American Academy of Art College Announced Closure in early July

The American Academy of Art College announced that it will be closing. You can read more in "After 101 Years, Chicago’s American Academy of Art College to Close," posted on July 2, 2024 by WTTO with reporting by Marc Vitali.

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If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers, and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Hussian College No Longer Enrolling Students

Hussian College with locations in Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and California has announced that it will no longer enroll students.

Hussian College was founded by John Hussian as the Hussian School of Art in 1946 in Philadelphia.

In September 2014, Hussian first offered the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art. Also in the same year, a branch campus was opened a Los Angeles, California as the Studio School with programs in art, acting, contemporary musical theatre, digital content, commercial dance, and entrepreneurship.

In January 2015, the institutional name was changed from Hussian School of Art to Hussian College.

Then in November 2018, Hussian added the five campuses of Daymar College. With the acquisition of Daymar College, Hussian College became the successor institution for Draughons Business Colleges and for Southwestern Business College/Samuel Stephen College.

Daymar College was founded in 1963 as Owensboro Business College, offering courses in general business at its original campus location at 1126 Triplett Street in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1973, Owensboro Business College was authorized to award associate degrees and in 1980, it earned accreditation as a junior college and changed its name to Owensboro Junior College of Business.

In 1995, Owensboro Junior College of Business was acquired by Daymar Learning, Inc. In July 1999, the college moved to a new campus located at 3361 Buckland Square. Then in 2001 the institutional name was changed to Daymar College. 

The Owensboro campus closed in June 2018 leaving Daymar College with 5 campuses located in Columbus, OH; Bowling Green, KY; and Clarksville, Nashville and Murfreesboro, TN. 

In November 2018, the Daymar campuses became branch campuses of Hussian College. In March 2022 the Bowling Green, KY campus ceased operations.

Historical Roots of Various Campuses

Draughons Junior College with campuses located in Clarksville, Nashville and Murfreesboro, TN had originally been founded around 1879 by John F. Draughon as Draughon’s Traveling Business College. After opening a permanent location in Nashville, the institution operated widely for many years as Draughons Practical Business College with 38 business schools bearing his name at the time of his death in 1921. After his death, many of the schools bearing his name merged with other schools or closed. 

The Draughons Business College in Nashville survived and was located on 8th Avenue North for more than 100 years. In August 1981, the college moved 6 miles southeast of downtown Nashville to Plus Park Blvd. It remained on Plus Park Blvd until September 2015 when it moved to the 560 Royal Parkway. In October 2020, the campus relocated to 750 Envious Lane.

In September 1987, Draughons Junior College established a branch campus in Clarksville, Tennessee located at 1860 Guthrie Highway. In 1994, Guthrie Highway was renamed Wilma Rudolph Boulevard. April 2013, the college moved to 2691 Trenton Rd.

In 1988, Draughons Junior College established a branch campus in Bowling Green, Kentucky located at 2424 Airway Ct. January 2004, the college moved to its current location at 2421 Fitzgerald Industrial Dr.

In September 2003, Draughons Junior College established a branch campus in Murfreesboro, Tennessee located at 1237 Commerce Park Drive. In January 2005, the college moved to 415 Golden Bear Court and in 2022 it relocated to 855 W. College Street.

January 1, 2010, Daymar College purchased Draughons Junior College. The Bowling Green campus changed its name to Daymar College and the Draughons Junior Colleges located in Tennessee changed their name to Daymar Institute. Along with the name change, the campuses expanded their educational offerings to include bachelor degree programs. On January 1, 2015, the Daymar Institute colleges changed their name to Daymar College.

On July 19, 2021, Daymar College in Clarksville, TN changed its name to Hussian College. On October 3, 2022 Daymar College in Murfreesboro, TN and Nashville, TN changed its name to Hussian College.

Southeastern Business College campus in Columbus, OH opened as a branch campus of the Southeastern Business College Chillicothe campus in 1994. The original Columbus campus location was 1522 Sheridan Dr., Lancaster, OH 43130.

In 2006, Southeastern Business College changed its name to Samuel Stephen College. 

