From our colleagues at United Academics of Philadelphia:
It’s almost exactly six months since the closure of the University of the Arts. As you may know, the investigation is still ongoing. If you’d like to get caught up on the current status of the UArts closure, you can find our news coverage roundup here.
We are happy to say that since the closure, many former UArts faculty and staff members have found new employment! Unfortunately though, many others have not, and many former members remain underemployed in the wake of this catastrophe. In our recent followup survey, over half of the faculty & staff who responded said they are still unemployed, or working less than they were before UArts closed.
Over the summer we were able to distribute $40,000 to sixty individuals in amounts of $500-$1000. When this fundraiser was launched, our goal was to raise $50,000 for UArts faculty & staff. We are only about $1,000 from this goal – and we’d love to surpass it!
Some UArts funds may make their way to former UArts employees through the bankruptcy process, but this is not at all guaranteed, and the amount of funds and timeliness will certainly not address the need for stability these displaced artists have now.
Any amount you can share will help us be able to provide a robust second round of funding to laid-off faculty & staff who may still be finding their footing.