F O R U M: H I G H E R E D F I N A N C E A Work of Art Mass College of Art and Design’s new partnership with the state KATHERINE SLOAN During the 2002-03 fiscal crisis Cornell University’s statutory colleges commitment to a diverse student body in Massachusetts, Gov. Mitt and especially Maryland’s St. Mary’s and ensure that tuition for in-state Romney proposed sweeping College, which a few years earlier students “remain affordable to all changes for public colleges in the had been recognized by the Maryland Massachusetts residents.” state. Among them was a proposal Legislature as an exceptional public What Happened? to privatize three highly specialized liberal arts college and given extraor- colleges, including Massachusetts dinary authority and responsibility for The initial five-year period 2003-2008 of College of Art and Design, the nation’s its own future. MassArt proposed that the New Partnership between MassArt only independent public college of it remain public, but, in exchange for and the state reveals a record of success. art and design. The rationale was that a reduced initial state appropriation, The studio model of education is both the college could not only survive, the trustees would be given increased equipment- and faculty-intensive, but but also “soar” with an independent authority and responsibility for their additional revenue from out-of-state status. But when trustees and adminis- future: to set and retain tuition and students has helped provide growing trators examined Romney’s proposal fees; to set enrollment goals and funding for the college. Today, MassArt closely, they found that the governor’s admissions standards; and to develop, receives approximately 32% of its oper- plan was not economically feasible with the Board of Higher Education ating budget from the Commonwealth, for a small, specialized college with (BHE) a set of performance goals the smallest percentage of any state or a tiny endowment (about $2 million specific to its mission as the nation’s community college in Massachusetts. at that time) and a large campus with only public college of art and design This appropriation essentially allows $15 million in deferred maintenance. and to report annually on progress. the college to maintain modest in-state Given the current and future MassArt administrators knew the tuition and fees, less than one-third the importance of creative industries to the college was competitive nationally average of its independent art-college region’s economy, the trustees remained and — by attracting students beyond peers, such as Rhode Island School of committed to MassArt’s mission to state lines and outside New England, Design, Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and provide access to a strong professional even when charging tuition for these School of the Museum of Fine Arts- education in the visual arts for all students students at market rates for indepen- Boston. New England students, including of talent, regardless of economic or dent peer colleges of art and design those covered by NEBHE’s “tuition ethnic backgrounds. For that to happen, — it could expand its financial sup- break” program, pay approximately the trustees believed that the college port enough to increase the size of the 175% of the in-state rate, far less than must retain its public status, and that undergraduate student body, including the full out-of-state rate. Out-of-state the governor and the Legislature must Massachusetts residents; increase the and international student tuition is maintain a financial investment quality of the education by enabling competitive with our peer institutions, sufficient to keep the college truly MassArt to hire additional faculty of this year set at $23,000. affordable. At the same time, it was the highest quality; and develop addi- Over the first five years of the determined that the state appropriation tional resources to improve studio agreement, total student charges for was insufficient for studio-based equipment and facilities. Massachusetts residents increased education, and moving the college to During the FY 2004 budget session, less than the amounts anticipated in a private status would lead to higher the Legislature authorized MassArt the New Partnership business model student tuition and fees, thus overturning and two other specialized colleges approved in 2004 by the BHE. For the the historic 135-year-old mission of the (Massachusetts Maritime Academy last three years, annual increases have college to educate talented residents and UMass Medical School) to propose been held at 5% or less. Need-based of Massachusetts in fine arts, design, new models to leverage their strengths. financial aid also increased for and art education. This compromise the Initially, tuition retention would be Massachusetts residents. The current college community was unwilling to make. granted to MassArt trustees as a five- plan means that no student should As an alternative, we proposed a year pilot; the college would maintain need loans to meet the direct cost governance and financial model for an undergraduate student body with of tuition and fees, currently $7,900. MassArt based upon the experiences at least 60% Massachusetts residents, The college is working to increase learned from public hybrid models down from the current 70%. The campus-based financial aid so it can throughout the nation, including college also would retain its strong extend this commitment to include a 28 NEW ENGLAND BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION F O R U M: H I G H E R E D F I N A N C E portion of the indirect costs of atten- performing arts, a Global Education performance measurement system that dance, such as materials and supplies. Center and a COF orchestra and chorus. the BHE has established for public Because of the availability of addi- In addition, we share dining facilities colleges in Massachusetts. But the tional funds to support enrollment and a bookstore with Mass College of college annually submits to the BHE growth and the growing national Pharmacy, and a student fitness center and to legislative leadership performance recognition of MassArt as a leading with Wentworth and MassPharmacy. reports on a number of key indicators, college of art and design, total enrollment Our faculty and professional staff including affordability, access for in the bachelor of fine art program participate in joint development programs Massachusetts residents, expanding with their colleagues at the other COF private support, quality of students, increased 18% during the five-year colleges, and we have been able to first-year retention and graduation rates, period, from 1,352 students in fall take significant cost-saving measures and employment of graduates. The reports 2002 to 1,592 in fall 2007. Enrollment through pooled resources. Most notable are widely distributed within the college. of Massachusetts residents — something is a six-college wide-area IT network Each year we identify indicators to pri- the Legislature originally worried might with high-level service and enormous oritize and additional ones to track. decrease — increased 22%, while total savings for each college. Plans for Overall, the academic profile of our out-of-state student enrollment grew even greater cooperative ventures are freshman students, including GPA, SAT 27%. Currently, Massachusetts residents underway in areas such as health services scores, and class rank, has