On May 12, 2008, Daymar College purchased Samuel Stephen College and changed its name to Daymar College. The campus moved to 1579 Victor Road, Lancaster, OH 43130 in 2009. September 1, 2015, the campus moved to 2745 Winchester Pike, Columbus, OH 43232. On October 3, 2022 the college changed its name to Hussian College.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers, and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Paier College of Art Changes its Name and Moves to University of Bridgeport Campus

Cayla Bamberger reports for The Wilton Bulletin Paier College of Art will be moving to the campus of the University of Bridgeport and will change its name to Paier College. 

Paier's move results from agreements announced in 2020 where Goodwin University of East Hartford, CT, Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, and Paier College of Art indicated they would be co-locating on the campus of the University of Bridgeport and purchasing all of the school’s property and programs.

Bamberger indicates that there are no plans to sell the Hamden campus. Paier College will occupy "...the Arnold Bernhard Center, a nine-story building on the Long Island Sound, houses a 1,000-seat performing arts theater, a permanent art gallery and dozens of classrooms, offices and performance and event spaces. Cooper Hall will provide 140 beds of on-campus housing to Paier students and UB students taking classes through Paier."

Paier was founded by by Edward T. and Adele K. Paier in 1946. They acquired the Whitney School of Art in 1954, changed the name of the combined institutions to Paier School of Art, and also moved to New Haven, CT. Paier then moved again to Hamden, CT in 1960 and was accredited as a 4-year, degree-granting institution in 1982.

Pacific Northwest College of Art and Willamette University Set to Merge

 Pacific Northwest College of Art will merge with Willamette University after boards of the two institutions approved the deal last week. The Oregonian reported in "Willamette University to merge with struggling Pacific Northwest College of Art" on September 17, 2020 that conversations between the schools dated back at least five years and became more serious in the last 18 months. PNCA will become part of Salem-based Willamette but will retain its name, faculty and current campus.

PNCA opened in 1909 as the School of the Portland Art Association. It soon became known as the Museum Art School. The first BFA awarded in 1969 and the name changed to Pacific Northwest College of Art in 1981.

Inside Higher Ed posted "Willamette Announces Another Merger Deal" on September 18, 2020 with reporting by Lindsay McKenzie. McKenzie notes that Willamette is presently awaiting approvals for an announced acquisition of Claremont School of Theology. 

PNCA also was involved in merger conversations in 2018 with the Oregon College of Art and Craft that ultimately ended unsuccessfully. 

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Watkins College of Art and Belmont University announce intent to Merge

Belmont University and Watkins College of Art, both located in Nashville, TN, announced their intent to merge with Watkins’s students starting classes at Belmont in August 2020.

Watkins College of Art will begin a transition to Belmont’s campus following the completion of the current academic year. 







Founded as Watkins Institute in 1885, it became Watkins College of Art after 1977 when the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) approved associate degrees in fine art and interior design. Watkins Film School was established in the mid-1990s, and THEC approved bachelor of fine arts degrees in film and interior design in 1997 and 1998. Bachelor of fine arts degrees in photography, graphic design, and fine art followed, and a bachelor of arts in art was added in 2007.

Belmont University traces its roots to 1889 with the founding of Belmont College for Young Women. It merged with Ward Seminary for Young Ladies in 1913 to become Ward-Belmont College. The Tennessee Baptist Convention assumed control in 1951 and operated Belmont College as a co-ed institution. The name changed to Belmont University in 1991.

Belmont recently also acquired another school of the arts in 2018 and you can read more in "Belmont University Acquires O'More College of Design."

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Lessons from California College of the Arts on Closing an Historic Campus and Consolidating Programs at a New Location

Michelle Pitcher authored a fascinating article for the Oakland North website, "Campus Goodbye: California College of the Arts prepares to close its historic doors in Oakland," on December 12, 2019.

Students and staff were interviewed by Pitcher as they prepare for consolidation of programs at the institution's San Francisco campus and close the Oakland campus in 2022.

Pitcher also weaves interesting historical information into her narrative.

