A SERIES of setbacks has hit LaSalle-SIA College for the Arts, causing some unhappiness among its students.

The leading arts school, which recently moved to its new state-of-the-art campus, has seen two failed tie-ups with prestigious international schools.

The school also confirmed that chairman of the foundation board, Mr Michael Hwang, a senior counsel, is stepping down at yearend.

These revelations come on the back of the 6 Sep announcement that the school's top three senior management - including CEO Robert Ely - resigned early this month. The other two who quit were vice-president (quality) Richard Berry and vice-president (academic) Alan Lourens.

They were leaving to pursue their 'professional interests', a spokesman said at that time.

ELEVENTH HOUR

In the latest blow, the partnership between LaSalle and the prestigious Sotheby's Institute of the Arts for programmes in art business and contemporary art had fallen through at the eleventh hour.

Similarly, a partnership with a French fashion institute, Esmod, did not work out.

The Sotheby's split happened some time early August, just a few weeks before the programme was due to start in the second week of Sep.

As for the Esmod programme, which took two years to plan, it was suddenly called off in mid-Aug. It was to lead to a joint masters degree in fashion and was to start in January.

When contacted in Paris, Esmod's international relations director Francois Lavergne said that the dean from France was due to leave for Singapore for meetings on the tie-up, when she found out - via e-mail some five hours before her flight - that the deal was off. This was around mid-August.

Mr Lavergne said he did not know why it was called off.

On the partnership breakdown with Sotheby's, a LaSalle spokesman said: 'Following a deadlock encountered during prolonged discussions on academic quality assurance and validation conditions to be met by Sotheby's in the context of its operations here, it was decided the partnership will not proceed.'

About Mr Hwang's resignation, the spokesman said that Mr Hwang had indicated to the board tphat he intends to step down at year-end to assume a post with another organisation next year: 'He had given the board ample advance notice... There are no other changes to the board of directors.'

She added that the withdrawal from the Sotheby's partnership and the recent resignations were 'entirely separate matters'.

One Masters student, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The New Paper, said: 'We are all very worried about the reputation of the institution.

'As an art student, I'm extremely disappointed that the Sotheby's partnership fell through.'

She was speaking on behalf of a group of about 20 students, who are making a list of their concerns.

Some lecturers have also expressed their unhappiness about the state of affairs in school. One part-time lecturer, who declined to be named, claimed many lecturers have not received pay increments for at least three years.

When asked, the school called his claims 'baseless', saying that an 'institution-wide pay raise' for all full-time staff members not on fixed contract was implemented last Sep. The payment rates for part-time lecturers were last reviewed and revised in 2004.