
Six months after the sudden closure of the University of the Arts, former students who are now at Temple have reported mixed experiences navigating the promises and challenges of their transition as they enter their second semester.
More than 1,300 students were displaced when University of the Arts unexpectedly announced its final day of operations on June 7, 2024. Temple accepted more than 300 of those students, pledging to meet their educational and financial needs through a “teach-out” agreement with UArts, an arrangement which assured students’ completion of their course of study after their institution closed.
“We were granted that the curriculum would directly match what we were promised at UArts,” said Kira Lokay, a junior vocal performance major. “I almost feel Temple took us all in without knowing how difficult this would be.”
For some new Boyer College of Music and Dance students like Caitey Patterson, the transition has been marked by doubts about Temple’s ability to replicate their previous curriculum.
“I’m now a jazz concentration — I don’t even know what that means,” said Patterson, a junior jazz studies student. “That’s not necessarily what I wanted.”
Some Boyer students are disappointed with Temple’s placement tests, course organization and general education requirements. Where UArts’ vocal program required 33 credits in “Critical Studies” pertaining mainly to professional writing, art history studies and free art electives, Temple requires 32 General Education credits, necessitating courses in subjects like writing, mathematics, science, sociology and civic engagement.
Many Boyer students also feel that UArts’ curriculum was better tailored to their career interests by providing regular performance opportunities. Amid frustrations, some are reconsidering their futures at Temple.
“Dealing with Temple was the last thing I wanted to do for another semester,” Patterson said. “I still want to transfer out, but I want to stay in Philly, which is really hard because there’s nothing left for me here.”
Lokay noted that she knows many former UArts students have already left Temple.
Elizabeth Radigonda, a former UArts faculty member now teaching part time at Boyer, has been one of the only pieces of UArts that students who transferred to Temple have left. Some have credited her for helping ease a less-than-ideal situation.
Radigonda was driven to join Temple to ensure UArts students felt supported by leadership amid what she described as a “betrayal” by her former institution.
“When UArts shut down, everyone disappeared,” Radigonda said. “Our board dissolved within 24 hours, and we were being run by a law firm — it was bizarre. It’s going to be a great documentary one day. It felt like everyone had abandoned our students, and that didn’t sit right with me.”
Radigonda is working with Terell Stafford, Boyer’s director of jazz studies, to blend UArt’s past curriculum with Temple’s. She emphasized the importance of ensuring that students felt heard and supported in their concerns.
While she praised Temple’s jazz department for their openness and accessibility, Radigonda believes Boyer’s transition has been emotionally taxing for students.
“It’s been hard to watch them go through this,” Radigonda said. “I think Temple did their best, but I don’t think any school could’ve really been prepared for this.
The sudden closure of UArts left students and faculty alike grappling with a collapse of support systems. Its abruptness was emphasized by rapidly produced teach-out agreements, which Radigonda believes were symptomatic of deeper administrative failings.
Radigonda places most of the blame on former UArts leadership instead of Temple. While a large portion of UArts transfers likely weren’t thrilled with the idea of going to Temple, they opted to choose the safest, closest option, she said.
On the other hand, some students in Temple’s School of Theater, Film, and Media Arts found smoother transitions.
“I feel that Temple’s acting program is very comprehensive,” said Michael McLaughlin, a senior theater major. “I feel great about it. Other students talked to me about their experiences, and I know a lot of them are having challenges. That makes me sad, but I feel lucky.”
McLaughlin acknowledged some logistical hurdles during the transfer process, including complications with Pennsylvania state grants and class registration.
Transferring students were required to reapply for their state grants, and Temple’s policy for requiring a deposit before registration, without the aid of those grants, added to their stress.
“It was crazy trying to register for classes without my grants,” McLaughlin said. “Temple was bare-bones staffed at the time. But I think about how UArts only had one bursar, and I laugh about that now.”
David Richardson, a sophomore theater student, said he was satisfied with his academic transition but shared similar financial frustrations.
“They said that they would honor scholarships and work study, and I no longer qualify for work study at Temple,” Richardson said. “I was kind of counting on that at UArts.”
David Logan, assistant dean of Tyler School of Art’s advisory team, said he aimed for adaptability during the transition, while Temple worked within constraints of minimal summer staff and the emotional duress of the transfers.
Logan, aware of the high stakes and emotional toll on students, worked to provide individualized support where possible. Tyler’s methods for addressing students’ needs included one-on-one meetings and follow-ups. Honesty became a cornerstone of the university’s approach, ensuring students knew what Temple could and could not provide to meet their needs, he said.
“We wanted to be as flexible as we possibly could, knowing that every student was at a different point in their education,” Logan said. “For some, the trauma of losing their community has resurfaced at different points, and that’s part of their transition.”
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