The institution was founded as School of the California Guild of Arts and Crafts in Berkeley in 1907. The name changed to California School of Arts and Crafts the following year and the institution  settled in Oakland by 1920s. The name was changed to California College of Arts and Crafts in 1936. A San Francisco location opened in the 1980s, offering architecture and design programs. The name changed to California College of the Arts in 2003.

Pitcher's article includes descriptions of a number of initiatives designed to preserve campus traditions. These include the formation of the Oakland Campus Legacy Committee, a group of faculty and alumni. There is work on a catalogue of plants from the community garden. Photographers are documenting events and everyday life on the Oakland campus. And, archivists are creating a log of campus relics and art objects with their respective histories.

The section describing collaboration of faculty members and administrators with the developers purchasing the campus, Emerald Fund and Equity Community Builders, to come up with a plan that preserves the legacy. The current plan includes a public park, the preservation of the college’s historical buildings, and new housing units.

Pitcher also describes a semester-long class, “Legacy Starts Here: Oakland Campus,” open to students of all majors and taught by Victoria Wagner as a way to help students understand the history of the college.

Edmonton Digital Arts College is Closing

Canada's Global News posted "Edmonton Digital Arts College shutting down permanently" on July 2, 2019.   Reporter Sarah Kraus interviewed EDAC executive director Owen Brierly and students impacted by the decision.

EDAC operated as a private post-secondary institution and had been enrolling roughly 50 students.  The institution was initially founded as Guru Digital Arts College in 2002 with a curricular focus on digital media.  Brierly acquired the school in 2008 and attempted to offer a broader array of options for students.

The article also includes a link to a 14 minute interview with Brierly on The Ryan Jesperson Show on CHED 630, "Edmonton digital arts college calls it quits."

Academy of Art University in San Francisco Celebrates 90th Anniversary of Founding in 1929

The Positive Facts news site published, "Academy of Art University Celebrates Anniversary by Highlighting 90 Years of Graphic Design" by Paul Peters on February 18, 2019.

Academy of Art University of San Francisco, CA was founded in 1929 as the Academy of Advertising Art by Richard S. Stephens, a fine art painter and Creative Director for Sunset Magazine. He was assisted by his wife, Mrs. Clara Stephens, and they opened the new school in a rented loft at 215 Kearny St.  

Dr. Elisa Stephens, granddaughter of the school’s founder, succeeded her father as President of Academy of Art College in 1992.  The institution later became the Academy of Art University after 2004.

The institution operates as a private for-profit and enrolls 11,672 students with 7,652 of those in undergraduate programs.

Oregon College of Art and Craft Announces Closure

The Board of Trustees for the Oregon College of Art and Craft (OCAC) in Portland, OR announced this last week that they approved a resolution to terminate all degree programs at the end of this academic term. May 19, 2019.

OCAC was founded as the Arts and Crafts Society in 1907.  The name change to Oregon School of Arts and Crafts in 1978.  It became a degree-granting college when the Bachelor of Fine Arts program was added in 1994 and in 1996 the name changed to Oregon College of Art and Craft.

The Oregonian published "Higher education hits low ebb as arts school announces shutdown," with reporting by Jeff Manning that places the OCAC closure within the context of decisions facing other Oregon higher education institutions.

You can read more about the closure at Inside Higher Ed in Scott Jaschik's post, "A Small Art College Will Close," on February 8, 2019.  

Rick Seltzer also authored an interesting post the previous day that provides a broader view of the issues faced in this sector of higher education, "Art School Shakeout: The smallest art colleges are struggling in a fiercely competitive market. Why are they showing such signs of stress? And can larger liberal arts colleges learn from their successes and missteps?"

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Alberta College of Art + Design will become Alberta University of the Arts

Alberta College of Art + Design in Calgary announced that it will become Alberta University of the Arts on February 1, 2019.

The institution was founded in 1926 as Alberta College of Art.  The name changed to Alberta College of Art + Design in 1995.  

The college was initially part of what is now the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), though the two campuses officially separated in 1985 and Alberta College of Art + Design became an autonomous, free-standing, publicly funded art and design college.

