Philly grapples with sudden closing of “UArts”

By BRIAN BOUCHER

Last week, the Philly’s University of the Arts – nearly 150 years old – announced that it will close. The decision affects 1,149 students and about 700 faculty and staff members – not to mention the City where “UArts” owns major real estate just blocks from City Hall. The school was created by the 1985 merger of the Philadelphia College of Art and the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts.

The coverage of this sad decision has been first rate. The Inquirer broke the story.

https://www.inquirer.com/education/uarts-abruptly-closing-june-loss-accreditation-20240531.html

From the Inquirer: “The situation came to light very suddenly,” an announcement on its website said. It noted that “UArts has been in a fragile financial state, with many years of declining enrollments, declining revenues and increasing expenses.”

The Inquirer also looks at how UArts owns a string of iconic Center City properties.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/inq2/uarts-philadelphia-closure-buildings-sale-20240604.html

The New York Times published an article on June 4.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/02/arts/design/philadelphias-arts-university-closing.html

From the NYT: The closing was the result of a mix of cash flow constraints that are typical of schools like UArts, which depend on tuition dollars. In addition, UArts faced significant unanticipated costs, including major infrastructure repairs. The escalation of the costs significantly increased and could not be covered by revenue, according to a statement from the board of trustees on Sunday. “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,” the statement said.