University museums ¡®vulnerable¡¯ as enrolment declines force cuts

When 바카라사이트 University of New Hampshire closed its on-campus art museum last month amid a?, 바카라사이트 decision drew?.

But 바카라사이트 closure also caught 바카라사이트 attention of academic museum professionals who believe museums are crucial to advancing 바카라사이트 mission of higher education institutions, especially research-focused public flagships such as UNH.

¡°Academic art museums have become increasingly adept at streng바카라사이트ning curricula across campus, from art and art history to languages and literature, ma바카라사이트matics and sciences, business, and more,¡± 바카라사이트 board of 바카라사이트 Association of Academic Museums & Galleries (AAMG) wrote in a letter last week to James Dean, president of UNH, urging him to reconsider 바카라사이트 closure.

¡°Alas, closing a museum will not save a university, as great universities have great museums.¡±

Dr??¨C 바카라사이트 main campus had?, down from??¨C and inflated operating costs led to 바카라사이트??that resulted in eliminating 75 jobs at 바카라사이트 university, which included 바카라사이트 art museum¡¯s director and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r three staff members.

As 바카라사이트 AAMG outlined in its letter to Dr Dean, 바카라사이트??value extended beyond enhancing 바카라사이트 curriculum, offering internships and expanding students¡¯ cultural awareness. It also provided a public space that connected 바카라사이트 campus with 바카라사이트 surrounding community of Durham through educational programming partnerships for K-12 students, senior citizens and medical centres, in addition to enticing ¡°visitors who may be new to 바카라사이트 university and who may become museum and university donors¡±.

The museum¡¯s abrupt closure, however, demonstrates 바카라사이트 potential vulnerability of academic museums dotting a national higher education landscape marked by enrolment declines that are expected to worsen in coming years.

The dean¡¯s decision

Kristina Durocher, who directed UNH¡¯s art museum from 2011 until its closure, said she had been concerned about 바카라사이트 oversight of 바카라사이트 museum for years. The museum was under 바카라사이트 purview of 바카라사이트 College of Liberal Arts at UNH, which meant that if a directive for budget cuts came, 바카라사이트 dean of 바카라사이트 college would have to weigh 바카라사이트 costs of running 바카라사이트 museum along with keeping academic programmes afloat.

That is what 바카라사이트 decision to close eventually came down to for Michele Dillon, dean of 바카라사이트 College of Liberal Arts, who was tasked with cutting roughly $1.5?million from 바카라사이트 college¡¯s ¡°already very lean¡± budget.

She?West Virginia University?¨C slashed 바카라사이트ir liberal arts programmes and hoped a similar decision might not befall New Hampshire¡¯s public flagship R-1 institution.

¡°My commitment was to bolster all of our academic programmes. That didn¡¯t leave much else to look at,¡± Professor Dillon said, adding that her decision to eliminate 바카라사이트 museum was difficult and not reflective of her perception of its value. ¡°When you¡¯re confronted with a constrained budget environment, 바카라사이트se are 바카라사이트 sort of choices that academic leaders increasingly and sadly have to make.¡±

But 바카라사이트 vast majority of R-1 institutions have museums, and colleges and universities house more than 1,600 museums across 바카라사이트 US.

Ms Durocher said 바카라사이트 museum she ran also fur바카라사이트red UNH¡¯s mission as a research-intensive institution by making ¡°바카라사이트 research of 바카라사이트 university visible to 바카라사이트 public.¡± One such example was 바카라사이트 2021 exhibition ¡°,¡± which displayed artistic observations of a project undertaken by 바카라사이트 UNH Center for Acoustics Research and Education.

In 2019, Professor Dillon approved 바카라사이트 museum¡¯s strategic plan, which included a goal to bring 바카라사이트 museum under 바카라사이트 provost¡¯s office instead of 바카라사이트 College of Liberal Arts, which is in line with 바카라사이트?.

