Paul Coffey

Paul Coffey has held the position of Vice Provost & Dean of Community Engagement at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago since 2010. Previous roles at SAIC include Associate Dean of Academic Administration; Executive Director, Undergraduate and Graduate Divisions; Executive Director, Undergraduate Division; and Associate Director of Admissions. He also taught studio classes at SAIC from 1992 to 1998. Paul currently leads the Office of Engagement, where he and his team are responsible for external partnerships nationally and internationally, including sponsored research course partnerships with CB2 and Samsung. Recent projects include building the College Arts Access Program and SAIC’s initiative at Homan Square in the North Lawndale community of Chicago. Paul has overseen the planning and implementation of numerous new programs at SAIC including the Low Residency MFA, Master of Architecture, Master of Arts in Visual & Critical Studies, Master of Design in Designed Objects, Bachelor of Arts in Visual Critical Studies, BA emphasis in Writing, and BA with emphasis in Art History, Theory and Criticism.