City Council hearing on sudden closing of UArts yields few answers

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Former faculty and students from the University of the Arts sounded off to a city council committee Thursday about their struggles since the school’s abrupt closure two months ago.

Christina Mattei moved 3,000 miles to take a job at UArts, as the school was known. It didn’t last even a full year. She says she’s had no income since the school abruptly announced its closing on May 31st.

“I uprooted my entire life and my son, who’s with me today because I can’t afford child care for the summer,” she said. “I am sleeping on my couch as a grown woman and renting a room in the apartment I live in now to cover rent and make sure food is on the table. I spent my whole savings to move here for this university.”

Mattei’s was among the many stories of the hardships the closing brought. There was also a lot of anger at still not knowing why the university closed, though former dean Mark Campbell placed the blame on the former president, David Yager, who Campbell says hid the school’s financial trouble.

“There was a counterfactual narrative propagated of unprecedented financial solidity and fundraising success,” he said.

Jon McKay recommended raising money to re-open the school in the long term, and in the short term to help faculty and students hurt by the closure.

“Fundraising concerts and exhibits that feature alumni students work at partnering institutions will quickly give us the funds that we need,” he said.

Councilman Mark Squilla, who called the hearing, said officials at the university had declined to testify but cited ongoing investigations he hoped would yield answers.

“It’s really important that we learn from it and then make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he said.