Chalk and Compass provides specialized advising, research, and education for art and design institutions by combining rigorous analysis with practical, hands-on support.
Chalk and Compass emerged from two simple ideas.
Chalk represents teaching, learning, creativity, and the everyday work of education. It evokes classrooms, studios, critiques, and the countless conversations where ideas take shape. It speaks to the academic mission that sits at the heart of colleges, universities, and cultural institutions.
Compass represents direction. Not certainty, but navigation. Higher education is facing enormous challenges and opportunities, and institutions need thoughtful ways to understand where they are, where they want to go, and how to get there.
Both chalk and a compass are analog, hand-held tools. They require a human touch. They are simple, adaptable, and responsive to the task at hand.
That reflects how we believe advising should work.
At Chalk and Compass, we bring sophisticated research, analysis, and strategy to the distinctive challenges facing art and design education. Unlike large consulting firms built around standardized solutions, we are intentionally small, collaborative, and responsive. We understand that creative institutions cannot be meaningfully evaluated through frameworks designed for business schools or large universities.
Our work spans academic program development and review, enrollment strategy, market research, assessment and accreditation, curriculum design, GIS-based analytics, leadership development, and interim executive support. We help institutions understand where they are, anticipate where the landscape is shifting, and make thoughtful decisions about what comes next.
You’ll know your advisor. More importantly, your advisor will know you.
Before recommending a path forward, we take time to understand your mission, creative culture, challenges, and aspirations. As former art and design higher education leaders, educators, artists, and researchers, we speak the language of these institutions because we have lived and worked within them ourselves.
Our nonprofit model reflects our belief that specialized support should be available to the institutions that need it most. We pair rigorous methods with a warm, bespoke approach, helping art and design institutions build sustainable futures without losing what makes them vital, experimental, and deeply human.
Featured Service
One of the questions we hear most often is:
We know we need support but where do we begin?
Our Academic Portfolio and Institutional Health diagnostic offers an accessible first step. Through a focused review of institutional documents and thoughtful conversations with key leaders, we identify five priority opportunities or risks and facilitate a conversation about practical next steps.
You don't need to arrive with a perfectly defined project or a polished scope. If your institution knows something needs attention but is still working out the right questions or path forward, we can begin there... together.
Review of enrollment, curriculum, assessment, and strategic documents
Two or three leadership interviews
Identification of five priority opportunities or risks
A facilitated findings session
Affordable rate, subsidized by grant funding
Click here to learn more and schedule a free consultation
Our Services
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We help institutions ask the right questions and answer them with clarity. From enrollment trend forecasting to audience segmentation and perception studies, we deliver custom research rooted in disciplinary context and designed for actionable strategy.
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We work alongside faculty and academic leaders to develop new programs, revise curricula, and support cross-disciplinary design that’s both forward-looking and pedagogically sound. From idea to implementation, we center your mission and your students.
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Good assessment tells a story. We translate data into meaningful insights that strengthen student learning, support faculty development, and meet accreditation goals. Whether you're building outcomes from scratch or refreshing tired rubrics, we can help you align intention with impact.
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For many small institutions, building and strengthening an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and research oversight can be challenging. We offer practical, right-sized support from policies, training, and protocol review. We make research governance efficient, effective, and researcher-friendly.
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Space tells the story. Our GIS-informed analytics visualize institutional patterns, student movement, recruitment yield, resource access, and layering data across geographies to reveal new opportunities. We turn maps into strategy.
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Need a steady hand in a time of transition? Our network of seasoned academic leaders can step in as interim department chairs, deans, vice presidents, or executive consultants. We prioritize care, clarity, and community, ensuring continuity while you plan what’s next.
New in the
Collective for
Art & Design Education
The Chalk and Compass Collective for Art & Design Education (CADE) member community is a place for people working in art and design higher education to exchange ideas, find practical resources, and connect with others who understand the work.
A Compass for Creative Value is a Chalk and Compass report that helps schools bring economic outcomes, creative practice, and mission impact into a fuller picture of institutional value. It includes a six-step process, a program health dashboard, illustrative examples, and companion worksheets to help teams organize evidence, identify gaps, and turn findings into action. Designed for institutional leaders, faculty, and staff, it supports meaningful assessment, informed program decisions, and clearer communication with students, families, trustees, and other stakeholders.
Join the Collective for Art & Design Education today for access to the report, accompanying worksheets, and more.
Our Courses
Tools, Insights, and Conversations for
Art and Design Institutions
Our online learning series offers engaging, accessible sessions designed for academic leaders, faculty, and staff navigating change in higher education. From data-informed decision-making and curriculum design to GIS mapping, assessment strategies, and leadership best practices, each session blends practical tools with human-centered insight. Join us to learn, question, and build alongside a community of curious, mission-driven educators.