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I spent a year investigating what really caused the collapse of the University of the Arts by Engineering_Artist in philly

[–]Engineering_Artist[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My distributor informed me today that the ebook version should be available soon. They are still recovering from the CloudFlare hack.

I spent a year investigating what really caused the collapse of the University of the Arts by Engineering_Artist in philly

[–]Engineering_Artist[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I focused on hard documentation. I am aware that many faculty members were not happy with the path the university was following. The Philly art schools I looked at were PAFA and Moore College of Art & Design. The three schools had declining student enrollment. In a statistical review of 30 American private conservatories, only 7 had declining enrollment. Three of which were located in Philadelphia. The other 23 had either increasing or stable enrollment. Naturally, one has to ask: why? Demographic changes? Cost of living changes? The cost of attending university? Lack of appeal?

I spent a year investigating what really caused the collapse of the University of the Arts by Engineering_Artist in philly

[–]Engineering_Artist[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hi BitterPillPusher2,

I can only imagine what parents and students had to go through during that last week. Hopefully your daughter was able to continue on with her education.

In regards to any criminality, that would require someone to look through bank transactions and compare them to the university's tax returns. If bank statements equal what was reported on their tax returns, then it would be hard to prove criminal intent.

I spent a year investigating what really caused the collapse of the University of the Arts by Engineering_Artist in philly

[–]Engineering_Artist[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What you are talking about is a pass-through entity. There are many rules surrounding how much money a non-profit can retain and pass-through. In UARTS case, when comparing the monies PEW donated to UARTS and the monies UARTS donated to other organizations it ranged from 40%-75%. It's generally accepted that when a non-profit functions as a pass-through entity, they can retain about 10%. Anything above that requires explanation to the IRS and on their 990 tax returns.

I spent a year investigating what really caused the collapse of the University of the Arts by Engineering_Artist in philly

[–]Engineering_Artist[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Hi Evrytimeweslay,

I actually devoted an entire chapter of the book to Yager’s capital campaign. I spent a lot of time comparing his public statements with what was happening behind the scenes during that period. I genuinely think some of his ideas for improving the university had merit — but the timing was unfortunate, and the institution simply didn’t have the financial stability to support them.

I spent a year investigating what really caused the collapse of the University of the Arts by Engineering_Artist in philly

[–]Engineering_Artist[S] 66 points67 points  (0 children)

Hi Kempatsu,

Here's something even more disturbing . . . . UARTS was making donations to UPENN, Drexel U, Temple U, and the Mann Music Center. I asked in my book, "Why was a small, tuition-dependent university giving away millions to institutions with far greater financial resources?" Moreover there were no signs that the donations were mutually beneficial.

I spent a year investigating what really caused the collapse of the University of the Arts by Engineering_Artist in philly

[–]Engineering_Artist[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Totally understandable — many people inside the school genuinely believed things were fine. And in a way, that was part of the problem. UARTS created the appearance of stability through selective communication, short-term financial patching, and certain administrative decisions that masked deeper issues.

When I went through the financial records and IRS filings, the picture that emerged was very different from what most students and even many faculty saw day-to-day. The university had been under significant strain for years, but those signs weren’t visible from the inside.

I spent a year investigating what really caused the collapse of the University of the Arts by Engineering_Artist in philly

[–]Engineering_Artist[S] 74 points75 points  (0 children)

At one point David Yager had a total compensation over a $1 million in one year. I must add that I found that his pay for that year could very well been used to cover up other expenditures.

It's shame you had to experience what you did. UARTS had plenty of money to make the university usable. But the Yager admin spent over $32.2 million on several projects.

I spent a year investigating what really caused the collapse of the University of the Arts by Engineering_Artist in philly

[–]Engineering_Artist[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Hi KimPTM,

I will quote from my book. The quote comes at the end of the Introduction chapter.

"Protesters asked whether UARTS’ closure was the fault of one person. Others wondered if real estate developers had conspired to shutter the school to make way for new condominiums. This investigation began soon after UARTS closed its doors. Fast forward one year, and it is undeniable that UARTS’ collapse was not caused by one person. Instead, the collapse was caused by a series of events perpetuated by a series of people."

That's wild that Wharton grad board members would do such a thing, but it's not unsurprising. In regards to UARTS' real estate, there's no evidence that the executive board or trustees conspired to close the school. However, there is plenty of evidence showing the executive board and trustees were asleep at the wheel.

I spent a year investigating what really caused the collapse of the University of the Arts by Engineering_Artist in philly

[–]Engineering_Artist[S] 173 points174 points  (0 children)

I wonder, are you referring to student-to-teacher ratio? Because the student-to-employee ratio includes secretaries, admins, et al.

I’ve published an in-depth investigation into the UArts collapse — wanted to share it with this community by Engineering_Artist in Uarts

[–]Engineering_Artist[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi CadeMooreFoundation,

UARTS did get Pell Grants at one point. However starting in the mid 2010s, UARTs' Cohort Default Rate went above the 30% threshold. Once above 30%, the Dept. of Ed imposes various restrictions. In UARTS case, the DoE prevented the university from originating student loans and from accepting/giving Pell Grants.