🫥 Greater Philly's disappearing small colleges

🏥 Addiction Treatment Center Planned for Northeast Philly

Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration is reportedly planning to build a facility next to the city’s jail complex on State Road called the “Riverview Wellness Village.” The facility would house 600+ people experiencing addiction, cost over $100 million to build, and offer counseling, job training, addiction treatment, and other services. [Inquirer 🔒]

📵 Shapiro Signs Distracted Driving Bill

Yesterday, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed “Paul Miller’s Law,” which prohibits the use of “interactive mobile devices” while driving, except in emergency situations and for navigation. Violating the new law can earn you a $50 fine. [City & State PA]

🎨 UArts Updates

University of the Arts students protested in Center City for the third day yesterday. [NBC10]

• Meanwhile, nine former faculty members and administrators have filed a class-action lawsuit against the university, alleging that the university violated a federal law by failing to give adequate notice about layoffs. [Inquirer 🔒]
• The university’s board has hired the consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal to handle the school’s closure. [CBS3]
• Hear more about why the school is closing. [City Cast Philly 🎧]

Tomorrow will be the last official day of operation for the University of the Arts — just a week after it was announced that the school would be closing for good.

While the way everything went down was abnormal and shocking, UArts’ closure is far from the first shift in the Philadelphia area’s education landscape over the past few years. Mergers, acquisitions, and closures have been trending recently both in Philly and nationwide, and they continue to alter our region’s higher ed scene.

Many of these moves have been prompted by financial and enrollment struggles, while a desire for expanded academic offerings has been the stated reason for others. To help you keep track, here’s a timeline of how things have changed ⬇️

2017: Philadelphia University Merges With Jefferson

Following a preliminary agreement in 2015, Thomas Jefferson University, the Center City-based institution known for its health care programs, officially combined forces in 2017 with Philadelphia University — a small, private college in East Falls known for its health sciences, fashion, and engineering programs — to create a single 7,500-student institution with two main campuses.

That year, both Philly campuses became known as Jefferson University, and the university started fielding NCAA sports teams.

2019: Rowan College of South Jersey is Formed

Two community colleges in South Jersey located 27 miles apart from each other — Rowan College at Gloucester County and Cumberland County College — became one entity with two campuses and approximately 10,000 students, called Rowan College of South Jersey.

2022: USciences Merges with St. Joe’s

The University of the Sciences in West Philly, which had been experiencing financial difficulties, worked out an agreement to merge with St. Joseph’s University, a Catholic school in Northwest Philly.

The merger generated some big concerns from USciences students, multiple outlets reported, especially after it came to light that the college’s health center would no longer offer birth control services. St. Joe’s started exploring the sale of the former USciences campus shortly after the merger, and it was still on the market as of early 2024. Last year, the school dropped four doctoral programs it acquired from USciences, per the Philadelphia Inquirer.

2023: Hussain College Closes Suddenly

Due to financial issues, Hussain College — a for-profit college system with a Philly campus at 15th and Spring Garden — abruptly laid off its staff and shuttered all its locations. According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, the Philly campus enrolled 80 students and employed 23 people.

2023-Present:

Find the rest of the timeline on our website.

The Future of Philly’s Eviction Diversion Program

Created during the pandemic to keep tenants in their homes, Philadelphia’s nationally recognized Eviction Diversion Program is set to expire soon. City Council, however, has taken a huge step toward making it permanent. City Cast Philly podcast host Trenae Nuri speaks with Aaron Moselle, housing reporter at WHYY’s PlanPhilly, about the likelihood that Mayor Cherelle Parker will sign the bill.