A dozen employees of The Art Institutes International-Kansas City lost their jobs Wednesday when the private, for-profit school announced the closing of its Lenexa campus.
The college, owned by Education Management Corp., or EDMC, based in Pittsburgh, is one of 15 Art Institutes International campuses across the country being phased out over the next two to three years.
The action will affect about 200 employees and 5,432 students nationally.
Art Institutes International is not affiliated with the Kansas City Art Institute, a private, four-year college in Kansas City.
Art Institutes International won’t be accepting any new students into its programs at its Lenexa location, said EDMC spokesman Chris Hardman. The 300 students already enrolled there will be allowed to finish their degrees. The school will continue offering courses “until the last student graduates,” Hardman said.
“We intend to fulfill our commitment to help our students achieve their education and career goals.”
He said EDMC, which operates 51 Art Institutes International campuses, underwent a restructuring last month and reduced a $1.5 billion debt to $400 million. The closures will leave 36 of its campuses open.
EDMC is the latest private, for-profit school to announce financial troubles. Two weeks ago, DeVry University announced it was closing 14 campuses. Last month, Corinthian, one of the largest for-profit education operations in the country, shut down. And in February, another big one, Kaplan, sold all 38 of its schools.
To reach Mará Rose Williams, call 816-234-4419 or send email to mdwilliams@kcstar.com.
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