UTICA — Suzanne Snyder, dean of the Pratt Munson College of Art and Design, has recently been elected to the board of directors of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

The association was established in 1944 to improve educational practices and maintain high professional standards in art and design education and now serves more than 320 institutions nationwide, according to a Nov. 25 announcement from Munson, the parent organization of the Pratt Munson College of Art and Design.

“Munson is proud of Dean Snyder’s election to the NASAD Board, a fitting recognition by her colleagues of her leadership and insight into the ever-evolving field of arts in higher education,” Munson President and CEO Anna D’Ambrosio said.

NASAD establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials for art, design, and related disciplines; fosters the development of instruction while also encouraging varied and experimental approaches to teaching art and design; and counsels and assists schools in developing their programs.

In this national leadership role, Snyder will help guide accreditation standards, support peer institutions, and contribute to NASAD’s work with international equivalencies, according to the Munson announcement.

Snyder previously served as the site evaluator and chair for NASAD, and was the chair of education for the American Institute of Graphic Arts in Burlington, Vermont. Prior to joining Pratt Munson, Snyder served for 13 years as the program director in the Graphic Design and Visual Communications Department at Champlain College in Burlington. Her many initiatives at Champlain included launching and directing successful and innovative new programs and classes, in addition to teaching graphic design beginning in 2008 and reaching full professorship in 2021.

Munson is located at 310 Genesee St. in Utica. Pratt Munson College of Art and Design is a division of Munson and the upstate New York extension campus of Pratt Institute, located in Utica.