Statement of Accreditation Status
Art Institute of Pittsburgh, The
- Phase: Formerly Accredited
- Status: Unapproved Institutional Closure
- Candidacy Granted: January 1, 2003
- Accreditation Granted: June 26, 2008
- Accreditation Ceased: March 13, 2019
On April 18, 2019, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education acted to note that The Art Institute of Pittsburgh closed while on show cause status, without prior approval and without an approved teach-out plan and to end the accreditation for The Art Institute of Pittsburgh effective March 13, 2019. To note that the comprehensive, implementable teach-out plan with teach-out agreements, due May 3, 2019, was not received and that the federal equity receiver, custodian, and liquidator, after repeated requests, has failed to confirm the status of the teach-out plan and teach-out agreements for The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. The Commission directs constituents to the federal equity receiver and the following information online: https://www.artinstitutes.edu/closed-school-information-page. Please note that the Commission has been unable to confirm the accuracy of information posted at the Closed School Information Page. Other online resources include: (1) https://www.dottoreco.com/dream-center-education-holdings; (2) https://www.education.pa.gov/Postsecondary-Adult/College%20and%20Career%20Education/Pages/default.aspx, and (3) https://www.education.pa.gov/Documents/Postsecondary-Adult/College%20and%20Career%20Education/
Colleges%20and%20Universities/Art%20Institute%20of
%20Pittsburgh%20Closure%20Memo.pdf. To note that accreditation ceased on March 13, 2019. As of March 14, 2019, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is no longer accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, (267-284-5011) www.msche.org. For more information, please see the Commission's Teach-Out Plans and Agreements Policy and Procedures.
- May 16, 2019
To note that the comprehensive, implementable teach-out plan with teach-out agreements, due May 3, 2019, was not received and that the federal equity receiver, custodian, and liquidator, after repeated requests, has failed to confirm the status of the teach-out plan and teach-out agreements for The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. The institution closed on March 8, 2019, and accreditation ceased effective March 13, 2019. - April 18, 2019
To note the visit by the Commission's representatives. To note The Art Institute of Pittsburgh closed while on show cause, without prior approval and without an approved teach-out plan. To note the accreditation of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh ceased on March 13, 2019. To note that the show cause report, due September 1, 2019, is no longer due, and the on-site show cause visit will not occur. - April 18, 2019
To note the teach-out plan with teach-out agreements, due April 1, 2019, was not received. To note the federal equity receiver, custodian, and liquidator, after repeated requests, has failed to confirm the status of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh and failed to provide a comprehensive, implementable teach-out plan with teach-out agreements. To require a comprehensive, implementable teach-out plan with teach-out agreements, due May 3, 2019, from the federal equity receiver, custodian, and liquidator documenting evidence of: (1) communications and information provided by the Receiver to the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the United States Department of Education relating to AI Pittsburgh relating to closure; (2) an updated teach-out plan with copies of all teach-out agreements relating to The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, including, but not limited to, verification that teach-out agreements received on January 25, 2019, from the institution are verified, ratified, or otherwise authorized by the Receiver; (3) the status of the term that abruptly ended on March 8, 2019, including whether grades were issued and the number of degrees that were awarded; (4) provisions for student records, including how students can obtain transcripts and the appropriate arrangement for the permanent disposition of all student records held by the institution so that students and alumni will be able to obtain accurate and complete transcripts in the future; (5) notification to all students that the institution's accreditation ceased effective March 13, 2019; and (6) public disclosure regarding the institution's accreditation status provided wherever the institution's web pages, publications, and announcements make reference to MSCHE accreditation and in all other appropriate places and venues. - April 18, 2019
To note the supplemental information report due April 1, 2019, regarding the status of the institution and addressing recent developments at the institution was not received and is no longer due. To further note a follow-up team visit will not occur because the institution closed while on show cause and without prior approval. - February 14, 2019
To acknowledge receipt of the supplemental information report. To note the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, has appointed a federal equity receiver, custodian, and liquidator for the institution on January 18, 2019. To require a supplemental information report due April 1, 2019, regarding the status of the institution and addressing recent developments at the institution which may have implications for current and future compliance with all of the Commission's standards, requirements, policies and procedures, and federal compliance requirements. The report should address the institution's ability to comply with the Commission's standards, requirements, policies and procedures, and federal compliance requirements and include but not be limited to: (1) the status of the institution's operations, including enrollment (Requirement of Affiliation 1 and 2); (2) honesty and truthfulness in public relations announcements, advertisements, recruiting and admissions (Standard II); (3) the status of administration, faculty, and staff (Requirement of Affiliation 15 and Standard III and VII); (4) the status of the governing body (Requirement of Affiliation 12, 13, 14 and Standard VII); and (5) the status of institutional finances and financial stability (Requirement of Affiliation 11 and Standard VI). To note that the report must include evidence that the federal equity receiver, custodian, and liquidator reviewed and approved of the information in the report. To direct a prompt liaison guidance visit to discuss Commission expectations. A follow-up team visit may follow submission of the supplemental information report. - February 14, 2019
