College of Fine ArtsVision Book

2016

–20

21

I. CFA Task Force

II. CFA Identity

III. CFA Core Values

IV. CFA Vision

V. CFA Mission

VI. Responses to Provost’s Questions

VI. Strategic Objectives

VII. Timeline

Lynne Allen, Dean ad interim

CFA Task Force

Marié AbeJohn Amend Alyssa Baker Judy BrahaDana ClancyKristen CooganRichard CornellMcCaela DonovanKirsten GreenidgeJen GuilleminLaurel HomerMichael KayeShiela KibbeBill LumpkinPatricia MitroJim PetosaRebekah PiersonShaun Ramsey Michael ReynoldsNick RockJon SavageStephanie TrodelloJohn Wallace Logen Zimmerman

Working with the CFA Task Force this past year has been a remarkable experience—one that has shown me the power of our community, and what thoughtful and meaningful collaboration can do to foster change. This document, perhaps for the first time in the College of Fine Arts history, presents a shared voice for a hopeful future. We have created a plan that comes from a significant look at the College, with the view to improving the student experience. Putting our students first, and being mindful of the world they will enter, has been at the forefront of our thinking. This discourse has shown us the value of our own ideals. It has reinforced and reminded us of our beliefs, and by voicing our aspirations we have opened the door to making this vision become real. We are committed to a breakthrough and believe our efforts will not only strengthen the College but contribute to catalyzing a University that truly leverages the arts as a foundation for creating a next generation learning community.

I. CFA Task Force

This report presents the findings and deliberations of the College of Fine Arts Task Force in defining the vision for the College, as well as answering key questions about the College’s importance within Boston University and its organization. This is perhaps one of the College of Fine Arts’ most in-depth attempts to-date to define itself, its programs, and its future. This year-long project has been both introspective and inspirational, and is only the beginning of what will be a five-year project to initiate, implement, and broaden the importance of the arts within, as well as outside, our community.

This process had two main objectives: 1. create a vision statement for the College,

the first attempt in its 62-year history.

2. answer succinctly and comprehensively the three questions posed by the Provost, and in doing so, present our strategic plan to initiate and implement our findings.

II. CFA Identity

III. CFA Core Values

IV. CFA Vision

V. CFA Mission

We are the verb: the players, makers, thinkers, performers, and doers.

We make experience primary.

We are the stewards of the human story.

College of Fine Arts Identity

College of Fine Arts Core Values

Making We value learning through making. It is a process of testing and experimentation. It is an experience of empowerment. It requires full attention and heightened sensibilities. Making is a process of research and discovery.

Inquiring We value radical imagination, insatiable curiosity, and a willingness to push the boundaries by asking more difficult questions. Inquiring is a way to lead the conversations shaping the 21st century.

EngagingWe value opportunities that tap into what’s bigger than the self, to be part of complex broader systems that are teeming with life. Our purpose is not only to engage within CFA, but to influence and touch those within the BU community and beyond. Our work is contextual. Engaging is our way of impacting the world we find ourselves in.

Making Inquiring

Engaging

Making Inquiring

Engaging

Making Inquiring

Engaging

CREATIVERESEARCH

The overlapping space at the center of these values is what CFA terms “creative research.”

By placing Creative Research, this process of “looking again,” at the center of our values, we are staking claim to our unique breed of research within the context of the broader University. We are not compromising or diluting our commitment to music, theatre, or art, but raising the standard of excellence of what a creative artist should be in the 21st century and articulating the intent of the College. The qualifying descriptor indicates that the type of research you’ll engage with here is different.

Making Inquiring

Engaging

CREATIVERESEARCH

Through creative research, we are leading the next generation of artists to become stewards of the human story.

College of Fine Arts Vision

Create Art. Shift Perspective. Think Broadly. To prepare students for a meaningful creative life by developing their intellectual capacity to create art, shift perspective, think broadly, and master skills relevant to the 21st century.

College of Fine Arts Mission

VI. Responses to Provost’s Questions

NOT ONLY ARE THE ARTS ESSENTIAL TO THE

HUMAN EXPERIENCE, BUT CREATIVITY IS

ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL TO ADDRESSING 21ST

CENTURY CHALLENGES. WE WILL POSITION

CFA WITHIN THE BROADER UNIVERSITY AS

THE EPICENTER FOR EXPERIENCING THE

ARTS, AS WELL AS DEVELOPING CREATIVE

SKILLS AND THINKING.

Our purpose is not only to produce excellent students within CFA, and to explore our commitment to Creative Research, but to drive the model for art’s role as a central and essential discipline within a major research university. That is why we’ll be strengthening the impact CFA has on the University and

What should be the position of the College of Fine Arts within the context of Boston University—a tuition-dependent, private, research University—and how do we clearly articulate that position?

#1

beyond by opening our curriculum up for more people to be able to access, as well as building on and establishing new partnerships across sectors, and our greater Boston community. This will not only impact the greater community but enhance the student experience and by defining and building a strong CFA culture, unite the three schools as one—establishing a renowned faculty base, strengthening our story and through doing so establish CFA as a thought leader in the value of the arts in higher education.

