Kansas City Art Institute

The first day of class will be August 31, 2020. The first week of studio class meetings will include health and safety training designed by MRI Global and specific to the department’s curriculum, materials, equipment and facilities.

Labor Day

On Labor Day, KCAI will be closed and we ask that students, faculty and staff not travel and remain in Kansas City to help prevent transmission of COVID-19.

Thanksgiving Break and Virtual Classes

Thanksgiving break starts Wednesday, November 25th and there will be no in-person studio classes for the remainder of the semester. On Monday, November 30th studio classes will resume online – BUT the studios, campus facilities and Barbara Marshall Residence Hall will remain open for students. Liberal arts courses will continue online.

Students may stay on campus and work in their studios during and following the Thanksgiving break as long as they do not travel during the holiday break. IF students choose to stay on campus from November 25 through the final day of the semester on December 17^th, they may NOT travel outside of Kansas City for the remainder of the semester to help decrease the risk of exposure to COVID. The fall semester ends on December 17th at which time the studios and BMRH will close and winter break begins. It is critical that we all work together to keep the KCAI community safe, and limiting travel is one way to decrease risk.

Wylie Dining and Café Nerman will be open this fall for students, faculty and staff, but closed to the public. Food in Wylie Dining will either be served by Great Western Dining employees or consist of grab-and-go items. Café Nerman will continue to feature coffee and specialty drinks, as well as grab-and-go food items. In order to meet the health department capacity guidelines, meal times for Wylie Dining will be scheduled based on meal plans. Seating within Wylie will be prioritized for BMRH residents first and seats arranged for social distancing. Meal schedules will be communicated to students closer to the beginning of the fall semester.

We expect maximum occupancy in our new Barbara Marshall Residence Hall this fall. In order to provide a safe experience for all residents, we have extended move-in to three days, on August 27th, 28th and 29th. Move-in times will be scheduled in 3-hour time blocks and residents will be asked to sign up for a specific date and time block. Only two guests per resident will be permitted during move-in. Residents will receive information about their room assignments and sign-up instructions the week of July 13th.

Students who have medical conditions that place them at greater risk in the residence hall should contact the Disability Office and Academic Support Services.

The Fitness Center, Game Room, and Lounge within the Sherman Family Student Union will be open to students on a limited basis with priority given to BMRH residents. The Community Kitchen, Meeting Room, and Micro Kitchen will be closed for the fall semester.

Visitors will not be permitted in the residence hall. Campus visitors are by appointment only.

Orientation will be held from Thursday, August 27 through Sunday, August 30. Due to ongoing pandemic circumstances, Orientation events will be hosted virtually. Please plan accordingly to be present and online during the days and times listed on the schedule. All sessions will be recorded, so should you happen to miss one, or experience technology issues, the information and material will still be available.

Virtual Orientation – Fall 2020 Schedule

Liberal Arts Classes

After weeks of careful consideration and in an effort to keep the KCAI community safe and healthy while providing students with increased flexibility the decision has been made to move liberal arts courses for the fall semester to fully online.

The focus of all in-person on-campus interaction this Fall will be on studio instruction and work time.

Students will be able to complete their liberal arts courses while continuing their in-person studio work on campus. 

Online liberal arts courses will allow for students to reduce their cross-departmental in-person interactions, and we know that by limiting the time of face-to-face interaction, social distancing, and using masks, we can reduce our risk of contracting COVID-19.

Liberal arts instructors are designing their online courses now, and some will be asynchronous and some will be synchronous, and some will be a hybrid of both. This information will be clearly detailed on each course syllabus.

In asynchronous courses, there are not set meeting times for the class. Students are provided with pre-recorded instructional materials and assignments with deadlines. Although faculty and students are not “online and on-screen together” at regular class meeting times, the faculty member will have monthly check in meetings via google meet with small groups or individual students.  We believe this is important to check in with students on their progress and comfort level in an online course.

In synchronous online liberal arts courses, students attend live lectures and class sessions via Google Meet at the set class time. Instructors and enrolled students log onto the virtual classroom concurrently, and students interact with the instructor and other students in real time.

KCAI faculty members are committed to our students’ personal and professional development and academic progress. Regardless of the course delivery mode, class sizes will continue to be small, and faculty members will be readily available to talk with students about their work.

