Strategic Planning Committee
David Sprouls
NYSID President
Bay Brown
Director of Marketing Communications & Engagement
Mackenzie Carr
Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Jane Chen
Vice President for Finance & Administration
Joy Cooper
Director of Development
Ellen Fisher
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean
Daniel Harper
Associate Dean
Karen Higginbotham
Dean of Students
Zeke Kolenovic
Director of Facilities
Anguelina Kravets
Bursar
Billy Kwan
Director of the Library
Jennifer Melendez
Registrar
Yvonne Moray
Assistant Vice President for Administration
Dan Truong
Director of Network & Technology Support Services
Christopher Vinger
Director of Institutional Research, Planning & Assessment
Amy Westpfahl
Director of Admissions
Strategic Planning Consultant
Suzan Globus
Principal, Think Frame
NYSID Board of Trustees
Ellen Kravet
Chairperson
David Sprouls
NYSID President
Jill H. Dienst
James P. Druckman
Ingrid Ongaro Edelman
John Edelman
Susan Zises Green
Alexa Hampton
Young Huh
Drew McGukin
Dennis Miller
Michael Phillips
Betsey Ruprecht
Brad Schneller
David Scott
Gale Singer
Randi Halpern
Faculty Trustee
Inge Heckel
Trustee Emerita
Patricia M. Sovern,
Chairperson Emeritus
Alumni Council
Marie Aiello ’04 (AAS)
President
George Marshall Peters ’08 (BFA)
Treasurer
Lawrence Chabra ’09 (BFA)
Secretary & Communications Co-Chair
Masie Lee ’00 (BFA)
Communications Co-Chair
Michell Jacobson, ’17 (MPSS)
Events Co-Chair
Erin Wells, ’04 (BFA)
Membership Committee
Allison Russell Davis ’05 (BFA)
Kayla Lowry ’24 (MFA1)
Introduction
As The New York School of Interior Design embarked upon its triannual exercise of planning for its future, it did so in a time when the only reliable constant is rapid change. What is unique in this cycle of planning is the breadth of change confronting the institution. Although it is challenging to plan for an unpredictable future, the elements of the process make the exercise valuable. The fact that this process has become routine for NYSID positions the college to better understand and address change. Strategic planning is an analytic and consensus-building procedure that affords an opportunity for important communal conversations to take place that may be lost in the day-to-day operations of an academic institution. Reviewing the institution’s successes and areas of growth in the past three years provides a foundation upon which to build. Identifying desired improvements and determining the collective will and resources needed to execute them focuses the college community on an agreed upon path forward. Soliciting the voices and opinions of representatives from all the NYSID stakeholders including students, alumni, staff, faculty, trustees and friends of the college creates a broader understanding of the challenges NYSID is facing and solidifies preparedness.
The college has addressed many societal, industry and demographic changes during its more than 110-year-old history and continues to maintain its reputation as a premier destination for those seeking knowledge about interior design. All of the impending threats to providing outstanding education that were identified in the strategic plan’s environmental scan three years ago have become reality; the volatile global economy, the predicted drop in the college age population and the public questioning of the value of a college education amidst increasing political influences. Because NYSID recognized these factors and began preparing for them three years ago, the college is in a stronger position to address what the future brings.
NYSID understands its strengths. Enhancing them to ensure delivering a superior level of interior design education to those who are interested in it and meeting students’ needs in a personally tailored way remain priorities. The college continues to strengthen its interior design industry relationships to facilitate its students’ transition into their respective career paths. Academic and experiential offerings to those currently working in the industry are consistently evaluated and updated to meet changing needs in the workplace. The college remains a sought-after resource for those exploring a personal interest in interior design.
With this renewed focus on what it does best and dedication to making it even better, NYSID’s 2026-2029 strategic plan will serve as a well charted road map to its future.
Background
In 1916, architect Sherrill Whiton developed a home study course to teach aspiring designers the emerging field of interior design. To supplement the course of study, Whiton wrote a seminal textbook on interior design in 1937 which is currently in its sixth edition, titled, Interior Design and Decoration and still widely used in design education today. As demand for lectures and studio courses grew, Whiton began teaching classes in his Park Avenue architecture offices.
The so named New York School of Interior Decoration was trademarked in 1917 and began its over 110-year history as one of the country’s first interior design schools. Through the years, the private non-profit college has expanded its single focus curriculum, location, faculty, administration, staff and student body to become today’s institution offering hundreds of courses on a hybrid platform to hundreds of students from around the world. The New York State Board of Regents chartered the school in 1924. In 1951 the college changed its name to the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID), reflecting an expanding body of knowledge related to the field of study. Through the years, NYSID has been accredited by Middle States Commission of Higher Education (MSCHE) and the National Association of Schools of Arts and Design (NASAD). NYSID’s undergraduate and MFA-1 programs are accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). After periodic reviews, the college retains these accreditations today.
NYSID currently offers a Basic Interior Design Certificate program, an Associate of Applied Science in Interior Design and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design for undergraduates both online and on campus. The college’s BFA program is one of only a few CIDA accredited online BFA programs currently offered in the United States. Graduate programs include Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design, Post Professional Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design, Master of Professional Studies in Design of Healthcare Environments, Master of Professional Studies in Digital Practice Management, Master of Professional Studies in Lighting Design and Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Interior Environments. All the Master of Professional Studies programs are available on campus and via distance learning. The Master of Fine Arts programs are offered on campus only with the exception of a few courses available online. NYSID’s Institute for Continuing and Professional Studies provides classes in a wide range of design related subjects to those wanting to investigate changing careers, adding skills to supplement their existing careers or pursuing their personal interest in interior design. Additionally, the college offers a pre-college program to potential students and a variety of design specific travel-study programs to students and the public.