To acknowledge receipt of the updated teach-out plan and teach out-agreements. To note the teach-out plan received on January 25, 2019, provided insufficient information conducive to commission review. To require a comprehensive, implementable teach-out plan and teach-out agreements due April 1, 2019, in lieu of the teach-out plan that was requested March 1, 2019. To remind the institution that it must provide a teach-out plan that includes but is not limited to the following: (1) evidence of required notifications to all constituents; (2) detailed descriptions of how all students will be accommodated, including signed teach-out agreements; (3) the arrangements for the retention and preservation of records so that students and alumni will be able to obtain accurate and complete transcripts and other educational records in the future; (4) the public disclosure of updated information; (5) evidence of the issuance of transcripts for any students wishing to transfer to another institution; and (6) the arrangements for the retention and preservation of employee records (Commission's Teach-Out Plan Policy and Procedures). To remind the institution that the teach-out plan and teach-out agreements are required by Commission policy and procedures and require Commission approval. To further remind the institution and the federal equity receiver of its obligation to keep the Commission informed regarding the status of the institution. - February 14, 2019
To remind the institution of the Commission's actions on November 15, 2018, that required the institution to continue to show cause as to why its accreditation should not be withdrawn. To note the institution remains accredited while on show cause. To postpone the due date of the show cause report. The institution is required to present its case for continued accreditation by means of a show cause report, now due September 1, 2019, in lieu of the report that was requested March 1, 2019. To direct an on-site show cause visit following submission of the report. The purpose of the on-site show cause visit is to verify the information provided in the show cause report and the institution's ongoing and sustainable compliance with the Commission's standards, requirements, policies and procedures, and federal compliance requirements. To direct a prompt Commission liaison guidance visit to discuss the Commission's expectations. To note that the institution will be invited to appear before the Commission when it meets to consider the institution's show cause report. To note that the date of the next evaluation visit will be determined when accreditation is reaffirmed and early self-study will not be required at this time. - February 14, 2019
To remind the institution of the Commission's actions on November 15, 2018. To postpone the due date of the teach-out plan with teach-out agreements. To require a comprehensive, implementable teach-out plan and teach-out agreements now due April 1, 2019, in lieu of the teach-out plan that was requested March 1, 2019. - January 15, 2019
Staff acted on behalf of the Commission to request a supplemental information report, due January 25, 2019, addressing recent developments at the institution which may have implications for current and future compliance with Standard II: Ethics and Integrity; Standard III: Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience; Standard IV: Support of the Student Experience; Standard VII: Governance, Leadership, and Administration; Requirements of Affiliation 6, 12, and 14; Related Entities Policy; Substantive Change Policy and Procedures; and Teach-Out Plans and Agreements Policy and Procedures. - November 15, 2018
To acknowledge receipt of the show cause report. To note the visit by the Commission's representatives. To require the institution to continue to show cause, by March 1, 2019, to demonstrate why its accreditation should not be withdrawn because of insufficient evidence that the institution is in compliance with Standard II (Ethics and Integrity), Standard VII (Governance, Leadership, and Administration), Requirements of Affiliation 12, 13, and 14, and the Related Entities Policy. To note that the institution is now in compliance with Standard IV (Support of the Student Experience), Standard VI (Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement) and Requirements of Affiliation 11 and 15. To note that the institution remains accredited while on show cause. To note further that federal regulations limit the period during which an institution may be in non-compliance to two years. To require a show cause report, due March 1, 2019, documenting evidence that the institution has achieved and can sustain ongoing compliance with the Commission's standards, requirements, policies and procedures, and federal compliance requirements. The show cause report must include evidence of: (1) the breadth of the relationships involving the related entities, Dream Center Foundation and Dream Center Education Holdings (DCEH), including the identification of contractual relationships, employment, and family or financial interests that could pose or be perceived as conflicts of interest (Standard II; Requirement of Affiliation 14; Related Entities Policy); and (2) a legally constituted governing body that has sufficient independence and expertise, with appropriate fiduciary responsibilities, is responsible and accountable for academic quality, planning, and the fiscal well-being of the institution, provides oversight at the policy level, and is informed in all its operations by principles of good practice in board governance (Standard VII and Requirements of Affiliation 12 and 13). In addition, to request that the show cause report also provide further evidence of (1) the institution's capacity to support increased enrollment in online programs, including fiscal and human resources as well as the physical and technical infrastructure adequate to support its operations (Standard IV and Requirement of Affiliation 15), and (2) strategies to address enrollment and improve the institution's financial viability and sustainability (Standard VI and Requirement of Affiliation 11). To direct an on-site show cause visit following submission of the report. The purpose of the on-site show cause visit is to verify the information provided in the show cause report and the institution's ongoing and sustainable compliance with the Commission's standards, requirements, policies and procedures, and federal compliance requirements. To direct a prompt Commission liaison guidance visit to discuss the Commission's expectations. To note that the institution will be invited to appear before the Commission when it meets to consider the institution's show cause report. To note that the date of the next evaluation visit will be determined when accreditation is reaffirmed and early self-study will not be required at this time.