<p>I think it's good they are taking action to stay afloat but it's sad. </p>
<p>My S loves Brandeis but would need merit aid to go. While he's got the scores, etc., I think we'd be foolish to count on money from them in the coming years. Anyone disagree?</p>
<p>Brandeis University selling art collection to get though tough economy
Posted: 09:56 PM ET
From Gary Bender
CNN</p>
<p>(CNN) Tough economic times are taking a toll across the spectrum of business and individual activity and the countrys institutions of higher learning are no exception.</p>
<p>Brandeis University, in Waltham, Massachusetts, will be taking an extraordinary step to preserve its educational mission the schools board of trustees voted Monday to close its acclaimed Rose Art Museum.</p>
<p>The university will sell every one of the approximately 6,000 items in the museum, opened in 1961.</p>
<p>This is, indeed, sad news. Brandeis has a great art department and the Rose Art Museum is a valuable component of a liberal arts education. Even if 'foot traffic' is low, the students will suffer from not having access to such a great collection.</p>
<p>This news makes me worry about what they will cut next. My D was accepted ED and is headed to Brandeis next fall.</p>
<p>midwesterner - the last I read, the Shapiro foundation said that, in spite of Madoff, they would honor all their pledges to Brandeis. Have you seen anything more recent?</p>
<p>Re the earlier post that "A large chunk of this is due to Bernie Madoff and the way he ruined the Shapiro foundation. He's a disgrace to his people."</p>
<p>No, he is a disgrace to himself. I do not think it is at all appropriate to talk about any member of an ethnic or religious group as a disgrace to the group of which he is by accident of birth a member.</p>
<p>Really disturbing news about Brandeis though, and I hope it's able to stabilize its situation without further damage to facilities and educational quality.</p>
<p>mattmom,
Thanks for weighing in on that comment before I had the opportunity! "His people." Madoff's actions were a disgrace. Period. Carl Shapiro has stated emphatically that he will fulfill all his pledges to Brandeis.</p>
<p>And here's more on Brandeis from the Boston Globe:
[quote]
Brandeis is also discussing a range of sweeping proposals to bridge a budget deficit that could be as high as $10 million, such as reducing the size of the faculty by 10 percent, increasing undergraduate enrollment by 12 percent to boost tuition revenue, and overhauling the undergraduate curriculum by eliminating individual academic programs in favor of larger, interdisciplinary divisions.</p>
<p>Other plans under consideration include requiring students to take one summer semester, allowing the university to expand its student body without overcrowding, and adding a business program. The changes would take place, at the earliest, in 2010.
<p>It is very sad, and the museum had a definite place in Brandeis' educational mission, but don't forget its proximity to Boston. Students will still have access to the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Gardner Museum, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks mattmom for I too was put off by the "his people" reference. Like the Haggard's, bin Ladden's and Madoff's of the world, one person does not represent and entire group of people.</p>
<p>However it is pathetic that he seemed focus his socio-pathic efforts on a convenient target, his own social circle. And the victim is not Brandeis which will loose its art museum and collection. I do not know it this was the case here, but at Oberlin, art was available on loan for current students.</p>
<p>hmmm...interesting. We are planning a college visit to Brandeis - wondering if we should even bother. My niece attended several years ago and got a wonderful education - with all the proposed changes they are planning and the high ticket tuition I am wondering if it's worth it.</p>
<p>A mother here in our district whose son attends said that Brandeis is quite generous with merit aid, and recommended the school for just that reason.
That was pre-Madoff, but still might be worth a try.</p>
<p>jsmom- I wouldn't take Brandeis off your list yet. First, I'm sure this decision was made, in part, to protect the university's commitment to financial aid. And second, I think we will see similar news from many colleges and universities in the coming months. When your endowment funds a certain percentage of your operating budget, and your endowment falls by 25-30%, you HAVE to make significant budget cuts. This may have been the lesser of many evils.</p>
<p>Reading the Brandeis president's letter to the community, it is not so much the Madoff impact on the Shapiros that is worrisome; it is that many other major donors to the university lost money with Madoff, so Brandeis is expecting donations to fall in general.</p>
<p>I agree with PRJ. In fact my son is applying as a transfer student and I endorse that move 100%. I am a grad myself but my first priority is what is in the best interest of my children. I am seeing similar reports about other educational institutions. One with a huge endowment is looking at reducing athletic programs for example. Brandeis is a young institution and has accomplished much in a short period of time.</p>
<p>I just can't wrap my head around the idea that this is the way to go.</p>
<p>Organizations and individuals fund- theater groups & get seats with a little plaque, I'm sure we have all seen them. I have been doing restoration work on large plots of land, that the elderly ( and not so elderly) owners can't afford to pay tax on anymore, so they bequeath their property to the city/county, as a park after their death, and are able to stay there, instead of it being split up for development.
Schools even sell space on buses and on their televisions for advertising that they use to fund materials.</p>
<p>My community college has an art gallery- with rotating works as well as some permanent pieces, how can Brandeis say that this is critical to preserving their mission? Isn't eliminating the " art" in a liberal arts college like taking the liberals out of higher ed?</p>