The Pratt Institute and Munson will not renew the 25-year academic Pratt Munson College of Art & Design www.prattmunson.edu partnership that expires in June of 2028.
In a joint statement, posted to both Pratt Institute and Pratt Munson websites in late July, the organizations confirmed the decision was a mutual one that recognized "a period of significant transformation in higher education" and would empower the campus communities respectively to adapt and evolve "to meet the new needs and demands of students entering a rapidly changing world."
"It has been a privilege to shape the education of thousands of young artists over these 25 years," said Munson President Anna Tobin D'Ambrosio in the statement. "The unique connection between our two institutions has produced talented individuals and enlivened and enriched the Munson campus ... Munson is a richer institution for having had our Pratt Munson students here."
At the turn of the 21st century, now a quarter-century ago, Munson-Williams-Proctor in Utica and the Pratt Institute in Manhattan created a collaboration that forged a unique path to students seeking a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. An average of 100 students in an incoming class would complete the first two years of that degree on the Munson Pratt campus in Utica, before transitioning to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn for two subsequent years to complete their B.F.A.
"The Pratt Munson Alternative," according to the institution's website, provided a path toward a Pratt degree addressing unique needs of a diverse cohort of students, including students from upstate who may prefer being closer to home during their first years.
"For more than a quarter century, Pratt Institute's partnership with Munson has created a powerful pathway for emerging artists and designers," said Pratt President Frances Bronet in the statement. "Together, we fostered a dynamic environment where students, faculty, and staff thrived, expanded creative boundaries, and prepared graduates to succeed in an ever-evolving landscape."
Students poised to complete their second year on the Utica campus, as well as the incoming class in Fall 2026 will not be impacted by the expiring of the Munson Pratt partnership.
The program does plan to welcome an incoming class to Utica in Fall 2027, where those students will only complete one year of their B.F.A. program on the Pratt Munson campus before moving on to the Pratt Institute for the final three academic years. Applications for students considering matriculating to Pratt Munson in Fall 2027 are now live and available via the program website.
"Throughout the two-year transition, Munson and Pratt are both committed to providing clear information, guidance, and support to everyone affected," ensured the two institutions in their statement, "especially our students."
While Pratt Institute expressed a commitment to the ongoing support of "all students and creative disciplines across New York State and beyond," they expressed a "focus" on downstate programs in Brooklyn, as well as Manhattan.
Munson confirmed plans to fashion "an innovative program that advances the creative economy in Central New York through art and design higher education."
The organization looks to fully exploit and engage the campus currently home to Pratt Munson and its students.
Munson promised in the joint statement that news and further Information regarding developments for future use of the campus and its resources will be shared as the process moves forward.
Tobin D'Ambrosio in her remarks in the joint statement acknowledge the institution's faculty and staff for building the Pratt Munson experience, with "their work is the reason it succeeded."
"As this partnership concludes," Tobin D'Ambrosio's statement concluded, "we carry that work forward and build on its success as we adapt to this new era of higher education."
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Pratt, Munson won't renew partnership in Utica campus, expiring June 2028