The College of Visual Arts' board of trustees will discuss Tuesday a plan by an ad hoc group of alumni and friends to keep the troubled St. Paul art and design school open.

The school, which enrolls 170 full- and part-time students, is slated to close at the end of this semester because of falling enrollment and rising costs.

But last week the CVA Action group presented the board's executive committee a multipronged proposal to rescue the school, and asked trustees to expand the board to as many as 15 members to weigh its plan.

During the board meeting, more than 100 students, professors, alumni and friends gathered on the front lawn of the college's Summit Building to show their support for the plan.

The plan, which promises to balance the school's budget in three years, involves streamlining classes, reducing property holdings and using professional fundraisers to establish an endowment fund.

Kevin Duchschere

@KDuchschere