The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, an institution with nearly 150 years of history, will permanently close on June 7, 2024. The news, which became public through an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, surprised many of its 1,149 students and nearly 700 faculty and staff members.
Mason Timberline, a student who had taken a semester off to focus on his music, learned about the closure through a class group chat and was particularly struck by the lack of direct communication from the school. In response, Timberline launched an Instagram account, Uartists.Unite, to support fellow students in promoting their work and sharing resources.
The University cited an "urgent" financial crisis as the reason for the closure. Declining enrollments and revenues, alongside increasing expenses and unanticipated costs such as major infrastructure repairs, left the institution financially unstable. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education revoked the university's accreditation, leaving no viable path to remain open.
President Kerry Walk and board chair Judson Aaron pledged to assist students in transferring to other institutions. The university's official statement acknowledged years of financial struggles and a fragile state exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Faculty members and students expressed their shock and dismay at the sudden closure, highlighting the university’s deep roots in the Philadelphia arts community.
This closure is one among several in the art education sector, mirroring a national trend driven by economic pressures and reduced enrollments. Other institutions like the San Francisco Art Institute and the Art Institutes have also faced similar fates recently.