Most of this article from Boston.com I agree with.
If the local institutions were to ante up, the artist community would be better off. True. My one critique is that they obviously don't want to.
Which leaves us at:
1. how do we do this without them?
2. how do we convince them it's in their best interest?
Harvard is too conservative and way behind the times to start an art degree. They're still not sure if humanism was a good idea. Good luck convincing them that contemporary art could be a field of studies.
It sounds like a well conceived non-profit with a comfortable budget would fill some of these roles. Something like apex art should be in Boston. No question. We should be the space in the US for curatorial studies. But Bard (of all places) has become that. We have the academics and institutions, but have a blind spot for anything visual.
As for having tons of students, only in undergrad. Add up all the grad students coming out of Boston, and we don't even match up to one gradating year from Art Institute of Chicago. We just don't have that many who are working on an MFA here. AIB, SMFA, MassArt, and BU have fewer than 10 per year each.
And last, good luck convincing them to give moneys to MFA students. This is something I've been arguing should happen for years, but is a bit idealistic. There would have to be a push for professionals to set up funds for endowed chairs and other common academic roles inside the university. Until art departments are able to be good programs from the university's point of view (bringing in status members to staff, revenue positive, etc), we will always be considered a second class program. Bring in money, and guess what! The university will take care the students in the program. You can't expect the sciences/medical/literature dept/etc to let the money they bring into the university to pay for art students, which is what you are asking for.
