University of Arts Closure Remains Shrouded in Mystery

When University of the Arts closed abruptly on June 7, it left students and employees in limbo. Officials had announced the shutdown just a week earlier, after The Philadelphia Inquirer broke the news. Students who hoped their questions would be addressed at a town hall scheduled for June 3 were bitterly disappointed when administrators inexplicably canceled the event just minutes before it was set to start. On Friday, the community finally got some answers—not from UArts but from its accreditor, The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), which held an online information session Friday for students.The unusual move—a first for MSCHE and perhaps for any institutional accreditor—aimed to fill the void left when UArts officials walked away and handed over closure responsibilities to a management firm, which is winding down the university’s operations.