creatively through art and design, and to do so, students must feel safe and equally protected.