You can also view a short interview on the Global News Calgary website, "Alberta art school aims to offer students more opportunities with new university status," with President Daniel Doz and Scott Cressman, Chair of the School of Communication Design, as they discuss the importance of the institution's new name and how the change will impact the students and faculty.

Eva Ferguson also reports on the name change for the Calgary Herald, "New name, new direction: ACAD becomes Alberta University of the Arts."

Fine Arts Center at Colorado College Begins 100th Anniversary Celebration

The Colorado Springs Independent published a couple of articles this past week highlighting the history of the Fine Arts Center at Colorado College and several anniversary exhibits prepared to showcase its dynamic history in the community. 

Founded as the Broadmoor Art Academy in 1919, the institution became the Fine Arts Center in 1936 and then entered into an alliance with Colorado College in 2017.

Alissa Smith provides a nice historic sketch in "Fine Arts Center looks to the future as it celebrates its past," and "Anniversary exhibits showcase dynamic history of Fine Arts Center," offers details on planned anniversary activities. One particular exhibit, "The Broadmoor Art Academy and Its Legacy, 1919-1970," will premiere in the mid-October and will explore how the artists that studied and worked in the area influenced each other and how that influence spread throughout the country.

You can also visit the 100th anniversary web page of the Fine Arts Center at Colorado College for event details, a timeline, and more historical photographs or other resources. 

Oregon College of Art and Craft and Pacific Northwest College of Art Agree to Merge

Update On December 14, 2018, The Oregonian reported, "No merger for Pacific Northwest College of Art, Oregon College of Art and Craft."  The article indicates that, "After three months of discussion, the boards of both schools voted Friday against the merger, calling it “not a feasible option” at this time..."

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Oregon Public Broadcasting posted an excellent article by April Baer on November 1, 2018, "Oregon Art Schools PNCA And OCAC Vote To Merge."  Baer reports that the "...governing boards for Oregon College of Art and Craft and Pacific Northwest College of Art will spend the next month working on a memorandum of understanding..." to guide a merger of the two institutions.

OCAC was founded as the Arts and Crafts Society in 1907. The name changed to the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts in 1978 and the BFA program was added in 1994.  The name changed to Oregon College of Art and Craft in 1996.  OCAC enrolls 143 students.

PNCA opened in 1909 as the School of the Portland Art Association. It soon became known as the Museum Art School. The first BFA awarded in 1969 and the name changed to Pacific Northwest College of Art in 1981.  PNCA's last enrollment reported to IPEDS was 512 students.

You can also read about the two institutions in an article by Douglas Perry of The Oregonian, "With merger, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Oregon College of Art and Craft try to buck trend," posted on November 2, 2018.  Perry's article includes a number of photographs.

      

Kentucky College of Art + Design will open as KY's Independent 4-YR Art College

Ashlie Stevens of WFPL, Louisville's NPR affiliate, reports in "With New Licensure, KyCAD Becomes Only 4-Year Art College In Kentucky" that Kentucky College of Art + Design will enroll its first class of students on January 7, 2019.

KyCAD was founded in 2009 and was initially affiliated with Spalding University.  It separated from Spalding in April 2018 and announced last week that its application for licensure has been approved by Kentucky’s Council on Post-Secondary Education.  You can visit the KyCAD website for more information.

Centennial Celebrations Scheduled for Manhattan School of Music

A centennial celebration is underway at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.  The institution traces its roots to music classes offered at Union Settlement after 1913.  It was chartered as the Neighborhood Music School in 1920 and was renamed Manhattan School of Music in 1938. A post-graduate department added in 1941 and accreditation was granted by the Middle States Association of Colleges & Schools in 1956. One-thousand and seven (1,007) students were reported to IPEDS with just under one-half (488) enrolled as undergraduates.

The Centennial Celebration web pages include information on founder, Janet Daniels Schenck, an historical timeline, and a schedule of centennial events planned for the 2018 academic year.

