BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Paier College in Bridgeport is appealing the state's recent decision to deny their renewal application but faces an uphill battle to remain open.
It’s shaping up to be Stone Academy 2.0; while the for-profit art and design school is on the brink of closure, students face an uncertain future.
Gianni Higham, Paier student and employee, said, "I'm embarrassed to put Paier on my resume now."
He used to feel pride telling people he went to Paier College.
“The fact that one person, Joe Bierbaum, just ripped that away from us and soiled all that and the community," Higham added. "We are not forgiving him. It’s outrageous!”
Bierbaum, Paier’s owner, also owned the now-defunct Stone Academy that suddenly shuttered in February of 2023, leaving future nurses in the cold.
In 2021, Paier moved from Hamden to Bridgeport.
“It’s insane how bad it got in three years,” Higham said.
According to obtained documents, the CT Office of Higher Education said it discovered “unclean dormitories, water leaks and staining, evidence of mold and mildew and unheated classrooms.”
The school, located within the University of Bridgeport’s campus, didn't have a nurse.
“We have no medical facility in the college. So we had to go to UB and it’s across even UB’s campus. I got denied because we’re not affiliated,” student Celia Peperato-Tomkalski said.
The CT Office of Higher Education noted that Paier “failed to meet approval standards” and did not “responsibly manage capital.”
“There was one instance where we didn’t have heat or AC at the Hamden campus and then during the Super Bowl we saw a commercial for Paier that probably cost over six figures,” Higham said.
To this day, Paier continues to solicit new students to apply on their website and has paid for AI-generated social media ads to recruit international students.
“They have been recruiting students from India through the whole year,” Peperato-Tomkalski said.
“To see them using AI to advertise overseas is a spit in the face to everybody who has ever graduated from there,” Higham added.
The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, which governs Paier College, said in a statement, “The school’s continued eligibility for accreditation is now being reviewed…An action in these regards is forthcoming.”
Paier College administrators did not immediately respond to request for comment.
In a message to students, President Jennifer Williams said, “Our intent is to immediately appeal…Paier College remains committed to its mission.”
Paier College students, like Stone Academy students before them, are working with attorneys to file a class action lawsuit.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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