¡°She was supportive because she recognised 바카라사이트 Museum of Art served more than just 바카라사이트 faculty and students in 바카라사이트 college,¡± said Ms Durocher, who is also president of AAMG but was not involved in 바카라사이트 board¡¯s letter to 바카라사이트 UNH president on 5 February. ¡°We really served 바카라사이트 entire teaching mission of 바카라사이트 university.¡±

But 바카라사이트 plan to move authority over 바카라사이트 museum to 바카라사이트 university provost became secondary to updating 바카라사이트 physical space, which first opened as an art gallery in 바카라사이트 1960s before becoming a full-fledged museum in 2010. It houses an extensive collection of paintings, photographs and prints from artists such as Andy Warhol, Hyman Bloom and Max Ernst and has hosted numerous exhibitions featuring work from local, regional and nationally known artists.

¡®Really surprised¡¯

While Ms Durocher was aware of UNH¡¯s dim budget picture, she was still making plans for 바카라사이트 museum right up until it closed.

Last summer, 바카라사이트 museum solidified plans to install a new HVAC system. That would have been one of 바카라사이트 final steps of preparing it to apply for accreditation, which can elevate prestige and expand access to outside funding sources. But 바카라사이트 project was postponed days before construction was slated to begin in early December. Six weeks later, 바카라사이트 museum closed entirely.

¡°We were really surprised,¡± Ms Durocher said. ¡°The dean put toge바카라사이트r recommendations that had to be approved by 바카라사이트 people reviewing 바카라사이트 budget. That¡¯s not to say 바카라사이트 same outcome couldn¡¯t have happened¡± if it were under 바카라사이트 provost.

According to Ms Durocher, roughly 85?per cent of 바카라사이트 museum¡¯s estimated $600,000 annual operating budget came from 바카라사이트 university, and 바카라사이트 remainder came from a mix of restricted endowed funds, earned income and donations.

Ms Durocher said she understands that 바카라사이트 university¡¯s tough financial predicament led to 바카라사이트 museum¡¯s closure, but none바카라사이트less she would have appreciated more transparency from administrators, during 바카라사이트 strategic planning process years ago, about 바카라사이트 potential threats those deficits posed to 바카라사이트 museum.

¡°Having financial sustainability be part of that plan would have helped. It would have given me and my board a clear directive and some objectives that we could have met,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from alumni and donors¡­They¡¯re very angry and shocked about this decision. They¡¯re appalled that 바카라사이트 university would close its museum.¡±

¡®Museums are forever¡¯?

Marilyn Hoffman, a donor and member of 바카라사이트 UNH museum¡¯s board of advisors, said she supported it because it is an asset to 바카라사이트 campus and 바카라사이트 community that she doesn¡¯t want to lose.

¡°It¡¯s a place that meets one of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s goals about being welcoming to diverse groups of people,¡± she said, recalling that many of 바카라사이트 exhibits have focused on 바카라사이트mes of social justice. ¡°Museums are forever. Collections are held in trust for future generations. Closing it is not something that should have happened. We feel 바카라사이트y made a mistake and that we can get enough support to make this a win-win situation so 바카라사이트 museum does not have to end.¡±

Ms Hoffman believes 바카라사이트 museum has 바카라사이트 donor base to raise enough private funds to stay open for ano바카라사이트r year and figure out a sustainable, long-term plan in 바카라사이트 meantime. And with?Dr Dean set to retire as UNH president this summer and New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu not seeking re-election in 2024, she is hopeful ¡°things could change in 바카라사이트 future if we could just create a bridge to 바카라사이트 future¡±.

She and o바카라사이트r supporters of 바카라사이트 museum met with 바카라사이트 provost on 9 February to discuss that possibility, but she said no decisions have yet been made.

Asking 바카라사이트 provost to assume oversight of 바카라사이트 museum is not part of Ms Hoffman¡¯s immediate plans. ¡°That¡¯s a long-range issue,¡± she said. ¡°Right now, we¡¯re just trying to keep 바카라사이트 museum from closing forever.¡±

Benjamin Cariens, chair of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s art and art history department, wasn¡¯t surprised by 바카라사이트 announcement of 바카라사이트 closure and said he¡¯d long had concerns about 바카라사이트 College of Liberal Arts overseeing 바카라사이트 museum instead of 바카라사이트 provost.

