With students, staff, and faculty still reeling from the announcement that the University of the Arts will close on June 7, Temple University is looking into potentially merging with the school to help save it, write Susan Snyder and Kristen A. Graham for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I’m working with their chair to see if we can put this genie back in the bottle,” said Mitchell Morgan, Temple’s board chair and founder and chairman of Morgan Properties. “Can we somehow figure out some type of potential merger? If it’s a win-win, we are interested.”
While Morgan has reached out to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office and Mayor Cherelle Parker’s office to see what can be done to help save UArts, Temple President Richard Englert and Provost Gregory Mandel are talking with UArts officials.
UArts President Kerry Walk, however, has resigned since the announcement of the school’s imminent closure.
Morgan said that UArts’ curriculum fits well with Temple’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Boyer College of Music and Dance, and School of Theater, Film and Media Arts.
“I’m interested in seeing how they can survive, how Temple can help them, but the most important thing is how can we help the student body,” said Morgan.
Read more about Temple University’s efforts to help save the University of the Arts at The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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