LOADING

Type to search

Students of Art Institute of Seattle Plan for Next Move after Closure

Education

Students of Art Institute of Seattle Plan for Next Move after Closure

Some former students of Art Institute of Seattle gathered at an information fair Tuesday organized by the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) after it was suddenly closed. They are now planning their next move. WSAC is reportedly a regulatory agency. The gathering was organized in the ballroom of The Edgewater hotel and students got their transcripts in a line that wrapped around the room after waiting for some time.

As per the students present, they were shocked by the closure Friday as it was just two weeks away from the end of winter quarter. It should be noted that Dream Center Foundation, a faith-based non-profit has brought the school from a bankrupt position and it had insisted that the Seattle campus to remain open even in its sensitive position, as it was laying off hugely at that moment.

But on Wednesday, WSAC announced the closure of the Art Institute of Seattle. The school started in 1946 as a private art school then it was bought by Education Management Corporation in the 1980s.

As per Don Bennett, deputy director of WSAC, students would still be receiving credit for the classes they took this quarter. The students who were scheduled to graduate this quarter have received transcripts that showed their completion of the programme. However, not all students were that lucky.

David Morgan-Willis was about to complete his degree in animation and media arts. He had been studying in the school from 2010, and he had been taking tuitions to sustain himself. As of now, after the closure, he aims at transferring to the Seattle Film Institute. This institute has a customized program for students with only one quarter left. The Seattle Film Institute’s president, David Shulman, said the students who would be transferred would be guaranteed to graduate this year.

Though Morgan was grateful for this opportunity, he was little disappointed that the degree he would get is for motion graphics, not animation. He said that he had given almost a decade into this school.

There are loads of questions still unanswered. A few students who were very close to graduation were told that they could test out of remaining classes, but that was not mentioned in their transcripts, and now they said they would contact the Dream Centre. Many veterans who used GI Bill benefits are worried about the uncertainties regarding the reimbursements. Many students are still clueless about how the credits are going to be transferred.

It should be noted that the Art Institute of Seattle is a regionally accredited institution and it should take steps for helping students to transfer, said Bennet. But ultimately it would be resolved on a case-to-case basis by an interaction between the students and the school.

About thirty regional schools attended the info fair, and as per representatives, their administrators were hoping to be as accommodating to former Art Institute students as possible. But as per some, students’ graduations could be set back owing to their situation.

Mary Morgan

Mary Morgan holds a double degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and had experienced with various occupations such as news writer, content editor, reporter, technical analysis and a lot more. But she is passionate for news editing. From last 2 years, she regularly curates news articles for us in a different niche.

  • 1

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *