Belmont University officials on Tuesday said they will absorb Watkins College of Art, which was founded in 1885 and currently has roughly 160 students enrolled.
According to a release, Watkins will begin to transition its operations to Belmont’s campus following the completion of this academic year. The cost for Watkins to move from MetroCenter and any others financial components of the deal were not disclosed in the release.
Watkins students will start classes at Belmont in August. To date, Watkins and Belmont students have been able to take select courses at both institutions.
The Watkins College of Art property at 2298 Rosa Parks Blvd. will be sold, with proceeds slated to create an endowment to support scholarships for Watkins students. The school paid $2.05 million for the 13.6-acre property in January 2002, according to Metro records.
Belmont’s Watkins plan comes a little more than a year after it took over the then-Franklin-based O’More College of Design to bolster its fine arts portfolio while adding programs in fashion and interior design. Following the closing of the transaction announced Tuesday, Belmont will house all of Watkins’ current undergraduate academic programs. Students currently majoring in fine arts, graphic design, illustration, photography and art will join Belmont’s fine arts programs in the newly created Watkins College of Art, while Watkins interior design students will join peers in the O’More College of Architecture and Design.
Watkins’ film major will merge with Belmont’s motion pictures program in the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business.
“For well over a century, Watkins has fostered the talents and honed the crafts of thousands of phenomenal artists,” Belmont President Bob Fisher said in the release. “Partnering this legacy with Belmont’s thriving creative community in the arts, music, film and design represents a natural fit and brings incredible synergy to benefit all students. This merger will enable us to accelerate and elevate art education in the Southeast and beyond.”
J. Kline, Watkins College of Art president, said the merger agreement “secures the legacy and mission of Watkins for generations to come.”
The release does not note Kline’s future role with the merged entity.
Update: The Scene has obtained a petition currently circulating among Watkins students calling for a vote of no confidence in Kline. The students cite "providing false information regarding the withdrawal period" and "a lack of transparency" as grounds for the school's board to "lead an investigation" on the Watkins president. See the entire petition below.