The strategic initiatives that will enable CFA to establish this positioning within the greater University and community are to: Enhance the Student Experience

Define and build CFA’s Culture

Strengthen Impact at BU and beyond

WE ARE EMBRACING THE OPPORTUNITY

TO ARCHITECT THE CHANGE WE WANT

TO SEE AT CFA, THIS WILL REQUIRE A

RESTRUCTURING OF THE ORGANIZATION

IN WAYS THAT WILL TURN CFA INTO AN

INTERNATIONALLY CELEBRATED CREATIVE

EDUCATION MODEL.

In order for us to be more aligned with the greater University, we are already demonstrating a commitment to re-organizing the school to foster engagement across disciplines. This will require the implementation of program innovations including re-designing the curricular models as well as introducing completely new

What is the optimum organizational structure for the College of Fine Arts that will best allow each of the Schools within CFA to rise in quality and reputation?

#2

programs. This will also require increasing our operational excellence to function like a well oiled machine. We will do so by addressing scheduling, administrative structures, and physical spaces.

The strategic initiatives that will create the optimal organizational structure are: Foster Radical Engagement Across Disciplines

Implement Program Innovations Increase Operational Excellence

THE NATION IS EMBROILED IN A DEBATE

AROUND THE COST OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

IN RESPONSE, WE’RE CREATIVELY PROBLEM

SOLVING FINANCIAL RESOURCE CONCERNS

AT CFA.

We’re aware of the cost of individualized instruction and small classes, and understand the need to stay within current resources. We will do so through practicing fiscal responsibility. We’ll foster financial growth by creating new revenue streams and balancing financial aid needs, all while maintaining our high standards of excellence.

The strategic initiatives addressing finances:

Fiscal Responsibility

Financial Growth

Given the very real constraints on financial resources, how can we address these issues within our existing financial means?

#3

VI. Strategic ObjectivesVII. Timeline

Six Key Strategic Initiatives

The eight strategic initiatives that address these questions, that will be explored further in the following sections, and each have a 5-year timeline, include:

CFA’s Unique ValueEnhance the Student ExperienceDefine + Build CFA’s CultureStrengthen Impact at BU + Beyond

Organizational Re-structuringFoster Radical Engagement Across DisciplinesImplement Program InnovationsIncrease Operational Excellence

Financial Resources Fiscal ResponsibilityFinancial Growth

2016–2017 2017–2018

dedicate resources

Allocate resources and faculty support for double degree students, including providing options for course flexibility

Design a unified arts course for all CFA freshmen

Strengthen and enhance CFA’s relationship with the BU Arts Initiative to maximize outreach and participation

Assess current community-based programs including: Project Step, BYSO intensive community, String Project, Professional Theatre Initiative, Prison Education program, Arts|Lab@Boston Medical Center, Roxbury Prep, Theatre Academic Outreach Program, and the Kopanang South African Partnership

partnerships

Participate in a full branding exercise

Tell our story by refining the website content, updating to match the vision, and strategic plan

Create PR strategies centered on key messages and measured goals

tell our brand’s story

CFA’s Unique Value

ENHANCE the student experience

DEFINE + BUILD CFA’s culture

CREATE IMPACT at BU + beyond

Re-imagine student advising; improve student support and retention

Implement a program for international student support

Explore new partnerships within the community for internships and professional experiences

Assess deeper connections with the bigger BU

Create an Art Education in the Community program in areas that need it most, those with minority or immigrant populations

Evaluate all minors and “courses for the BU community”

Develop new minors, including those that touch on art, science, and healthcare/wellness

Create an inventory of current classes, activities, and initiatives offered by CFA to serve Boston University and the greater community, including minor classes and electives

courses

Use Dean’s initiative of Seed Grant Funding to develop courses for the BU community that meet Gen Ed requirements

Arts and social engagement through the curriculum: create an activity-based curriculum class that offers credits for arts participation in the community

Build on the success of our online programs

Workshops for the community that open our doors and provide experiential learning opportunities

Align outreach and curricular efforts with strategic goals. For programs/courses/efforts that further the College’s vision, provide sustainable funding/staffing to ensure continued success

Align all three Schools’ strategic plans to mesh with the CFA strategic plan, working to build the College as one cohesive unit

build cohesive community

Create environment of respect, diverse voices, and fearless pursuit: an environment that exemplifies the shared values of the College

Increase faculty and staff participation in community-building

Place students and their experience at the center of CFA

2018–2019

assess alumni engagement and expand bridges

establish CFA as a thought leader on creative research

2019–2020 2020–2021

Evaluate programs and assess opportunities to engage new audiences, utilize new venues, attract more participation, and deepen the impact of the arts, working with partners within BU, Boston Creates, and the Mayor’s office

Create new CFA courses to fulfill the General Education requirements focusing on the broader BU population, to make art accessible in varied ways, and to deliver experiences that enrich lives