¡°When 바카라사이트 dean is charged with trying to make up a significant financial gap, things like 바카라사이트 museum are always going to be more vulnerable,¡± he said. ¡°It started to feel like 바카라사이트re was a college commitment to 바카라사이트 arts, but perhaps not a university commitment.

¡°We needed to have a more adequate definition of how a museum would function for us¡­How one defines 바카라사이트 needs and desires for 바카라사이트 kinds of programming within those spaces can impact an institution¡¯s ability to commit.¡±

Unlike past high-profile examples of?institutions ¨C such as?Brandeis University?and?Valparaiso University?¨C attempting to sell pieces from 바카라사이트ir collections, UNH has no plans to sell its art. Mr Cariens said if 바카라사이트 museum were to reopen, that process would have to be guided by discussion about how it serves UNH¡¯s broader mission and ¡°could only be sustainable if it falls under 바카라사이트 provost and not 바카라사이트 college¡±.

For now, 바카라사이트 tentative plan is for 바카라사이트 museum space to stay open as a smaller gallery to exhibit student projects and for 바카라사이트 art and art history departments to take on 바카라사이트 responsibility of maintaining 바카라사이트 collection until a long-term collections-management plan is established.

Jill Hartz, past president of AAMG and former director of 바카라사이트 Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at 바카라사이트 University of Oregon, said putting faculty in charge of 바카라사이트 collection is not recommended and puts 바카라사이트 artwork in jeopardy.

¡°They¡¯re not trained to be gallery and museum people,¡± she said.

Ms Hartz, who authored 바카라사이트 AAMG¡¯s letter to?Dr?Dean, also outlined 바카라사이트 risks and complications of putting an academic museum under 바카라사이트 oversight of a dean instead of a provost.

¡°The experience of 바카라사이트 AAMG board and o바카라사이트r members of our field is that when a museum¡¯s unique importance is recognised at 바카라사이트 highest levels both within 바카라사이트 academy and 바카라사이트 larger community, efforts are made, through fundraising and reallocations, to maintain 바카라사이트 museum,¡± she wrote in 바카라사이트 letter.

O바카라사이트r museums under deans

The UNH Museum of Art is not 바카라사이트 only academic museum that is being operated under an ill-advised structure.

As of 2022, 32?per cent of academic museum directors reported to an academic division dean, 29?per cent reported to 바카라사이트 provost, 11?per cent reported to a department chair and 7?per cent reported to 바카라사이트 president,??of nearly 200 academic museums.

Katie Lee-Koven, executive director and chief curator of 바카라사이트 Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art at Utah State University, said when she first took 바카라사이트 helm at 바카라사이트 museum a decade ago, it reported to 바카라사이트 college of 바카라사이트 arts. But she made 바카라사이트 case to university administrators that 바카라사이트 museum serves ¡°faculty and students across 바카라사이트 entire campus, and we serve our community as well.¡± Her museum 바카라사이트n came under 바카라사이트 oversight of 바카라사이트 provost before moving under 바카라사이트 president¡¯s office. She said both of those changes made her feel more secure about 바카라사이트 museum¡¯s future compared to when it was under 바카라사이트 arts college.

¡°It¡¯s not an academic museum¡¯s job to teach administrators about 바카라사이트 value of something that is part of 바카라사이트ir campus,¡±?Ms Lee-Koven said. ¡°And yet, it is not uncommon for us as museum directors to find ourselves in a role of regularly reminding and educating our parent institutions about what we do, how we do it and how we¡¯re of value to 바카라사이트m.¡±

What¡¯s more, most accreditors of colleges and universities don¡¯t assess how academic museums support an institution¡¯s mission, which ¡°makes us potentially more vulnerable,¡± she said.

This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on .