Elissa Tenny

Elissa Tenny
15th President of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
In office July 2016 – May 2024
Preceded by	Walter E. Massey
Succeeded by	Jiseon Lee Isbara
Personal details
Born	1953
Education	Stockton University (BA) University of Pennsylvania (MA, Doctor of Education)

Elissa Tenny (born 1953) is an American academic and educator and the fifteenth President of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). She is also the first woman to hold the title of President at SAIC in its 158-year history.

SAIC history

Founded in 1866, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a top-ranked art and design college and was named the "most influential art school in the United States" in Columbia University's Art Critics National Arts Journalism Survey. It was revealed in a 2020 F Newsmagazine article that Tenny was the second-most highly paid individual in the AIC system, earning around $711,000 annually - second only to the Museum's President, James Rondeau.

Education and career

Tenny received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Stockton University in 1975, a Master of Arts in Media Studies from The New School in 1977, and a Doctor of Education from the University of Pennsylvania in 2007. She started her career in education while attending the New School, eventually holding positions of Acting Dean (1998–2001) and Vice Dean (2001–02). From 2002 to 2010, she was Provost and Dean at Bennington College, joining SAIC as Provost in 2010, where she served until being named president in 2016.

It was announced at the end of March 2023 that Tenny would be stepping down from her position as President of SAIC at the end of the 2023-24 school year, and would be replaced by Jiseon Lee Isbara (the former Provost at Otis College of Art and Design) upon her retirement.

Actions and term at SAIC

Tenny has weathered many challenges during her tenure, including the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been praised for some of her community decisions, such as the creation and fund allocation for an influential SAIC Anti-Racism Committee, which was formed after the events of Chicago Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. She has also created and supported the First-Generation Fellows program at SAIC, which provides resources and advice for first-generation college-goers at the institution, in response to her personal struggle as a first-generation student. She launched Make Way: A Roadmap to Student Access, Equity, and Affordability, an initiative that exceeded its fundraising goal and raised more than $25 million for student scholarships, wellness, and paid internships. She also helped initiate the School’s College Arts Access Program (CAAP), a three-year college preparatory bridge for Chicago Public High School students; over its first 10 years, the program worked with 150 students from 36 schools, with a 100 percent college acceptance rate.