Dear Board of Governors, President Serrano, Stephen Foster, JJ Lee, Natalie Waldburger,

From 2025 Thesis Students

OCADU boasts a Thesis program for its Drawing and Painting and Cross Disciplinary students that provides space and resources for artists to be guided and challenged in their work. Many people factor OCAD’s Thesis program heavily into their choices on where to attend school. We have been promised a fruitful year of mentorship, and have not received it.

We, the students in DRPT and CROS programs have paid for a full credit course, and have only received the resources for a half credit. A full credit provides 6 hours a week in the studio with guidance and community, and is integral for building a meaningful body of work. Meeting every two weeks means that faculty and students cannot connect or build any sort of relationship. Thesis is not just a studio space. There are only two professors and two TAs for all of the DRPT thesis, and the same for CROS. This is not enough to adequately support the number of students in the Thesis program. Teachers have not had the time to meet with and mentor students in the way that the Thesis program was intended to provide. The thesis class needs to be prioritized and respected, not chipped away at.

There was no transparency from OCAD about the reality of the Thesis program this year until it was too late for students to withdraw their money and find new courses. We requested that OCAD inform the years below us of the cuts that were being made, and were denied. This intentional withholding of information is manipulative and dishonest. Students deserve to know crucial information about their education. Many of us would have chosen to withdraw from OCAD if we had known this information prior to beginning the course.

The students of DRPT and CROS thesis need more resources for their second semester, the resources they have paid for. We need more faculty to work with, and time in class each week. The experience of students in their thesis year should not be centered around worrying about what cuts OCAD will make next, and fighting to have time with our teachers. Thesis year should be an opportunity to work with professionals to learn and grow as artists. This is the reality we were promised when we chose OCAD, and the one we paid for.

From Prospective 2026 Thesis Students

We, the students of OCAD University, are writing to express our deep concern over the current changes to the fourth-year thesis course from the previous curriculum. The thesis course has historically been a cornerstone of OCAD’s academic program, offering students a unique opportunity to engage deeply with their practice and research in a way that sets OCAD apart from other institutions.

All students, upon entering first year, are promised a strong, comprehensive thesis program to build connections and create a portfolio of work that will set them up for future opportunities. The thesis program is mentioned and discussed heavily in almost every DRPT and CROS class, as the most deeply important and essential part of our degree.

We recognize that changes to curriculum may be necessary to meet evolving educational needs. However, we believe the removal of the thesis course would detract significantly from the holistic development of OCAD students.

We respectfully urge you and the administration to reconsider this decision and to engage with students, faculty, and alumni in an open dialogue to explore alternative solutions that preserve the thesis course. There has been no transparency in these changes and no consultation with the student body.

If the thesis program that has been advertised to us, which includes adequate professor input and access to 4th floor studio space from admission until now is not fulfilled, there will be student demonstrations at GRADEX and all upcoming open houses, as well as online backlash. The thesis program is the main draw for students coming into the school, and we deserve to know if it will be continued in advance so that we can choose whether to continue our education here.

Thank you for considering this matter. We remain committed to upholding the values and standards that have made OCAD a leader in art and design education.