The Art Institute of Colorado will close its doors by the end of the year, putting 160 people out of work, according to a letter sent to employees and a notice filed with the Colorado Department of Labor.

Among those losing their jobs will be 13 full-time faculty, 70 part-time and adjunct faculty, 41 student workers, and several support workers and administrators, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice filed by Dream Center Education Holdings, LLC.

Dream Center acquired 31 Art Institute schools as well South University and Argosy University from Pittsburgh-based Education Management Corp. late last year in a $60 million deal.

After the acquisition, Dream Center began evaluating the viability of its various campuses, said Anne Dean, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles nonprofit.

“As a result of that examination, we have made the decision to cease new enrollments for a number of schools within The Art Institutes, Argosy University, and South University systems,” Dean said.

Eighteen of the 31 Art Institute locations are closing, as well as nine Argosys University locations, including one in Denver, according to an internal company memo obtained by the Charlotte News & Observer.

“This decision was made for a number of reasons, including significantly declining enrollment and an increase in the demand for online programs in higher education,” the memo stated.

Dean said prospective students are being directed to the company’s online offering or one of the remaining campuses and that current students should continue to attend class as scheduled.

A filing with the state indicates that the Art Institute location at 1200 Lincoln St. in Denver would have a mass layoff and plant closing on Aug. 28, with the last employee separation wrapping up by the end of the year.

But a letter sent to employees on June 29 indicates that layoffs could start on Aug. 28, with the actual closure coming by the end of the year.

The Art Institute got its start in 1921 in Pittsburgh and spread across the country, offering certificates and degrees in the applied arts, including graphic design, photography, interior design, fashion, gaming design and the culinary arts.

Argosys offers graduate and undergraduate degrees in a variety of subjects, including forensic psychology, marriage and family counseling, criminal justice and information technology.

In August 2011, the U.S. Justice Department filed suit against Education Management Corp. on allegations it violated federal law by paying admissions recruiters based on the number of students they brought in.

Education Management Corp. filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, used to liquidate companies rather than restructure them, last week. Dean said that filing is unrelated to the school closures.

The Art Institute of Colorado, along with programs in Detroit, Chicago and Schaumburg, Ill., had their accreditation removed and put under review back in January by the Chicago-based Higher Learning Commission.

According to a story earlier last month in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, students at the four schools were not informed of the loss of accreditation, even though that was something the commission required and was something that made their degrees less valuable on the job market.

An earlier version of the story listed a closing date of Aug. 28. The Art Institute of Colorado is expected to close by the end of the year.