Brandeis budget crunch

momonthehill
Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:24:54 +0000

OP: My previous post in this thread was a response to bonanza, B77 and sulsk. As I already mentioned, I’m the parent of a prospective applicant (in case the “ringer” comment was directed toward me) and in no position to reassure or convince you that your daughter should, or should not, attend Brandeis. If anything, I’m grappling with similar concerns, myself, in regards to my own daughter’s interest in Brandeis.

As you, yourself, suggested, the best course of action will be to attend the accepted students program, talk to the staff and current students and, perhaps, other accepted students and their families, and then see how you and your daughter feel about the school.

I do want to clarify my last comment, regarding the Rose museum, in my previous post. What I respectfully disagreed with, in the media coverage, was the suggestion by some that the selling of the art, or altering the status of the museum, was a violation of the school’s basic “mission”(i.e., “anti-art”). IMHO, the university’s primary “mission” is educating students and maintaining strong academic programs, as opposed to running an art museum. It’s a philosophical point and reasonable people can disagree on it. That having been said, I actually don’t think the sale of the artwork is a good idea because the decision appeared rushed and didn’t take into consideration the many possible legal (including tax) ramifications, especially for the art donors. So, to that extent, I do happen agree with your concerns about what kind of advice the trustees were and are receiving.

I share your concern regarding the upcoming increase in admittances, and the possibility of overcrowding, as a result. And I’ll be following reports from Brandeis, in both of their student publications (which certainly are not shy about challenging the school administration) and on CC, as well. You are the second poster I noticed that has raised the maintenance issue. I visited the campus last October and, to be honest, the campus and the buildings that I entered seemed to be well maintained and in good repair. However, we plan to return to campus this coming fall, and I plan to look around with a somewhat more critical eye. On the other hand, I really appreciate the strong academic tradition and I feel that the intellectual and social culture there could potentially be a wonderful fit for my daughter.

I wish you and your daughter the best. Between Bates and Brandeis it looks like she has at least a couple of great choices. I hope that the upcoming visit helps to clarify her decision. One year from now, I’ll be in your shoes and I hope that my own daughter has similarly good choices.