Transparent Board Meeting
Transparent Board Meeting, a part of the project Studio for Interrelated Design and Media (S.I.D.M.) by Ian Malabre was a performance critiquing MassArt's increasing allegiance to design, the privatization of education, the creative economy, and the industries of capitalism. In the projects performance Transparent Board Meeting, Montana Gulbrand, Ian Malabre, Nick Reagan, and Dylan Soulard pose as board members investing in S.I.D.M. The board members were reading the recent legislation published by the school discussing its private funding, aims for student curriculum and tuition, and the schools partnerships and entrepreneurial initiatives. Studio for Interrelated Media, the trans-disciplinary undergraduate degree the performers are enrolled it, is specifically addressed in the new legislation, proposing a new major that would better meet market demand. "In the future, careful analysis of market demand and required resources will be a central component of any new program development. A new undergraduate program focusing on inter or trans-disciplinary studies is under discussion for implementation within the next three years."
MassArt graduates are key contributors in industries from information technology to healthcare, design, architecture and manufacturing. With more than 45,000 jobs in the creative sector that contribute almost $2.1 billion annually to the Massachusetts state economy*, MassArt is an economic generator fueling the creative economy.
Capital investments such as the DMC and the future upgrade of the Galleries, which will be funded entirely from private donations, position the college to be competitive for years to come.
Expand current successful partnerships with other college and universities aimed at reducing operations costs. The current multi-school partnerships save the college over $2M annually.
Affordability: Growth in enrollment, minimal increases in student charges together with successful fundraising resulted in increased revenue for the college’s annual operating budget over the past five years. The goal is to keep fees and tuition affordable as we stabilize and incrementally increase enrollment through the enrollment plan outlined in section 4.
Collaborations: Increase collaboration with current partners including PACE, Wentworth Institute of Technology and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and explore new opportunities with partners such as the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. These current and new collaborations produce additional value by way of cost avoidance and savings initiatives.
Increase out-of-state tuition to maintain competitiveness with peer colleges and remain in line with the overall cost of education
Increase tuition for New England students, which will be 20-25% lower than out-of-state students, continuing to give MassArt a competitive pricing advantage in the region.
Potential increases in in-state tuition of up to $800 each year of the plan after a year-end evaluation of projected revenue and state appropriation.
Enrollment increases and geographic shifts in the student population, together with increased student charges in each residency category, resulted in increased revenue for the college's annual operating budget over the past five years. Modest increases in tuition and fees will continue for both Massachusetts residents and non-resident students
Private philanthropy also provides much needed financial support. Between 2009 and 2014, MassArt Foundation raised $14,475,765 in private donations. During the same period, the MassArt Foundation transferred to Massachusetts College of Art and Design $2,377,000 in unrestricted funds.
It is estimated that between 2015 and 2020, the MassArt Foundation will transfer $650,000 annually, resulting in a total transfer of $3,150,000 in private unrestricted funds to the college. At the same time, the MassArt Foundation expects to raise private funds to complete the Bakalar & Paine Galleries project,expand the Mass Art endowment and increase funds for specific projects that enhance the quality of a MassArt education. These funds are expected to exceed $8,000,000.
MassArt will continue to develop mission-related entrepreneurial activities and programs to strengthen the college’s competitive position and generate revenue for the general operations of the college.
Strengthened academic partnerships with local business and industry in areas such as design thinking and entrepreneurial initiatives. All of the graduate and certificate programs generate net revenue for the college and contribute to recognition of MassArt as a comprehensive college of art and design.
During these last five years, the college worked with two consulting groups, Noel-Levitz and Human Capital Research, to develop optimal pricing and institutional financial aid strategies to achieve the targets included in the last enrollment plan. MassArt will continue to work with Human Capital for at least one more year. Results achieved, with current models will be assessed and strategies will be adjusted to respond to current demographic realities.
The plan for the previous five year partnership agreement projected an undergraduate FTE enrollment increase from 1564 to a maximum of 1900 FTE. It focused on increasing enrollments of out-of-state and international students, while adhering to the legislative mandate that at least 60% of undergraduates be Massachusetts residents. We projected that in-state undergraduate degree enrollment would be 65% of the total by 2015, down slightly from 71% in 2004. The college predicted that the annual increase in out-of-state student would be modest at first, and accelerate in 2012, when our new residence hall could guarantee campus housing for all first and second year students.
Enrollment in the BFA program declined by 3.9% in fall of 2014 from its peak of 1772 in 2013. The loss resulted from both a smaller incoming class and a large graduating class in June 2014. Retention rates for continuing students remained strong, but a larger number of students are completing their degrees in four years. This is a positive change and the trend is expected to continue. It does, however, present challenges for the enrollment model, which was built around an average time to degree of 4.5 years or more.
A top fundraising priority is completing the effort to raise $12 million to renovate the Paine and Bakalar Galleries. To date $5.2 million has been raised in gifts and pledges with another $6.8 million needed to successfully transform the only free, publicly funded galleries in the Northeast to ensure they are safe, accessible, attractive and reflective of the world-class contemporary art exhibited by professional artists. The college and the Foundation are embarking upon a bold fundraising effort that will attract private philanthropic support.
A second fundraising priority is to fund much needed scholarships. MassArt will continue to develop mission-related entrepreneurial activities and programs to strengthen the college’s competitive position and generate revenue for the general operations of the college.
New graduate programs, such as the Master of Design in Innovation Leadership recently approved by the BHE, and additional Master level programs under development for design professionals.
In the future, careful analysis of market demand and required resources will be a central component of any new program development. A new undergraduate program focusing on inter or trans-disciplinary studies is under discussion for implementation within the next three years.
