SCAD’s Paula Wallace receives a Presidential Citizens Medal from the White House

After a year marked by greater partisan polarization than ever, 2025 has opened with the sort of soft-politics moment that gives the nation a breather as we move from one administration to the next.

In this case, the awarding of the Presidential Citizens Medals by President Biden provided such a moment at the White House on January 2. And Paula Wallace, SCAD’s founder and president, was among the 20 awardees selected for the 2024 honor.

The medal is awarded to those who — in the administration’s estimation — have “performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.” In Wallace’s case, this would include having founded a school that trains artists in over 100 disciplines and sub-disciplines with locations in Atlanta, Savannah and Lacoste, France. According to the school’s website, SCAD currently has over 17,500 students from all 50 states and more than 120 countries.

Wallace incorporated SCAD in 1978 and opened with 71 students in 1979, housed in the Savannah Volunteer Guards Armory, which was converted and refitted to purpose. According to an account in Cosmopolitan magazine, the school opened just after the ravages of Hurricane David and was funded piecemeal from Wallace’s mother’s book royalties, as well as the sale of a house and a car.

SCAD’s expansion to Atlanta in 2005 — and absorption of the much-loved Atlanta College of Art — was widely contested at the time. However, since then, the school has gone on to provide some of the city’s most vibrant arts venues and services. These have included Ivy Hall and SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film, the city’s only museum dedicated largely to fashion.

The Presidential Citizens Medal is the nation’s second-highest civilian award, surpassed by only the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Recipients are typically activists, legal scholars, businesspeople, political figures and others who reshape American public life through their organizations or through acts deemed particularly heroic.

Awardees in the arts are relatively rare. Elizabeth Taylor received an award under George W. Bush. And Barack Obama bestowed awards on poet and literary critic Dana Gioia and actor Gary Sinise. A few sports figures have also numbered among the recognized.

According to a White House statement, “A lifelong educator and trailblazer of the arts, Paula Wallace dreamt of a university that would transform how we think about professional education. By establishing the esteemed Savannah College of Art and Design and serving as its president, she has guided thousands of students into creative industries.” A private ceremony was followed by a reception for family and friends.