New York University Tisch School of the Arts

History

The School of the Arts at New York University was founded on August 17, 1965, to provide conservatory training in theater and film in the context of a research university. The school created additional departments such as dance, theatre design, and cinema studies within a few years. Following the creation of the undergraduate Department of Drama in 1974, the school expanded to include the Interactive Telecommunications Program, Department of Dramatic Writing, Department of Performance Studies, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, Department of Photography and Imaging, and The Department of Art and Public Policy.

In 1982, the school's second dean, David Oppenheim, solicited a donation from Laurence A. and Preston Robert Tisch that made possible the acquisition and renovation of the location at 721 Broadway where most of the school's programs are housed. In recognition of the generosity of the Tisch family, the school was renamed Tisch School of the Arts in 1982.

Departments and programs

Tisch School of the Arts has three institutes and 16 programs and offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Bachelor of Arts (BA), Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Master of Arts (MA), Master of Professional Studies (MPS), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees. Tisch also offers a selection of classes to NYU students not enrolled in any of its programs through the Open Arts curriculum.

The three institutes are:

• Institute of Performing Arts
• Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television
• Institute of Emerging Media

The school offers an inter-disciplinary "collaborative arts" program, as well as the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music (founded by Arista Records CEO Clive Davis), one of the few programs in the US to combine musical arts and business strategies in the recording industry. There is the Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center, a result of the largest-ever gift to the Tisch School of the Arts, and which achieved LEED Platinum certification, the university's first such interior space designation. A dual MFA/MBA graduate program is offered, allowing students to take coursework at both Tisch and NYU's Stern School of Business. It offers high school programs (the "Tisch Summer High School Program" and "Spring Future Artists Programs") as an outgrowth of the undergraduate classes, and professional courses for the general public as part of a commitment to continuing education in the arts.

Tisch School of the Arts, Asia

NYU's first branch campus abroad was the result of a partnership with Singapore Government agencies under Singapore's Global Schoolhouse program. Tisch Asia was also Singapore's first graduate arts school and offered Master of Fine Arts degrees in animation and digital arts, dramatic writing, film, and international media producing. Summer programs included professional workshops and non-credit certificate courses. The campus opened in fall 2007 on the former Ministry of Education & Republic Polytechnic grounds at 3 Kay Siang Road, Singapore, with the intention to enroll approximately 250 students.

The anticipated enrollment figures were not achieved, financial losses and embezzlement were alleged and Tisch Asia President Pari Sara Shirazi was dismissed from her post by NYU in November 2011. She subsequently lost a lawsuit claiming defamation and breach of contract. The Tisch Asia campus closed in 2014, with polarised recollections, ranging from positive endorsement, to allegations that it had been "an educational scam" in a failed lawsuit brought by three former students.

COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, which forced NYU to move academic instruction online, many Tisch students demanded a tuition refund, believing that virtual classes did not adequately meet their academic needs as a school for performing, cinematic, and media arts. In one of many pandemic-related emails, the school's dean sent students a video of herself dancing to R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion", intended to raise community spirit. After hearing from students, the dean further clarified that individual schools have no control over tuition and that it was "challenging" for the university to give students their money back at the time.

Notable alumni

Main article: List of NYU Tisch School of the Arts people

References

References

1. "Collaborative Arts". tisch.nyu.edu.
2. "Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music - NYU". tisch.nyu.edu.
3. (December 12, 2018). "What an MFA Degree Is and What You Need to Know". WTOP.
4. Nagel, Matt. (December 13, 2017). "NYU Opens Major New Tech Hub In Downtown Brooklyn". www.nyu.edu.
5. "About Tisch". tisch.nyu.edu.
6. Arnegger, Sarah Jane. (September 12, 2016). "Big 10: Top Colleges Represented on Broadway in Fall 2016".
7. "Dean's Message: Tisch School of the Arts". Tisch School of the Arts.
8. "Our History".
9. (December 3, 2007). "David Oppenheim, 85, Dean of N.Y.U. Arts, Is Dead". The New York Times.
10. (February 11, 1982). "7.5 Million Tisch gift to N.Y.U". [[The New York Times]].
11. "Departments: Tisch School of the Arts". Tisch School of the Arts.
12. (10 March 2025). "NYU’s Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center Earns LEED Platinum". New York University.
13. "High School Programs".
14. "Professional Courses".
15. Schlanger, Zoë. "Anatomy Of A Failed Campus: What Happened At Tisch Asia".
16. Ang, Kristiano. (November 18, 2012). "Tisch School of Arts to Close Singapore School". The New York Times.
17. (May 28, 2009). "NYU's Tisch School Of The Arts opens its first campus in Singapore". Singapore Economic Development Board.
18. (October 9, 2012). "Pari Sara Shirazi, Tisch Asia Founder, Sues NYU After Being Fired For Alleged Embezzlement".
19. (April 29, 2014). "Former NYU administrator loses lawsuit against university".
20. Eustachewich, Lia. (September 20, 2016). "NYU students claim defunct Tisch Asia was a rip-off in suit". New York Post.
21. Ming, Toh EE. (October 7, 2016). "Tisch Asia grads defend quality of education amid lawsuit".
22. Allsup, Maeve. (December 2, 2020). "NYU Beats Tisch Asia Graduate School Students' Fraud Allegations".
23. (March 27, 2020). "NYU Tisch Students Demand Tuition Back, Dean Responds With Dance Video". NBC New York.