New England College and the New Hampshire Institute of Art Intend to Merge

New England College and the New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA) announced that they intend to complete a merger of the two institutions by October 1, 2018.

   

New England College is located in Henniker, NH and was founded in 1946.  Located in Manchester, NH, the New Hampshire Institute of Art was initially founded in 1898 as the Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences. 

You can also read more about the planned merger in reporting by the New Hampshire Union Leader, "New England College, New Hampshire Institute of Art to merge."

The New Hampshire Institute of Art offers an interesting short video history, "Emma's Gift to NHIA," where you can learn more about the institution and its important role in Manchester. 

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions.  Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

The Antonelli Institute in Pennsylvania will be Closing

The Antonelli Institute, a for-profit located in Erdenheim, PA announced last fall that it would close.  A new announcement on the closing indicates that the institution's legacy will continue at Harcum College. Program directors, Ed Zawora and Drew Simcox, will join Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, PA and will oversee two new associate’s degree programs, photography and digital design.

The Antonelli Institute was founded in 1938 in Philadelphia by internationally renowned photographer and artist Severo Antonelli. He served as the Institute’s president until his retirement in 1974. The institution relocated several times over the years and joined the Bradford Schools organization in 2010. Antonelli enrolled 150 students.

You can also read more in an article published by The Ambler Gazette and written by Amanda Gallagher, "Antonelli Institute in Springfield closes after 80 years, Institute’s legacy to continue at Harcum College."  Gallagher interviewed the current president John Hayden and incorporated his perspective, along with additional historical insight, in her article.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions.  Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

McNally Smith College of Music will Close

Minnesota Public Radio offered details surrounding the closure of McNally Smith College of Music in a post on December 15, 2107, "McNally Smith president says financing failure forced music school's closure."  The reporting by Solvejg Wastvedt includes an audio clip of an interview with President Harry Chalmiers.

McNally Smith College of Music was founded in 1985 and the small for-profit institution was located in St. Paul, MN.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune published reporting on the closure by Liz Sawyer on December 16, 2017 in "Emotions run high as McNally Smith College of Music graduates final class."

If you are interested in recent trends for closures and mergers, access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit and for-profit closures.  Each tab includes basic information for each institution, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Memphis College of Art will no longer admit new Students

The Memphis College of Art announced on October 24, 2017 that it will no longer admit new students and plans to close in 2020.

The institution was initially founded in 1936 as the Memphis Art School.  It was incorporated as the  Mid-South School of Fine Arts and later changed its name that first year to The Memphis Academy of Arts.  The name changed in 1985 to Memphis College of Art.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures and mergers, access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit and for-profit closures.  Each tab includes basic information for each institution, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Lynn University Announces New College of Communication and Design with acquisition of Digital Media Arts College

Rick Selzer reports for Inside Higher Ed that Lynn University of Boca Raton, FL will purchase nearby for-profit Digital Media Arts College.  DMAC facilities and programs will be integrated with Lynn to form a new College of Communication and Design.

DMAC was founded in 2002 and offered bachelor of fine arts degrees in Computer Animation and Graphic Design, associate of science degrees in Graphic Design and Multimedia Design, a master of fine arts degree in Graphic and Web Design, and a master of science degree in Web Design & Technology.

Lynn University was founded in 1962 as Marymount College and was affiliated with the Catholic Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary.  The name was changed to the College of Boca Raton in 1973 and to Lynn University in 1990.

San Francisco Conservatory of Music begins 100th Anniversary Celebration

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music is beginning a celebration of its founding this weekend with an orchestral concert and performances by soloists and chamber ensembles.  Other centennial events are scheduled for upcoming months.  You can visit the conservatory's web site for more details.

The conservatory was founded in 1917 as Ada Clement Piano School and adopted its current name in 1923.  Both undergraduate and graduate programs are offered and enrollment is roughly 400 students.  A timeline, historical photographs, a list of honorary degree recipients, an archive of oral histories, and other information is also offered on the web site. 

An earlier post from last year on the College History Garden, "San Francisco Conservatory of Music: Anticipation Builds for Centennial in 2017," offers more information.