Whatever happened to the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale? | You asked, we answer

As part of “Sound Off South Florida,” we’re investigating stories that our readers have been wondering about. Sun Sentinel reader Sherry Savage submitted a question asking, “What is the status of the Fort Lauderdale Art Institute? Is it still operating? Is it still enrolling students? If not, why?”

The short answer is no.

The longer answer is a bit more complicated.

The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale had been a for-profit higher education institution that had been offering art and design degrees since the 1970s. In 2017, the Pittsburgh-based company that owned Art Institute schools across the country sold the brand to Dream Center Education, a nonprofit corporation that announced plans to convert all the schools to nonprofits. But with more and more students who attend schools like the Art Institute opting for online courses, Dream Center announced in June that it would no longer accept new students, though current students could continue to take classes.

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Along with the Fort Lauderdale location, 17 other Art Institute schools are closing. Dream Center is wrapping up layoffs, which began Sept. 11 and include 148 employees at the Fort Lauderdale location.

The school will officially close its doors on Dec. 28.

The switch to nonprofit was unsuccessful, though changes in how the federal government awards student aid had also dimmed the future of for-profit private higher education.

It’s still unknown what will happen to the location, which is on prime real estate next to the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina and across 17th Street from the Broward Convention Center and Port Everglades.

Plans are in the works to redevelop the convention center to include an 800-room Omni hotel and a large public plaza.

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