The Saxifrage School is a higher education laboratory working to lower costs, re-think the campus, and reconcile disciplines.
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The Neighborhood is the Campus.
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There are 3 Big Problems. We have 3 Small Ideas.
$1,000,000,000,000 in Debt
Over the past thirty years, the cost of higher education has risen more than any other industry.
Underused Neighborhoods
One of the biggest issues (and greatest assets) of many rust-belt cities, like Pittsburgh, is the amount of underutilized space.
50% Drop-Out Rates
Right now, only 50% of college students are graduating within 6 years. Students increasingly lack a sense of focus and motivation.
Lower Tuition
By simplifying the transaction between teacher and student, building student responsibility, and operating a non-traditional campus we can significantly lower costs to about one-sixth that of some comparable programs without moving the learning community online.
Nomadic Campus
Rather than operating our own buildings, the neighborhood will be the campus. The community will benefit from increased investment while students will benefit from a real-world context for their studies.
Reconcile Theory and Practice
Students will be challenged to engage with real problems in the community, learning—through experience—both how to make what is valuable and question the value of what is made. Our instructors are serious about mentorship and helping students capture their achievements in professional portfolios.
[Students] should not play life, or study it merely, while the community supports them at this expensive game, but earnestly live it from beginning to end. .
— Henry David Thoreau, Walden
