SINGAPORE - After opening with much fanfare in 2007, the New York University Tisch School of the Arts Asia here has hit a rough patch.
The campus at Kay Siang Road has gone through a leadership and strategic upheaval, after Pari Sara Shirazi, who started up Tisch Asia, was last November suddenly and quietly removed as president, allegedly over differences over the school's business model.
In the interim, New York University (NYU) - Tisch Asia's parent university from which it has been operationally independent of - has taken over control of the Singapore campus. Three members of NYU's provost office - Linda Mills, Nancy Morrison, and Joe Juliano - have been parachuted into top roles to review Tisch Asia's finances and operations.
NYU chief spokesman John Beckman told BT that Tisch Asia would break away from how it has been operating independently since 2007 and become part of NYU's global university network.
When asked about the Iran-born, US-educated Dr Shirazi's management change-over, Mr Beckman said: "As the university conducted its routine programme review of Tisch Asia, we determined there was some weakness in the management of the business plan, but we consider that to be a personnel-centred issue, and that has been corrected.
"Due the fact that it is personnel-related, it would be inappropriate to go into greater detail."
BT understands that Dr Shirazi, who is now in New York, was three weeks ago ordered to stop teaching at the Tisch School of the Arts (TSOA) in New York.
As for the new faces at Tisch Asia, NYU would only say that they will look at making a sustainable business model.
But that may not happen without some pain and changes.