Cornish College of the Arts opens under Seattle University banner

Dive Brief:

• Seattle University officially absorbed the Cornish College of the Arts, it announced Tuesday, realizing the deal the two signed earlier this year to transfer nearly all of the arts college’s assets to the university. 
• The university expects the campus — now known as Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University — to enroll between 430 and 450 students in the upcoming fall semester, according to a Tuesday announcement.
• Seattle University offered jobs to the “vast majority” of Cornish’s original full-time employees, who were all let go last month. Most accepted the offer. The announcement this week did not give specific numbers, and the university did not immediately respond to questions Wednesday.

Dive Insight:

Seattle University and Cornish’s campuses are just 1 ½ miles apart, but the two institutions are dramatically different in scope.

The private Jesuit university enrolled 7,182 students in fall 2023, according to federal data. The same semester, Cornish had 502.

Cornish’s academic offerings focused on visual and interdisciplinary arts, while Seattle University offered a wider range of programs, from engineering to accounting to film and media. But the large institution did not have a fine arts school before acquiring Cornish’s name and assets.

“This is a historic day for two legendary Seattle institutions,” Seattle University President Eduardo Peñalver said in a statement. “The combination of Cornish with Seattle University preserves the Cornish legacy for future generations and will transform arts education in Seattle, opening up exciting interdisciplinary opportunities for students and faculty on both campuses.”

Cornish will operate as the university’s arts school at its original campus. Most Cornish students are opting to continue their education under Seattle University’s banner, according to Tuesday’s announcement. In spring 2025, Cornish enrolled 437 students who were not graduating that semester. Of that cohort, about 91% decided to stay and earn their degrees from Seattle University.

Cornish’s provost and vice president of academic affairs, Brian Harlan, will become dean of the arts school under Seattle University.

Beginning this fall, the university and Cornish will begin a “faculty-led process” of integrating both campuses’ arts programming, Harlan said in a Tuesday statement.

Of 125 Cornish’s original employees, 92 have been rehired, including Harlan, a Seattle University official told The Seattle Times. The university made job offers to 36 of Cornish’s 40 full-time faculty members, and 33 accepted.

The university also intends to hire adjunct faculty and part-time and seasonal staff over the summer, it said Tuesday.