‘We deserve better’: PAFA students want answers to elimination of degree programs

In an open letter to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts following the decision to terminate degree-granting programs, students are demanding that the school’s president and board of trustees meet with them to discuss what went wrong.

Last week, a group of students delivered the letter to school leadership, seeking a meeting with president Eric Pryor and representatives from the board of trustees to discuss the school’s decision.

Students hope to save the BFA and MFA programs. If that is untenable, they want PAFA to allow the first- and second-year students to complete their education and graduate.

“We, the students, staff, and faculty of this historic academy, which has trained the next generation of American artists for over 200 years, deserve better than bulk emails and rushed Zoom meetings with administration,” reads the letter, which has garnered 517 signatures from students, faculty, alumni, and other Philadelphians. “We deserve full transparency, we deserve explanations, we deserve the ability to ask questions to the very people who chose our collective fate, the only people who can directly explain their reasoning.”

On Monday, Pryor declined to meet with the students on their terms. In an email to students, faculty, and staff, Pryor said that the dean of students and her staff has had more than 20 meetings with the students who will transfer and that he will also be meeting with some students in the next week.

“I acknowledge your frustration and upset about this outcome. I hear you and share your feelings of loss and disappointment. Please know that we are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible,” wrote Pryor. “We will continue to hold such focused meetings, rather than a town hall, as I believe they are the best way to constructively support our community.”

» READ MORE: What is PAFA and what’s going on there?

On Jan. 10, PAFA announced plans to end the Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts programs with the graduating class of 2025, citing a $1 million deficit and a decline in student enrollment. In 2023, the school had 126 students, a significant drop from 270 students in 2019.

Instead, the school will restore its three- and four-year certificate program, a decision that has received some support from faculty and alumni. While current juniors and seniors will be able to complete their education, freshman and sophomores are expected to transfer to institutions where PAFA has made arrangements for admission; however, students are not guaranteed the same financial aid. There are 37 students in that position, according to PAFA.

In the weeks since the news broke, students remain confused about next steps and frustrated over what they say is a decision that could have been avoided with proper fundraising. They also cite a failure of adequate marketing as a cause of the enrollment decline.

“It seems that the board and the administration made no efforts really to reach out to former donors or current donors to PAFA to see if they’d be willing to up their donation to offset the $1 million deficit,” said 22-year-old senior Raffi Zarzatian, a South Philly native who studies printmaking. “It really didn’t seem that there was any willingness to do fundraisers or outreach or marketing.”

A separate petition demanding “justice for PAFA faculty, staff, and students” with 605 signatures alleged that Pryor said PAFA received “offers for generous funding” and that “they would not be accepting them.” A PAFA spokesperson said the school would not substantiate the claim and declined to comment further.

Now that the administration has refused to meet with all students in an open forum, Zarzatian says the student group will discuss protesting in some form.

The Annual Student Exhibition at the end of this semester, a senior capstone, will continue. The school takes a 30% commission of the artists’ sales to fund student scholarships, but seniors wonder where that money will go if there are no more incoming students. Some are considering withholding that commission in protest.

“They feel very beaten down, and they feel very negative about exhibiting at ASE because they feel PAFA as an institution has kind of stabbed them in the back,” said Zarzatian. “A lot of students, myself included, are feeling very discouraged about exhibiting.”

This story has been updated to reflect the response from PAFA’s leadership.