Search for diversity on the faculty by advertising broadly, reaching out to colleagues, and searching for individuals who meet the criteria of excellence and pursuing them

engage faculty

Expand mentoring program within CFA to prepare all new hires and those in the pipeline for successful promotions

Continue expedient promotion timeline of faculty from Assistant to Associate Professor, and Associate Professor to Professor within all three Schools

CFA > BU > Boston > New England > USA > International

adopt a broad scope

2016–2017 2017–2018

create collaborative programs/majors between CFA and COM

Create DesignScience Lab, a course/program of study that focuses on data analytics, and designing for science content; working within the BU and MIT scientific community will create a class of designers who are sought after by scientific researchers worldwide

Earmark outreach endeavors, which meet our goals for bridging the arts and sciences through collaborative efforts with BU, MIT, ICA, MFA

Pursue the incorporation of the BA in Music into the College and School of Music

Continue to explore ways in which the FA (“Fine Arts”) course prefix can encompass a variety of yet-to-be-developed courses for cross-disciplinary experience within CFA and within BU

Organizational Restructuring

FOSTER RADICAL ENGAGEMENT

across disciplinesCreate CFA-wide undergraduate elective course(s) for design and promotion of collaborative artistry

Create a 4-year BFA with 1 year MS in Public Health geared toward the arts

Develop an Integrated Arts, Healthcare + Wellness minor centered on the impact of art and design in a healthcare setting, collaborating with School of Public Heath and Sociology

IMPLEMENT program innovations Align credit structure to adhere to new BU

Credit Policies

Engage college-wide in a purposeful dialogue on best practices

Evaluate all CFA degree programs with the goal of improving the excellence within each school and throughout the college

review curriculum

Evaluate the 65 academic programs, certificates, and minors already in place for relevance, with the goal of improving for excellence

Review those under-performing programs and majors, with attention to low enrollments and relevancy

Assess current courses and programs and evaluate how they align with our strategic goals.

Address scheduling

Examine current organization of three schools plus Dean’s office to consider grouping of some services by college-wide function

identify opportunitiesINCREASE

operational excellence Create a mini-task force to look at all administrative functions and structure

Consider possibilities and limitations of physical space and facility design with regard to support offices; combining offices; centralizing advising/student services office, scheduling office, budget and finance office

Re-imagine current teaching facilities as potential collaborative spaces for cross-disciplinary teaching

2018–2019

enhance curriculum

2019–2020 2020–2021

Bringing together current initiatives (i.e. Arts Administration certificate, Arts Leadership Minor, career events, internships, community service, alumni involvement, mentoring) to broaden professional scope and future plans

create Future Studios

Developing new opportunities (CFA-wide course focused on professional skills, seminars/workshops with Questrom, COM, ENG, CAS, and STE(A)M Collaboration)

Increasing a professional “toolbox” of “real-world” skills with a focus on career, communication, collaboration, and impact

2016–2017 2017–2018

internal

Evaluate fiscal efficiency within the Schools

Work with admissions/financial aid for maximum yield strategies

Emphasize study abroad

Continue to encourage all students to take part in a study abroad program

Strengthen the LA Theatre program for juniors

Create a series of Professional Development Graphic Design courses online (2 credits, 4 credits) to run during the year. Allow non-matriculated professionals to take them for professional development in order to brush up web design/motion graphics for 7 weeks

Create a new Online Degree Program in Theatre: MA in Dramaturgy, MA in Theatre Education (with a focus on non-profits and communities). Summer Residency (i.e. like Summer Studios) in the new Theatre Space

Financial Resources

financial GROWTH

Prioritize resources to those programs which have the most potential for growth and excellence, and realigning resources from those that do not

Choose 2-3 elective courses that are online in Art and Music Education to offer to non-matriculated students through the Summer Term Office. Negotiate to share revenue 60/40 or 50/50. Non-matriculated students could be in same course as matriculated students, but in a different section. If non-matriculated students apply and enroll to degree programs, credits can count towards degree, which will be a good tool for prospective students considering options

Run two sessions of Summer Studios, the on-campus studio art program for the MA in Arts Education: one for current students, and the other for non-matriculated art teachers (some of whom may be alumni)

fiscal RESPONSIBILITY

2018–2019

increase revenue generation

2019–2020 2020–2021

Non-Major Summer Music Program on campus in partnership between BUMO and School of Music; feature band practices and jazz ensembles

Create a campus residency for Band Directors, a large segment of music master students, to enhance skills and generate new creative strategies

Create summer workshop/course on ‘public speaking/dynamic presentation skills’ for students and the general public

Continue to generate partnerships with BU colleges/programs in the utilization of the Lenox campus during the months BUTI is not in session

Expand partnerships within the Berkshire communities for fall and spring painting, playwriting, and poetry workshops

Explore the idea of creating a “Black Mountain” artistic experience at BUTI the last week of August for all CFA freshmen

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