Photography, for years the school’s premier program, was one of the hardest hit. Some students have said they are disappointed in the changes.
“The photo department morale is down,” said Nicole Rattini, a Cleveland native who relocated to attend the school. “We are paying some big bucks for our education and we signed on knowing those teachers would be our teachers.”
Ron Iori, a spokesman for Kaplan University, which has 31,000 employees and more than 600 locations, said the move was “meant to be a forward looking decision.”
In November, the institute moved to a high-profile building along Interstate 75 and was rebranded under the Kaplan name. At the time, school officials said growth of enrollment was a driving factor in the move.
“The school is still a vibrant school and it is still growing, just not at the rate we anticipated,” Iori said.
The Dayton branch is the only Kaplan school that offers photography. The school typically concentrates on business, criminal justice and computer related study areas, according to its websites.
Still, Iori said, “the photo program at the Datyon campus is and will be a significant program at that school. It has over 100 students and continues to be a high priority.”
Iori wouldn’t discuss if other Kaplan schools in the chain had also experienced recent layoffs.
“What might or might not have happened elsewhere is not as important to what on the Dayton campus,” he said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2342 or cmagan@Dayton DailyNews.com.
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