Closure of Philadelphia Art School Spurs Review by State Attorney General

The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office and state lawmakers said Friday that they were reviewing the abrupt closure of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, which blindsided students and faculty members.

“We are very concerned by the sudden closure of the University of the Arts,” said Brett Hambright, a spokesman for Michelle A. Henry, the attorney general of Pennsylvania. “We are reviewing the circumstances of the closure and any transfer or loss of assets.”

Other state lawmakers are calling for additional investigations into the university’s collapse.

“We are looking into holding a hearing and seeing what broader investigative powers we can use in the state legislative committees to investigate,” State Senator Nikil Saval said. “It should wake many of us up to the fragility of the arts infrastructure in Philadelphia, which is extraordinary given how little support it gets.”

The University of the Arts, a nearly 150-year-old institution, was a cultural hub for the state, where many local painters, musicians, composers and actors found work training future artists and arts leaders. The announcement last week that the university was closing left the future uncertain for more than 1,100 students and 700 employees. A few days later the university’s president, Kerry Walk, resigned.

Now, state and local officials are looking for answers. The Philadelphia City Council passed a resolution on Thursday to hold hearings about the closure.

“The answer that this came all of the sudden is not acceptable,” Mark Squilla, the council member who introduced the resolution, said in an interview. “We are not willing to take their word for it at this point.”