Masonry Magazine September 2005 Page. 35
"There is a passion you have to have to be here."
"We need to know that these people have got a direction and they're really interested in becoming stone carvers or masons, and the only way to do that is they've already got their own history and what they've done in their past." AvRutick explains that the College is also looking for a certain type of individual, whether it's faculty, staff or students. "There is a passion you have to have to be here," he says. "What we're looking for in our student applicants are people with a passion and some evidence of their creative ability to be a successful student here."
With only 20 students enrolled in the College this year, ACBA's inaugural class is only half full, but the staff and faculty don't seem to mind. Running on a very tight timeframe, they are pleased that they received as many applicants as they did. "We're very confident that this time next year we're going to have many more applications than we know what to do with," says AvRutick. "It's important to note that we have rejected people, we've asked people to go get additional work, whether it's on the general education side or the building arts side, and we are being selective with our students. We're not just trying to fill the spots."
David AvRutick, President of the ACBA
By next year, the College should also have several options for tuition assistance available for students. Tuition for one year at the College is approximately $19,800, not including room, board, books and other necessities. However, ACBA staff is steadfastly building on the number of scholarships available, as well as a work-study course. Also, the College has just been approved by the Sally Mae Corporation, one of the largest lenders of student loans in the country. "We are doing everything we can to make the program available to any student who is qualified, regardless of their ability to pay," says AvRutick.
Changing the Industry
AVRUTICK AND WARREN also feel that the College will have an affect on the six building trades represented, as well as the construction industry as a whole. "As our graduates leave with the skills and talents that they'll have learned here, that will raise the bar in the industry," says AvRutick. "And as the public is more and more exposed to
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