In 1979, Paula S. Wallace co-founded the Savannah College of Art and Design with Richard G. Rowan and Paul and May Poetter. Since becoming president in 2000, she has led the college in unprecedented growth. Today, SCAD is one of the largest art and design colleges in the nation and was named "Hottest for the Study of Art" by the 2006 Kaplan/Newsweek college guide.
Under Wallace's leadership, SCAD established an off-campus site in
Lacoste, France, in 2002. In 2003, the college launched the SCAD e-Learning program and, in 2004, established another off-campus site with
SCAD-Atlanta. Wallace also has initiated several annual events, such as the
Sidewalk Arts Festival,
Savannah Film Festival,
SCAD Style,
Art Educators' Forum and
Rising Star — all of which have a tremendous cultural and economic impact on the communities they serve.
In 2004, Ernst & Young awarded Wallace the Principled Leadership Award for the Southeast. She is a member of the National Advisory Board of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and was appointed by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue as the education community representative for the Georgia Film, Video and Music Advisory Commission.
In 2005, Wallace was named one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians by Georgia Trend magazine. Also in 2005, Wallace was appointed Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques by the Conseiller Culturel and Consul Général of the French Embassy in the United States of America.
Before becoming president, Wallace served as SCAD's academic dean and provost. She has authored six children’s books, is an award-winning designer and pianist, and manages the college’s permanent art collection
Wallace earned a B.A. degree from Furman University, M.Ed. and Ed.S. degrees from Georgia State University, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from Gonzaga University. When not leading SCAD, Wallace spends her time with her husband and four children.
