Looking more and more like the campus will be closed by end of summer quarter. Students transferring out already in week 1. None allowed to stay for Fall unless they are graduating. So maybe a couple classes for portfolios will be left after summer. So far only hearing a few students moving to Miami. More telling us they are looking at other colleges in the area. The burn from this abrupt closing has them questioning the future of the remaining campuses. I can't fault them for that thought and hurt feelings . The faculty are scrambling to find something else and many of them have been here 10, 15, 20 or more years. Amazing they still care after such treatment. Dean of Academic Affairs let go today. Now no one left in charge except a couple Department Directors. Classes have just a handful of students and most of the staffed areas have limited hours or are closed. The mood is very down for everyone here after 50 years in business.
18 replies (most recent on top)
"Regional accreditation will not allow for more than a 25% transfer of credits from a non accredited or ACICS school. Miami’s hands are tied. "
That's actually not what students are saying. Students are being told that their Gen Ed's won't transfer but their core classes will. Yet they're only taking students with less than 25% of their program left.
It's also not what the President of both schools has been saying for years either. At AiFL, she's always stated that it was up to the individual institution to accept credits or not.
Ai students have never been accused of being bright, just easy to manipulate and breathing which made getting their financial aid possible. Ai has also never been know for being scholarly or even academic in nature, basically a trade school for low paying pseudo -art/pseudo-design jobs.
No bright person would pay $90k tuition for a job that starts at $30k if that much. All Ai students have been duped by unscrupulous sales pitches. Nothing illegal of course just unethical.
The schools’ general unwillingness to become unified is why transfer of credits is an issue. Regional accreditation will not allow for more than a 25% transfer of credits from a non accredited or ACICS school. Miami’s hands are tied. That’s been the issue with Ai since it began, it let each school decide for itself instead of unifying all the Ai schools like they did with Argosy. Basically Ai has never had decent leadership as a whole. DCF recognized this from the start and never wanted Ai as a part of the sale.
Students are taking up to 6 classes at a time at our campus when they normally can’t even pass 3 at a time. How is that setting them up for success?! I can’t even fathom why these students are staying, especially the ones who can’t even graduate by December- just leave! It’s a scam! I hate that they are wasting their money to fail twice as many classes. Just because something is on sale (50% off tuition) doesn’t mean you need it or that it’s a good idea.
I cannot believe that students have to take that many classes at a time. It has been made obvious to everyone here that DCEH is even worse than EDMC, and that sure isn’t saying much. The government should step in. Everything up to this point has been nothing short of a disaster, but 8 classes at a time should absolutely not be allowed. Please turn this information in. They have every right to be given the option of a proper teach out.
I have great respect for the one staying and in charge now but this is just insane.
I worry about the students trying to do 8-10 classes this quarter (I have several). Ethically, I can't dumb the classes down or accept less than work but I feel for them in that they are truly getting screwed over.
I'm aware haters will comment that we already have been dumbing things down but I have always tried to be honest and blunt about the requirements and expectations of my industry with students.
Yup all but one Academic Chair will be gone as of August 24. Coordinator of Design set to roll out in late September and only cause he's hosting an IDEC conference.
Because Miami is not playing nice with transfers, many students are taking 8-10 classes this quarter so they can graduate from AiFL in December.
So, now that the Dean is gone it's only a few department directors now.
In about a month, we're losing all but one (from what I'm hearing) who will be running everything.
Will the school actually last past September? A few weeks ago it was pretty much a yes for graduating students. As of late last week? Not as much.
It may be beneficial for the students to have a thread with the list of local colleges possibly taking credits, separated by state or closing Ai. DCEH as a company isn’t going to help students (or employees) find solutions that won’t make them money, but it would at least make this transition a little less stressful on them if the research everyone has done is in one spot.
Good to know about Lynn, BC, and MDC. I strongly doubt FIU will take any.
I know certain department heads there who have personal grudges against AiFL and MIU and refused to take any credits from AiFL students in the past.
What I don't get is why MIU isn't taking any since Erica is in charge of both.
Lynn University taking a lot of the students. Miami Dade and Broward College also helping out. AI Miami is making the transition complicated for some stupid reason. Students pissed they not accepting their Gen Eds . The is a cluster f*ck. Great students who really want to finish with AI treated terribly.
Fort Lauderdale was one of the best schools in Florida for a long time. I had older brother who went there and loved it. Heard they celebrated 50th anniversary. Not sure about all the negative comments on here. I liked my professors in video film. I graduated in 2015 but you could tell all the neg stuff was hurting its reputation. Sorry to see it shut down.
Nice??? This campus starting failing over 5 years ago. Run don't walk away from this imploding house of cards. No sympathy for students who continue here to take my tax dollars!!! What a drag on society!!
The community is not sad to see it go.
They are tired of the dang place being a leech on local economy.
So incredibly sad to watch. Beautiful campus, great people. And yes I doubt it will last past this quarter
Hearing directly from students looking to transfer that Miami isn't accepting a lot of students including ones from programs that are clearly analogous.
That was one of the nicest campuses and in a great location. I am sure the community is sad to see AiFL go.
https://wsvn.com/news/local/art-institute-of-fort-lauderdale-to-close-parent-company-announces/