Donation goes to Rose
by Hannah Kirsch
Deputy Editor
News | 3/3/09
Posted online at 6:27 AM EST on 3/3/09
A donor has provided funds to help pay the Rose Art Museum's operating budget for the remainder of this fiscal year, according to a Feb. 26 "frequently asked questions" briefing e-mail to Brandeis alumni sent by University President Jehuda Reinharz and forwarded to the Justice by several alumni.
The donor "specifically asked to remain anonymous" and requested that the exact amount of the donation be withheld as well, according to Joe Baerlein of Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications, Inc., the University's temporary public relations firm. Baerlein did say, however, that the gift is "a substantial, low-six-figure gift that is very generous."
Baerlein told the Justice, "The donation will be used to cover the University's expenditure for the overhead costs of the Rose," adding that the money will go into the University's operating budget for this fiscal year, which ends July 1. He also said the donor left the designation of his gift up to Reinharz, who suggested the idea of putting those funds toward covering the Rose's operating budget.
The donation will not affect the "future of the Rose," according to Baerlein, who said that there will be "in the near future announcements about what [the repurposing] process is going to entail."
Prof. Nancy Scott (FA), a member of the Faculty Committee to Review the Closing of the Rose, said, "If the donor wanted to allow the money to be used in that way, it is a fine thing, but I think what we need to know is what is the ultimate fate of the Rose. That's the real worry." Scott said that she heard of the donation news from an alumnus approached her at a conference, but she dismissed it as a rumor after she did not receive any official notification. "To my knowledge, no other faculty had been told about this," she said.
Reinharz also wrote in the e-mail that although the Board of Trustees vote had authorized the administration to sell works of art from the Rose collection, "Nothing will be sold into the currently depressed art market." However, the e-mail stated, "One of the revenue-raising options being considered is selling a limited number of works from the Rose's collection, if necessary." According to Baerlein, "there's an $85 million stabilization fund" that will help compensate the University's structural deficit for the next two fiscal years but that over five fiscal years, "if necessary, the administration would have the ability to sell select pieces of art."
Scott said, "I'm glad that [the administration] recognize[s] the importance of holding the art during a depressed art market."
She also said regarding the other questions addressed in the e-mail, "I feel that there is a lot about all of this that remains unanswered, so it's a matter of continuing concern."
The donor "specifically asked to remain anonymous" and requested that the exact amount of the donation be withheld as well, according to Joe Baerlein of Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications, Inc., the University's temporary public relations firm. Baerlein did say, however, that the gift is "a substantial, low-six-figure gift that is very generous."
Baerlein told the Justice, "The donation will be used to cover the University's expenditure for the overhead costs of the Rose," adding that the money will go into the University's operating budget for this fiscal year, which ends July 1. He also said the donor left the designation of his gift up to Reinharz, who suggested the idea of putting those funds toward covering the Rose's operating budget.
The donation will not affect the "future of the Rose," according to Baerlein, who said that there will be "in the near future announcements about what [the repurposing] process is going to entail."
Prof. Nancy Scott (FA), a member of the Faculty Committee to Review the Closing of the Rose, said, "If the donor wanted to allow the money to be used in that way, it is a fine thing, but I think what we need to know is what is the ultimate fate of the Rose. That's the real worry." Scott said that she heard of the donation news from an alumnus approached her at a conference, but she dismissed it as a rumor after she did not receive any official notification. "To my knowledge, no other faculty had been told about this," she said.
Reinharz also wrote in the e-mail that although the Board of Trustees vote had authorized the administration to sell works of art from the Rose collection, "Nothing will be sold into the currently depressed art market." However, the e-mail stated, "One of the revenue-raising options being considered is selling a limited number of works from the Rose's collection, if necessary." According to Baerlein, "there's an $85 million stabilization fund" that will help compensate the University's structural deficit for the next two fiscal years but that over five fiscal years, "if necessary, the administration would have the ability to sell select pieces of art."
Scott said, "I'm glad that [the administration] recognize[s] the importance of holding the art during a depressed art market."
She also said regarding the other questions addressed in the e-mail, "I feel that there is a lot about all of this that remains unanswered, so it's a matter of continuing concern."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 2
Sara Cormeny '92
posted 3/05/09 @ 11:29 AM EST
I am confused by this news report, which seems to suggest there is a deficit at the Rose Art Museum that this donor is proposing to eliminate. Yet Jonathan Lee and Michael Rush have repeatedly stated, since the beginning of this mess, that the museum is self-sufficient and that it operates in the black. (Continued…)
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