Brooks Institute has been sold to a Massachusetts-based company that specializes in finding homes for international students studying abroad in the United States.
Officials at the visual arts college founded in Santa Barbara hope the sale to Gphomestay will broaden the school’s global and domestic footprint as Brooks prepares to celebrate its 70th anniversary this year.
Also by later this year, Brooks plans to have relocated all Santa Barbara students and equipment to one large campus in Ventura at 5301 N. Ventura Ave. — a process that began in 2013.
The institute, founded locally by Ernest Brooks in 1945 as the Brooks Institute of Photography, grew to fill several Santa Barbara sites before the Brooks family sold it in 1999 to Career Education Corp., the company handing it over to Gphomestay.
The sale closed earlier this week.
“We’re really excited about the change,” Brooks interim president Toni Johnson told Noozhawk. “It gives us an opportunity to really expand our offerings. Because things have changed, that could definitely present some other opportunities for us. We welcome Gphomestay to the Southern California area.”
She said students shouldn’t expect to see any immediate changes due to the sale.
Johnson, who was director of academic affairs, stepped into the interim role earlier this year after Tim Gramling left, logging less than a year on the job. He had taken over for a retiring Susan Kirkman in 2014.
Gphomestay, which provides international education opportunities for students, plans to announce Brooks’ new permanent president and provost on July 1.
Brooks is the company’s first campus acquisition.
“Brooks Institute is one of the premier communications arts schools, and we are pleased to assume ownership, working with its great faculty to enhance career opportunities for students in these fields,” Gphomestay president and founder Christine Lin said in a statement. “The new media and communications arts landscape is dramatically changing and we want to work with the talented faculty and staff of Brooks Institute to further enhance the learning environmental for students passionate about these fields.
“Gphomestay is dedicated to providing a quality international education for students to properly prepare them for our increasingly global society. Gphomestay will continue its student-centric approach to ensure Brooks’ students receive the highest quality educational experience and develop the skills needed to thrive in today’s complex and changing media industry.”
Brooks Institute has just one remaining Santa Barbara campus for students pursuing careers in the visual, new media and community arts at 27 E. Cota St.
Johnson said that location should empty out later this year when the rest of the students who began their college careers in Santa Barbara graduate — a condition of the move.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.