Students and staff of Philadelphia University of the Arts are scrambling to figure out next steps after the school’s abrupt closure last week and are asking the university to answer questions about why it closed so quickly.
The university announced it would close its doors in a statement on May 31, after news had already started to leak about an hour and a half earlier, saying in part that it “is in a fragile financial state, with many years of decline ”. enrollment, declining revenues, and rising expenses.”
The nearly 150-year-old university, long home to artists of all kinds, closed a week later on June 7, leaving its more than 1,000 students and hundreds of faculty and staff confused and anxious.
Among them is Owen Spaloss, who took the stage at the university’s graduation in May but still needs to complete a three-credit summer internship to receive his degree in creative writing. The unexpected shutdown put the once-imminent completion of its course at least temporarily out of reach.
“Many of these universities do not have creative writing specializations, and even if they did, there is no guarantee that they would accept all of my credits or that they would accept scholarships,” Spaloss said.
“The only reason I can go to the University of the Arts is because of the donors and the scholarships I got. I couldn’t afford it financially on my own.”
News of the University of the Arts’ closure has led to protests on campus by students and staff who question why the university did not alert its community sooner or better prepare for its financial failure. The university did not respond to requests for comment.
Krista Apple, who has worked at the university for more than 10 years and served as director of the bachelor of fine arts in acting program, said she initially didn’t believe the school was closing after first learning about it in a Philadelphia Inquirer article.
“I thought it was a joke or I thought the Inquirer got something wrong. I thought maybe someone was messing with me,” Apple said.
Students and staff said the Inquirer article was circulated on social media, group texts and emails before the university released a statement. Some community members said they heard about it for the first time the closure on TikTok.
“It continues to be disorienting and painful. This is a huge loss of community for all of us who have taught and worked together for many years. It is also a huge loss for the city of Philadelphia,” Apple said. “Our students were truly unique, both in terms of the group of humans they were, but also individually.”
The university said in the statement announcing its closure that it “worked hard this year alongside many of you to take steps that would ensure the sustainability of the University. The progress we made together was impressive.”
“Unfortunately, however, we were unable to overcome the final challenge we faced: with a cash position that has been steadily weakening, we were unable to cover significant and unforeseen expenses. The situation came to a head very suddenly. Despite quick action, we were unable to fill the necessary gaps.”
The university’s accreditation was withdrawn on June 1, three days after the school notified its accrediting body that it would close, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. said in a press release on May 31st.
O Philadelphia City Council voted on June 6 to hold hearings examine the university’s sudden closure and its impact on the city’s higher education system and the school’s current students and staff.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry’s office confirmed to NBC News that it is “reviewing the circumstances of the closing and any transfer or loss of assets.”
DJay Jean, a rising sophomore studying vocal performance at the University of the Arts, said attending college was a personal milestone.
“I’m a first-generation American, let alone a first-generation student. My father didn’t finish high school. My mother didn’t go to college,” Jean said.
“I grew up with just my father and it wasn’t a good upbringing. I ended up in an orphanage when I was 16,” said Jean. “College never seemed like a financial option for me.”
Jean was able to attend university after receiving several scholarships, taking out loans, and working part-time jobs. But now they’re not sure what’s next and say they feel trapped after signing an apartment lease in Philadelphia.
“I spent a lot of money to go to this school and I placed a lot of trust in the teaching staff and the board. It’s an investment,” said Jean.
“You would think that after investing a lot more money into something when it’s running out, the people in charge would want to inform you, and they would want you to know, ‘Here’s what’s going on.’ But they weren’t interested in that. And it made me feel very disrespected and like I wasted my money,” they added.
The university has faced criticism from students and staff over what they say is a lack of communication and transparency from the administration.
Several students sent videos to NBC News showing demonstrations, performances and marches at the school.
They also said that community members were blocked from entering Hamilton Hall, one of the main buildings on campus, at one point during the demonstrations.
“They turned off the power to Hamilton Hall. … They didn’t want us to demonstrate. They closed their bathrooms to us and cut off the power,” Jean said.
The university scheduled a virtual town hall for June 3 with a limit of 500 participants, but it was canceled minutes before the scheduled start, according to several students. The university president, Kerry Walkresigned the following day.
On the university’s official last day, June 7, members of the campus community who were protesting and camping in front of Hamilton Hall organized a “Last jam”Event to show your frustration and process the shocking news together.
Apple said employees were also called into a virtual meeting on the last day of school.
“We were effectively fired en masse via Zoom by a member of the management team who had been hired, someone we had never met before,” she said.
“Based on the brief information you shared, I have reason to believe that I will receive at least my next salary, which is due at the end of June. But to be honest, I’m not holding my breath,” Apple said.
Apple said it wants those tasked with making decisions about the university’s fate to face the consequences of its closure.
“I would like to see some accountability, not just from the most recent administration, but also from the board of directors and also from the previous administration who were working closely on this budget,” Apple said. “Because I keep wondering at what point did it become clear that the finances of this university weren’t important, and I can’t wrap my head around the notion that it was just two weeks ago, on May 29, that someone looked at our books and said, ‘Oh, no. , we can’t go on.’”
The board president did not respond to a request for comment.
This week, the university announced a call center and email support to the campus community.
Students also received an email confirming that all payments made in the summer or fall semesters will be refunded. Meanwhile, a Temple spokesperson said the university is exploring a potential merger with the school.
“The amount of support and care from our educational and arts community across the country is one of the things that gives me hope. And this just proves to me that artists are incredibly resilient. And no matter how much funding we don’t have, we won’t go away,” Apple said.
Originally founded in 1876, the University of the Arts is just the latest arts institution to close in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts closed its doors in January, with some of its students enrolled at the University of the Arts.
Last year, at least 14 colleges and universities closed or merged under Inside higher educationamid lower university enrollment rates and inflation pressure.
According to National Center for Education StatisticsCollege enrollment has fallen from about 18 million in 2010 to about 15.8 million in 2023.
Despite the chaos and confusion, several students found solace in the larger artistic community.
“At the very least, we are showing that we are committed to each other in our community. We are showing that we are not willing to simply spend the night in silence. Let’s stay strong and show what we stand for, because as artists it’s hard enough to be successful in the world,” said Spaloss.
“Our schools are closing, but that doesn’t mean our community is closing too,” Jean added.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
