Old Lyme — A new affiliation with the University of New Haven has brought some management changes and staff reductions at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts.

A new campus dean now oversees the small arts college on Lyme Street, and there are seven fewer administrative-level positions at the college this year, the administration confirmed. Seventeen administrators and all 22 faculty members remain at Lyme Academy, which officially merged with the University of New Haven this summer.

Campus Dean Todd Jokl said some staff members had chosen to move on or retire, while others received severance packages. He said the college minimized the staff reductions but reduced some staff to avoid duplicating services that UNH provides.

Jokl said it can be a difficult landscape for small schools to compete and go it alone because smaller colleges still need to offer the same student services as larger institutions and those costs can add up, he said.

Lyme Academy had been looking for partners to put it in on stable financial footing, he said, and it would have been a tremendous loss to the students, community, faculty and staff if the college couldn't remain open.

"This merger allows the academy to return to greatness which was in jeopardy prior to," he said.

He declined to name specific positions eliminated but said staff reductions were in areas that duplicated UNH's services. For example, he said, Lyme Academy students will now use the electronic-record system in UNH's registrar's office and the university's strong financial aid office, he said.

The contract of Lyme Academy president Scott Colley, who was there in an interim period beginning in 2012 to decide the direction of the college, ended, said UNH spokeswoman Karen Grava. The university did not fill the position.

At the same time as the staff changes at the Old Lyme campus, the college is also assessing its services for students, staff and faculty and continuing education programs.

Jokl, a professor of art and design from UNH, said priorities for Lyme Academy include increasing undergraduate student enrollment and providing the best services possible for students.

The school currently has 37 first-year students, 12 sophomores, 15 juniors and 12 seniors. The college recently graduated 24 students.

Lyme Academy, which began offering student housing last year, is currently at half capacity for its residential housing, said Jokl. He projects the two units will be at full capacity, with 50 students total, next year.

The college aims to expand its continuing-education programs and is on the cusp of plans "to relaunch and re-envision what Lyme Academy can do for the whole community and the whole region," said Jokl.

The institution is also working on strengthening support for faculty and staff, such as through a grant and research office at UNH.

The school has no plans to reduce its faculty and will assess potential needs for additional faculty as the program grows, said Jokl. The administration is working with faculty to see if the college can offer additional courses for students. It is also working to offer students a summer program at the University of New Haven's campus in Tuscany, Italy.

UNH and Lyme Academy are about 35 miles apart, which allows a feeling of "semi-autonomy," but the school wants to make sure students from both Lyme Academy and the main UNH campus can access both campuses.

Jokl said it's exciting to be in a community so supportive of the arts and to work with wonderful students. He said he has received positive feedback that students are pleased with the proposed additional course selections and programs.

"Ultimately, I think what the students are most excited about is the opportunity to take advantage of increased course offerings and any of the opportunities that allow them to dive further into their studies," said Jokl.

k.drelich@theday.com

Twitter: @KimberlyDrelich