PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — University of the Arts will close its doors for good on June 7.
“I’m shocked for sure, disappointed… just really sad,” said Ev Dowling, a rising senior at the University of Arts studying musical theater. He only had one year left at the university to earn his degree.
“It feels like scrambling trying to finish my degree,” he said. “I feel like I was so close.”
The university made the announcement Friday, just three days after the school’s accreditation agency, Middle States Higher Education Commission, said they received notice of its "imminent closure.”
The agency says the university failed to comply with a number of its procedures, noting that a notification or proper plan for closure was not provided in a timely matter. A teach-out plan for students' continued education was also not provided.
The summer term at the university began on Wednesday.
In a letter to the university, President Kerry Walk said they will not enroll a new class in the fall but continuing students can transfer to the university’s partners like Temple, Drexel, and Moore College of Art and Design.
“Like many institutions of higher learning, UArts has been in a fragile financial state, with many years of declining enrollments, declining revenues, and increasing expenses,” Walk said.
The university says it will make every effort to support students, faculty and staff.
State Senator Nikil Saval (D–Philadelphia) called the university administration’s disregard "shocking and unacceptable."
"The students and workers deserve concrete plans and support as they prepare to navigate this difficult time. I’m committed to doing everything in my power to ensure that all those impacted by UArts’s sudden closure receive the resources and advocacy they deserve," she said.
She says the closure is devastating, not only for students and staff, but for all of Philadelphia.
"This is a heartbreaking loss under any circumstances, but especially for our city, which prides itself on our world-class arts community," she said.
According to the school's website, the school teaches nearly 1,300 students, staffs 77 full-time faculty members, and offered 22 undergraduate areas of study in schools of art, dance, design, film, music, and theatre.