Faced with declining enrolments and revenues as well as increased expenses, the University of the Arts in Philadelphia is to close this week.
‘Despite our best efforts, we could not ultimately identify a viable path for the institution to remain open and in the service of its mission,’ Judson Aaron, the board chair and Kerry Walk, university president, said in a statement.
With a 150-year history, the university’s modern iteration was founded in 1985 through the merging of Philadelphia College of Art and the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts. It counts artists Alex da Corte, Mohammed Kazem and poet Linh Dinh among its more recent alumni.
The current 1,149 students and about 700 faculty and staff members heard about the closure through the media, something which the institution blamed on Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which announced the withdrawal of the university’s accreditation.
Students will be able to transfer to programmes at Temple University, Drexel University, and Moore College of Art and Design.
