CCAC to open its doors to former Art Institute students

Students left in the cold by the sudden shuttering of the storied Art Institute of Pittsburgh last week may be able to transfer to the Community College of Allegheny County.

CCAC officials said they will hold two informational sessions for former Art Institute students at the CCAC Allegheny Campus from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 14, on the first floor of Jones Hall, 808 Ridge Ave., on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Both sessions will include free meals provided by CCAC’s culinary arts department.

Admissions staff and academic advisers will be on hand to discuss how former Art Institute students may seamlessly transfer to CCAC. Free parking will be available in the parking lot at the corner of Ridge and Brighton avenues. Additional information is available at the Allegheny Campus Advising office at 412-237-4622

CCAC officials said the Community College offers a variety of programs that correspond with those previously offered at the Art Institute.

A fixture in Pittsburgh higher education since 1921, the Art Institute closed Friday after a deal to sell the bankrupt school fell through. That left about 230 students who attended classes at the school and another 1,924 who were enrolled in online courses with an uncertain future.

Dream Center Education Holdings, the most recent owner of the financially trouble school, went into receivership in January. It had previously notified the state Department of Education it would close the Art Institute by March 31