Studio Classes

KCAI will provide a full semester of coursework with in-person instruction and student access to the studios, Media Center, Central Shop, Beals Studios for Art and Technology, Print Center, and Jannes Library.

Each studio major faculty group has formulated a plan that meets the unique needs of their curriculum, equipment and facilities.  Plans address details such as the occupancy and social distancing requirements in each classroom and studio space.  For studio class meetings and studio work outside of class time, we are fortunate to have facilities that allow students to work at safe distances from one another. For each studio building, there is a specific plan for the appropriate traffic pattern in and out based on the number of students. Through proper scheduling and placement of individual workspaces, students will continue to have between one to two hours of face-to-face instructional contact with their faculty member for every credit hour. Virtual supplemental instruction will be provided through live and recorded demonstrations, visiting artist presentations, and online critique and small group discussion.

The core of our mission is to provide safe space for students to become studio artists and designers who transform the world, and the fall reopening plan centers on this principle. We recognize the critical importance of “hands-on” making time in the studio, and we are committed to providing this to our students in the safest way possible.

Safety Precautions and Protocol Reminders

Faculty, staff, and students are asked not to travel or attend social gatherings outside of their immediate family and close social contacts for the two weeks prior to returning to campus.  We must each do our part to limit the risk of exposure to COVID-19, and we know that reducing our face-to-face contact and limiting in-person interactions to less than 10-15 minutes is an important precautionary measure that we can all take. Guest access to campus will be extremely limited in the fall.  There will be no in-person events or gatherings on campus.  Again, the focus of all in-person interaction on campus in the fall will be dedicated to studio instruction and work time.

All students, employees and KCAI guests will be required to wear a mask or face covering while inside campus buildings. Exceptions include when in a residence hall room with a roommate, or while alone in an office space. Individuals should not wear a mask or face covering if they have trouble breathing, or other medical concern that makes wearing one difficult, or if they are unable to remove it without assistance. KCAI will provide every student and employee with one washable, cloth mask and personal hand sanitizer. The custodial crew has increased their efforts and frequency for cleaning and sanitizing buildings throughout campus. Prior to the fall semester, the college will be installing more hand-sanitizing stations.  Signage will be posted throughout campus with instructions for social distancing and traffic flow. We will also have signs reminding everyone to practice regular hand washing, use hand sanitizer, wear face masks and to clean personal spaces.

The college continues to partner with MRI Global, a world-renowned research institute in Kansas City, whose experts are reviewing our protocols and providing biosafety support services to KCAI. MRI Global will be providing health and safety training to faculty, staff and students prior to the start of the fall semester and throughout the first week of classes. It is important to note that should COVID-related circumstances and governmental restrictions demand, the college will be prepared to move from face-to-face to online studio instruction to protect students, faculty and staff. In this event, however, all coursework and instruction will continue online so that students can complete the semester and receive credit.

The custodial crew has increased their efforts and frequency for cleaning and sanitizing buildings throughout campus. Prior to the fall semester, the college will be installing more hand-sanitizing stations.

Signage will be posted throughout campus with instructions for social distancing and traffic flow. We will also have signs reminding everyone to practice regular handwashing, use hand sanitizer, wear face masks and to clean personal spaces.

While campus is closed this summer, staff is available to answer your questions.

For questions about academic programs, contact Dr. Bambi Burgard, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, at bburgard@kcai.edu.

For questions about Barbara Marshall Residence Hall and on-campus dining, please contact Gina Golba, Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs, at ggolba@kcai.edu.

If my classes are moved online will my tuition be adjusted?
No tuition adjustments will be made for classes offered online. Your tuition supports faculty instruction, technology to deliver the curriculum and ensures you receive full credit for completion of your online courses.

Is there emergency support available for students?
Yes. Students are encouraged to apply for a KCAI Cares grant, which is up to $300 to help with expenses as a result of income loss or financial difficulties related to COVID-19.

Will visitors be allowed on campus this fall?
To help reduce health risks, KCAI’s campus will be open to visitors by appointment only this fall. At this time, there will be no guests allowed in the Barbara Marshall Residence Hall and Sherman Family Student Union. All in-person campus events and visiting artist lectures will be moved to virtual platforms to reduce the number of people on campus.