As it expanded, NYSID moved to buildings on Madison Avenue and in Midtown Manhattan to accommodate its growing student population. The college has occupied an East 70th Street townhouse since 1994 and opened its graduate center in 2010 in LEED Platinum facilities on Park Avenue South at 28th Street. NYSID continues to draw on its New York City location and academic reputation to attract outstanding faculty members. Over 100 faculty members are practitioners in the top interior design firms in the country. Studio class sizes rarely exceed 12 students each allowing for personalized instruction. Ninety-four percent of NYSID’s graduate students are employed or pursuing additional education within six months of graduation followed by ninety-two percent of undergraduate students. The college is consistently rated among the top five interior design programs in the country by the design press and peer review.
Summary
With such a long and rich history of growth, stability and achievement, NYSID’s approach to planning for the unexpected in the 2026-2029 strategic plan was one of caution. This year’s strategic planning process was undertaken differently from past years. Instead of using the previous plan as a foundation, the planners used it as a comparative reference after new thought was invested in addressing the challenges likely to come in the years ahead. The strategic planning team was encouraged to identify the institution’s premier strengths and prioritize allocating resources to making them stronger. As a result, three strategic pillars were identified to guide the plan:
Enhancing student success
Ensuring institutional viability
Increasing avenues of collaboration
Mission / Vision / Values
Mission Statement
NYSID nurtures design talent and fosters creativity, curiosity and critical thinking, preparing its students to improve the lives of people and communities through design.
Vision Statement
NYSID inspires designers to challenge convention, expand the possibilities of design and lead the profession forward.
Values Statement
NYSID Values:
Creativity
Curiosity
Community
Excellence
Leadership
Resilience
Goals and Strategies
Goal 1: Enhance Student Success
Strategy 1: Implement programs that support student learning and retention
Strategy 2: Elevate awareness of academic options and pathways
Strategy 3: Enhance or introduce programs that align with workforce needs and market trends
Strategy 4: Monitor graduate success
Goal 2: Ensure appropriate resources and structures to support institutional success
Strategy 1: Optimize institutional use of AI
Strategy 2: Support the role of employees in institutional effectiveness
Strategy 3: Direct resources to revenue expansion
Strategy 4: Strengthen continuity plans
Goal 3: Expand community partnerships
Strategy 1: Strengthen industry, professional and community collaborations
Strategy 2: Explore opportunities for community service and civic engagement
Methodology
Strategic planning is a consensus building process which is most successful when a sampling of all the stakeholders is involved. As it has been in the past, this was the case with NYSID’s 2026-2029 plan. President David Sprouls, with the endorsement of the NYSID Board of Trustees, initiated the process in July after retaining a strategic planning consultant to facilitate the process. Prior to convening group meetings, the consultant conducted fifteen individual, confidential interviews with college administrators, the Chair of the Board of Trustees and individuals representing alumni, students and consultants to the college to identify any common areas of agreement or sensitive issues to be addressed during the strategic planning process. Additionally, members of the Board of Trustees were requested to respond to a brief written questionnaire outlining the institution’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, called a SWOT analysis.
All faculty and staff members were invited to participate in two summer meetings held at the college and online. During the initial meeting, the facilitator introduced the planning process and presented an environmental scan with specific focus on demographic, governmental and technological influences on higher education. In break-out sessions, the smaller groups executed SWOT analyses and reached consensus after reporting results to the reconvened group. Three hypothetical scenarios were presented to stimulate thoughts about institutional resilience. After breaking into smaller groups to outline possible contingency plans, the participants reunited to discuss their different approaches to problem solving. The second large group meeting commenced with a review of the prioritized SWOT analysis from the first meeting and proceeded with a presentation of the definition and objectives of mission, vision and values statements. After reviewing NYSID’s current mission, vision and values statements, the group decided to revise the existing statements. They participated in exercises designed to facilitate that process. A small group of participants volunteered to refine the resulting statements after the meeting and distribute them to the large group for approval.
Using the newly revised mission, visions and values statements to guide them, a core strategic planning group consisting of NYSID administrators, listed above, met to develop goals, strategies and objectives to support the statements. They received copies of the environmental scan and meeting notes to review before they met. A detailed workplan designating tactics, timelines, measurements and accountability was established during an immersive workshop. The intensive work of distilling ideas gathered from a large constituency into a usable document to be followed and regularly referred to by the college was complete.
Copies of the consultant’s resources consulted for the environmental scan, the scan, a synopsis of the unattributed interview conversations, the SWOT analysis results and notes from the group meetings are available upon request through the office of the President.
Conclusion
The New York School of Interior Design’s 2026-2029 strategic plan reflects a conservative approach to its future in an uncertain world environment. Instead of including ambitious and potentially risky goals, the plan homes in on the historic institution’s key strength and reinforces it: providing outstanding interior design education.
Despite the instability in the world of higher education in reaction primarily to concerns about increasing government influence, technology and justification of the return on investment in a college education, this is an optimistic plan. It reflects a confidence in the abilities of NYSID’s staff, faculty, volunteers and students; an understanding of where the college excels; and a dedication to ensuring delivery of that excellence to all pursuing interior design education.
The goals and strategies are focused on NYSID students’ success. Special attention is given to reinforcing and leveraging the college’s existing resources to enable continuous development. By strengthening its network of professional colleagues, supporters and partners, NYSID is positioning itself at the forefront of offering a design curriculum that builds on its tradition of foundational skills while being responsive to evolving workplace needs.
NYSID is proud to be distinguished from its competitors by being focused solely on interior design. This commitment to offering an exceptional specialized education will serve the institution well as it navigates the next three years.