Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : CalArts Gets $21.1 Million for Repairs : Quake: The Federal Emergency Management Agency check means survival, officials say. All classes have been held off campus since the temblor.

CalArts officials accepted a $21.1-million check from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday, saying it means the financial survival of the highly renowned arts college.

The 60-acre campus was rocked by the Northridge earthquake as it began the first week of its spring semester. Classes resumed two weeks later--in 16 locations improvised as satellite classrooms.

“We know of no other educational institution that has had to quickly and completely operate off campus,” CalArts trustee Lawrence Ramer said during the check presentation ceremony. “If it hadn’t been for the FEMA support, CalArts would not exist today.”

FEMA Director James Lee Witt and Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Thursday toured CalArts’ main building, the 500,000-square-foot structure that includes art galleries, music studios, rehearsal rooms, theaters, administrative offices and more.

The campus will mark its 25th year when classes begin Sept. 12, but the school might not have seen that anniversary if FEMA had not come through with the funding so quickly, Ramer said.

“It is the finest example of the community, government and corporate world working together,” Ramer said. “The very financial survival of CalArts was at issue.”

The private college suffered an estimated $20 million in damage from the Jan. 17 earthquake, not including the cost to relocate classes. It has qualified for nearly $25 million in earthquake recovery funds altogether, with 90% paid by FEMA and the remainder provided by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, according to FEMA spokesman Russ Edmonston.

Witt said FEMA has simply carried through on President Clinton’s promise that it would assist with earthquake recovery efforts for as long as necessary.

“We will be here until it is finished,” Witt said.

New student orientation for the fall semester is scheduled Tuesday on the campus.