The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is giving the Art Institute of Pittsburgh another three months to show why the agency should not remove the school’s accreditation, a move that would likely bar federal financial aid and jeopardize the Art Institute chain’s online programs.
Middle States — after reviewing a report submitted by the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in August and visiting the school’s Strip District campus — decided against removing accreditation at its meeting held last week in Philadelphia.
But it ruled the school should maintain its “show cause” designation — which is the most severe step before accreditation is removed and requires the school to draft a closure plan should the agency decide to remove accreditation.
The agency found the school now complies with standards involving its mission statement and its admission and retention strategies, according to a letter posted online Tuesday addressed to school president Elden Monday.
But the accreditation agency is demanding the school submit another report, due March 1, showing that it is in compliance with several other standards including financial sustainability, conflicts of interest and management plan.
The school was sold by Pittsburgh for-profit education company Education Management Corp. as part of a $60 million deal announced last year.
New nonprofit owners, California-based Dream Center Education Holdings, have been struggling to maintain the accreditation.
In addition, it has struggled to keep the schools formerly owned by EDMC operating. In July, Dream Center announced it would close 18 Art Institute campuses nationwide.
A removal of accreditation could derail any effort by Dream Center to use online education to lower the cost of tuition and revive enrollment at all of its beleaguered trade schools around the country. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh houses the online division that runs classes for all of the Art Institutes.
Among other things, Middle States is seeking further evidence of “the institution’s capacity to support increased enrollment in online programs, including fiscal and human resources as well as the physical and technical infrastructure adequate to support its operations,” according to the letter to Mr. Monday.
Daniel Moore: dmoore@post-gazette.com, 412-263-2743 and Twitter @PGdanielmoore
First Published: November 20, 2018, 10:31 p.m.
