Recession dooms College of Visual Arts in St. Paul

College of Visual Arts‘ director of financial aid, David Woodward, explains part of the financial crisis he’s been seeing among the college’s families. It’s a crisis that has caused the college to shut down for good in June:

“The economy has tanked since 2008 and many of the families that come to CVA are either in foreclosure of their home [or] they’ve lost jobs,” Woodward said. “More and more I’m seeing families that are at their very wit’s end in terms of their finances.”

Read the full story by MPR’s Marianne Combs here.

About the blogger

Alex Friedrich

afriedrich@mpr.org

Alex Friedrich reports on higher education issues for MPR News. Among the stories he has covered: the fall of the Berlin Wall, aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, 2003 Moscow suicide bombing and 2004 presidential elections in the Republic of Georgia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s in European political economy from the London School of Economics.

SpiritualAnimal

My name is Brett and I am a graduate of CVA. I urge citizens and our elected leaders of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Minnesota to please step in and help SAVE THIS SCHOOL!

CVA does not just teach “painting” or “pottery” as some might imagine an art school does. No, the College of Visual Arts has been a wildly enriching place for artists, designers, and creators of all kinds to come together and better themselves. It turns creative dreamers into thoughtful, professional artists. Though many who have never heard of the school might not know it, the fruits of these transformations have shaped Minnesota and the world over and over again.

Because it is a small institution, I believe there must be a way found to assist them through this economic downturn. When so much public and private attention is paid to stadiums and big Minnesota colleges – how could we not find the small amount of money it would take to keep this big, beating heart of St. Paul alive – for our children – for another century? This is not just about saving one arts program, CVA is an imperative force for the future economic outlook of our state! Please write your elected officials to ask for their help!

Thank you.
Brett Engle
http://www.SpiritualAnimal.com
CVAaction

How does Mr. Woodword explain this? Twin Cities nonprofits report bountiful year – Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/print-edition/2012/11/30/nonprofits-report-bountiful-year.html
CVAaction

Please contact us at

CVAaction
cvaaction@gmail.com