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Brooks Institute To Close After 70 Years Share This on LinkedIn   Share This on Google   Tweet This   Forward This

15 August 2016

In a letter to students last Friday, Brooks Institute Transition Officer Kisten Howard announced "the difficult decision has been made to close Brooks Institute." Brooks Institute has been educating photographers for 70 years and was about to welcome 150 new students for the fall semester.

According to a report in the VCReporter, the announcement followed a change in leadership earlier in the week when President Edward Clift's contract was terminated and most of the board of trustees resigned.

Christine Lin, who terminated Clift's contract, is interim president. She purchased the Institute in June 2015.

According to the letter to students, Brooks will close completely on Oct. 31.

For more information see the text of the letter to students below.

Dear Student:

After considerable discussion and deliberation, the difficult decision has been made to close Brooks Institute. The purpose of this letter is to provide you with additional information and clarity regarding the anticipated timing and nature of this transition. Please note that all plans relating to the closure of Brooks are subject to review and approval from the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools and other regulators.

  1. First and importantly, we want to express to you our gratitude for the opportunity to know and to educate each and every one of you. Truly, it has been our privilege. Unfortunately and to our deep regret, changes in economic and regulatory conditions in recent years have had a significant, prolonged, negative impact on the institution. We have attempted to mitigate this impact through contraction, strategic planning and innovation, but with only limited success. Because we do not expect the adverse conditions to change in the foreseeable future, our only remaining, responsible course of action is to proceed to closure.
  2. Brooks will cease enrolling new students immediately and will not resume teaching classes this fall. It is our expectation that the campus will close completely, effective Oct. 31. Any funds already received to pay for the fall term will be returned in full.
  3. Though we will not resume classes this fall, we will continue to offer administrative and student services support through Oct. 31. We also will assist students with transitional matters during this period.
  4. We are working to identify other schools that may be able to take current students on transfer or to assist with a teach-out, so that those who have not graduated as of Brooks' closure will have the opportunity to complete their program or one similar to it. We will provide additional details regarding any transfer or teach-out opportunities as soon as such details become available.
  5. Students are not required to participate in any transfer or teach-out opportunity that is arranged. Students may choose to withdraw at any time between now and the closure, consistent with the terms of their Enrollment Agreement.
  6. We are making arrangements for all student records to be housed for permanent storage. As we near the closure date, we will provide students with information regarding where records will be stored and how they should make records requests (e.g., request for transcript).

In the coming days we will provide additional information and updates relating to the closure of Brooks Institute and to your rights and options as a student.

In the interim, if you have any questions regarding this letter or the closure process, please do not hesitate to contact the Transition Office via email at transition@brooks.edu or by phone at +1 805 585 8010. I am a representative on behalf of the Board of Managers and will be serving as the on-site Transition Officer throughout the closure process. During this period, I will be working closely with Provost Johnson, regulators and other parties to facilitate the transition to closure. Chief among my responsibilities will be ensuring that you remain informed.

Sincerely,

Kristen Howard
Transition Officer


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