New York’s School of Visual Arts Suffers Enrollment Drop, Large Budget Deficit

New York’s School of Visual Arts Suffers Enrollment Drop, Large Budget Deficit

They’re blaming the federal government in part for this. I’m betting there are other issues in play.

Campus Reform reports:

New York’s School of Visual Arts enrollment drops amid budgetary problems, blames federal government

New York’s School of Visual Arts (SVA) is facing several problems, including declining enrollment and a multi-million dollar budget deficit, while the school’s interim president seeks to remedy the problems in internal communications.

SVA’s enrollment has declined 34 percent since 2019, while the New York-based school is also facing a $22 million structural budget deficit, ARTnews reported.

The problems were revealed in an internal memo to staff and faculty from SVA’s interim president, Christopher J. Cyphers. Cyphers previously served as SVA’s provost and only recently assumed his role as interim president after SVA’s board of trustees installed him following the SVA Alumni Society’s acquisition of the school.

Cyphers reportedly told faculty and staff that SVA’s problems were entirely attributable to “the ongoing dismantling of education and the arts by the federal government, and an onslaught of threats to immigration policies that directly affect our international students.”

While Cyphers blamed the school’s problems on the federal government, SVA has previously published an online strategy that further details the university’s internal struggles.

SVA states on its website, as part of its five-year “Strategic Plan,” that it is undergoing a “period of significant change for the School of Visual Arts.”

The Strategic Plan adds that SVA aims to continue “maintaining and sustaining a faculty of working professionals active in their fields,” continue recruiting students and faculty, and contribute to “the vibrant cultural and professional landscape of New York City.”

The plan also directly addresses budgetary and enrollment issues, attributing some enrollment problems to a COVID-based recovery in addition to broader issues “experienced by much of American higher education.”

SVA also states in its strategy, in relation to enrollment, that its admissions office is “fully cognizant” of “enrollment challenges” and seeks to remedy those issues by increasing “domestic recruitment,” broadening international recruitment for the school, and increasing financial aid offered to current and prospective students.

Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.