NBC6’s Amanda Plasencia is live from the Miami International University of Art & Design where students were left scrambling as Art Institutes close nationwide.
In an effort to assist students and staff affected by the sudden closure of the Miami International University of Art & Design, Miami Dade College will be hosting an in-person open house for students and a job fair for faculty.
Both events will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, at MDC Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami.
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The Open House will answer questions about admissions, advisement and financial aid, and give students the opportunity to consider enrolling in the next 8-week mini-term, starting October 23, and tour the Miami Animation and Gaming Complex (MAGIC), among other MDC state-of-the art facilities.
For faculty and staff who were displaced by the closure, on-the-spot interviews will be conducted, and job offers may be extended.
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Both events will be happening at the same time at the Wolfson Campus, but at different locations.
The open house for students will be at the Wolfson Campus' Chapman Conference Center (Building 3, 2nd floor)
To RSVP, click here.
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And the job fair will be in Room 2106 (Building 2, 1st floor).
The events come after students, faculty, and even administration were all blindsided by the sudden closure of the Miami International University of Art & Design.
“No one that I know of in any of those positions had any inkling that this was going to happen,” said faculty member, Judith King.
The email, which was sent on Sept. 22, reads in part: “All future classes have been cancelled and all campuses will close permanently on September 30, 2023."
Given just eight days to figure out what their next steps are, many students were left feeling frustrated and confused.
“It’s kind of like fight or flight," said fashion design student Zechariah Singh.
The school's website also has an information page about closing its doors, with one message reading in part, "After many decades of providing high quality academic programs to tens of thousands of successful alumni, The Art Institutes will cease all academic operations after students complete their classes this term. All future classes have been cancelled and all campuses will close permanently on September 30, 2023."
They went on to say that internal and external factors such as dealing with legacy challenges that arose under prior ownership and the impact of the pandemic caused the closure.
Because of the quick timing of this closure, The Art Institutes had not been able to engage with other colleges and universities for students to transfer.