Will Wylie Dining and Cafe Nerman be open this fall?
Wylie Dining and Café Nerman will be open this fall for students, faculty and staff, but will be closed to the public. Wylie Dining meals will either be served by Great Western Dining employees or consist of grab-and-go items. Café Nerman will sell coffee and specialty drinks, as well as grab-and-go food items. In order to meet the health department capacity guidelines, meal times for Wylie Dining will be scheduled based on meal plans. Seating within Wylie will be prioritized for BMRH residents first and seats arranged for social distancing. Meal schedules will be communicated to students closer to the beginning of the fall semester.

Will the Barbara Marshall Residence Hall (BMRH) be open?
Yes, the BMRH rooms will be open this year. The Fitness Center, vending area and micro-kitchen, game room and lounge within the Sherman Family Student Union will be open to students on a limited basis with priority given to BMRH residents. The community kitchen and student conference room will not be available for reservation or general use for the upcoming year.

Is it true some students will be staying at a hotel this year?
Currently, we expect maximum occupancy in the BMRH this fall. In order to provide a safe experience for all residents, we have contracted with the Marriott hotel across Warwick on Main Street. Student Affairs is in direct contact with those students.

Will we have new student orientation this year?
Yes, orientation will be Thursday, August 27 – Sunday, August 30 and will be all virtual. Please plan accordingly to be present and online during the days and times listed on the schedule. All sessions will be recorded, so should you happen to miss one, or experience technology issues, the information and material will still be available.

Will KCAI reopen campus in fall?
Yes. The first day of classes will be August 31, 2020 and we are planning for a hybrid model in which liberal arts and art history courses will be taught online and studio courses will be taught in-person. All face-to-face instruction will follow social distance guidelines and occupancy requirements for Kansas City, Missouri.

Could plans for fall change if COVID conditions change?
If COVID-related cirumstances and government restrictions change, the college will be prepared to move from face-to-face to online studio instruction to protect students, faculty and staff. In the event this happens, all coursework and instruction will continue online so that students can complete the semester and receive full course credit.

What if I cannot return to campus this fall?
KCAI is working to accomadate students who are unable to return to campus this fall. If this applies to you, please email disabilityservices@kcai.edu to begin the request process.

Can I take a gap semester? How will deferring or taking a gap year affect my credits and financial aid?
We know these are challenging times. If you choose not to return to KCAI this fall, you may select to take a leave of absence from the college. If you do so, you will retain your merit scholarship for up to 2 years or 4 semesters. Here is our policy, as well as the KCAI readmission policy for students who are on a leave and wish to return.

Will Liberal Arts courses be in-person or online?
To reduce the number of people on campus and in buildings, KCAI has moved all Liberal Arts and Art History courses online for the fall semester.

What will my in-person studio courses look like this fall?
Each academic department chair will be emailing their students to share specifics of their fall in-person studio courses.

How do I know which courses are online and which are in-person?
Student schedules will reflect this information. If the course is online, the schedule will state “virtual class” on the schedule.

Will masks be required?
All students, employees and KCAI guests will be required to wear a mask or face covering while inside campus buildings or outside when social distancing is not possible. Exceptions include when in a residence hall room with a roommate, or while alone in an office space. Individuals should not wear a mask or face covering if they have trouble breathing, or other medical concern that makes wearing one difficult, or if they are unable to remove it without assistance. KCAI will provide every student and employee with one washable, cloth mask and personal hand sanitizer.

How will students, faculty and staff be trained on health and safety protocols?
The college is partnering with MRI Global, a world-renowned research institute in Kansas City, whose experts are reviewing our protocols and providing biosafety support services to KCAI. MRI Global will be providing health and safety training to faculty, staff and students prior to the start of the fall semester and throughout the first week of classes.

What is KCAI doing to keep the campus sanatized and safe?
Our custodial crew has increased their efforts and frequency for cleaning and sanatizing buildings throughout campus. New hand-sanitizing stations are being installed throughout campus and signage will be posted with reminders for social distancing and traffic flow. We will also have signs reminding everyone to practice regular handwashing, use hand sanatizer, wear face masks and to clean personal spaces.

What will happen if there is a case of COVID on campus?
If a student tests positive for COVID-19, but does not need to be admitted to the hospital for treatment, they will be required to self-isolate for 14-days and communicate with Student Affairs. Students, faculty and staff who may have come in contact with that individual will be notified.

What will move-in day look like?
Move-in for residents of the BMRH has been extended to three days and each student will be assigned a day and time for move-in. We ask each resident to limit the number of guests who accompany them to two people.