increased make up 71% of BFA enrollments, well and expanded residence housing. over the period. Our freshman retention above the legislatively stipulated 60% Indeed, the independence given to our rate hovers between 85% to 90%, and benchmark. Tuition and fee revenue trustees through the New Partnership our six-year graduation rate has jumped generated from out-of-state students has increased the willingness of our to over 65%, a high mark among state grew 58% between FY 2004 and 2007, sister COF colleges to enter into part- colleges in New England and among through enrollment growth and increases nership agreements with MassArt. our independent art college peers. We in student charges. The number of A final positive outcome of the report each year on the racial and full-time faculty teaching in the under- plan has been a significant increase in ethnic diversity of our student body; graduate program increased by 19% as private support. An active foundation students of color account for about a result of making a commitment to board has led a renewed and successful 20% of our undergraduate population. strengthening the quality of the learning effort in fundraising. The value of our International students make up an endowment, though still much smaller additional 4% of our undergraduate experience the highest priority of the than we would like, has increased since student body. We are engaged in plan. The college experienced strong the inception of the New Partnership a planning effort at the college to growth in the design areas of its cur- from $2.8 million to $8.5 million in FY07. ensure that the diversity of our riculum, especially in industrial and faculty and staff reflects our student Total private fundraising doubled after fashion design. During this period, the population and that our curriculum, the New Partnership was implemented, college also launched a BFA program student activities and cultural from just under $2 million in FY03 in animation and a master’s program programming contribute to a truly to more than $4 million in FY07. Our in architecture. In addition, the college multicultural campus environment. donors tell us they have increased has been able to provide substantial confidence in the college knowing scholarship support to students What’s Ahead? that the state officially recognizes participating in a growing number The New Partnership agreement has MassArt as a special-purpose college of international travel courses. strengthened MassArt by giving it and that our trustees now have an important measure of procedural Collaborations enhanced authority to make key autonomy, similar to that of an inde- multiyear planning and budgeting One of the unanticipated outcomes pendent college. At the same time, it decisions. We are currently in the of the New Partnership agreement has remains true to its long-time mission been MassArt’s deepened involvement silent phase of a comprehensive as a public college and remains within in the Colleges of the Fenway (COF), campaign with goals that include the state college system of Massachu- a consortium of six small colleges in increasing student financial aid, setts. The Legislature has affirmed Boston. Although MassArt is the only faculty support, a Center for Art and tuition retention to be a permanent public college among the six — other Community Partnerships, a Center feature of the college. partners include Simmons, Emmanuel for Contemporary Art, and a major The five-year implementation plan and Wheelock colleges, the Massachusetts renovation and expansion of our approved by the BHE in 2004 will expire College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences highly regarded public galleries this year, and we are in the process of and Wentworth Institute — we have and exhibitions program. developing a plan for the five years ahead. been able to participate fully with This will include academic plans, these colleges in cross-registration and Performance Measures performance and financial aid goals, expanded shared student development As a specialized college, MassArt does and, most critical, enrollment targets programs such as intramural sports, not participate in the standardized and tuition projections. At the end of our THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF HIGHER EDUCATION WINTER 2009 29 F O R U M: H I G H E R E D F I N A N C E current plan, the college is about 15 The New Partnership also diversifies the coming months, but we are likely full-time equivalent (FTE) students MassArt’s streams of revenue. As a to experience at best a period of flat short of the total enrollment goal of very small college in a public system, state support for our colleges. For 1,555 FTE projected in its original plan, MassArt has long recognized its fragility MassArt, that means that our willingness and it has not yet met the projected in depending heavily on state funding. to assume additional responsibility for and desired mix of out-of-state, New In every economic downturn or state enrollment growth, increasing tuition England and in-state students. Our budget crisis, funding cuts have revenues from out-of-state students, model calls for an increase in out-of- disproportionately affected the smallest enhancing private giving and expanding state enrollment from the current 11% colleges in the commonwealth. The entrepreneurial activities (such as of new freshmen to at least the 15% New Partnership has attempted to entering into joint building projects that we had projected in the initial address this concern by ensuring that with small private colleges in our five-year plan. In the past two years, the state appropriation continues, but area) becomes more important than we have begun an active recruiting is better balanced with revenues from ever. This will not be an easy time for strategy for students outside New a larger overall enrollment, higher any of us. But for Massachusetts College England, including international students. student tuition — especially for of Art and Design, the increased authority Our applications from out-of state stu- students from outside New England and responsibility given to its trustees dents have risen sharply, but our yield paying market rates — and increased by the Legislature and the BHE during has remained modest. We currently offer private support in the form of both the last fiscal crisis has positioned the almost no tuition discounts and very few annual giving and endowment support. college to continue advancing its scholarships to students outside Today, after a number of encouraging mission in preparing students as leaders Massachusetts, and we believe that, years of increased Massachusetts state in both the cultural life and the creative given the substantial discounts by our appropriations to its public colleges, economy of New England. competitive private-college peers, our we find ourselves once again in a time out-of-state pricing may not be appro- of funding reductions to campus state priate. We have hired an enrollment appropriations. Because of the depth Katherine Sloan is president of consultant to assist us in better under- of the global financial crisis, it is diffi- Massachusetts College of Art and standing this highly competitive area cult and probably faulty to predict just Design. Email: Katherine.Sloan@ of our enrollment strategy. how deep these cuts may become over massart.edu. 30 NEW ENGLAND BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION