Cultural Programs for the Community. INSTITUTION Princeton Univ., NJ
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 284 611 JC 870 338 AUTHOR Lorenzi, Paul TITLE Cultural Programs for the Community. INSTITUTION Princeton Univ., NJ. Mid-Career Fellowship rirogram. PUB DATE May 87 NOTE 25p.; One of a series of "Essays by Fellows" on "Policy Issues at the Community College." PUB TYPE Reports - Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Cable Television; Community Colleges; *Community Services; *Cultural Activities; *Cultural Enrichment; Dance; Facilities; Program Descriptions; Radio; School Community Relationship; Telecommunications; *Theater Arts; *Theaters; Two Year Colleges ABSTRACT Descriptions are provided of projects undertaken at three county colleges in New Jersey to improve the cultural enrichment opportunities of the surrounding communities. First, introductory material discusses the pluralistic components (i.e., federal, state, and local governments; philanthropic foundations; private patrons; business; and the market place) that influence public policy on the arts in the United States. Next, background information and a brief description are provided for: (1) Somerset County College's (SCC's) performing arts center complex, which includes a 30,000 square foot auditorium, a small experimental theatre, and a library; (2) Mercer County Community College's (MCCC's) public FM radio station, cable television network, and "receive-only" satellite terminal; and (3) Essex County College's (ECC's) multi-purpose Physical Education Building, which containsa dance studio and classroom, and will house the Mary Burch Auditorium. Next, the paper considers the marketing and audience development strategies used by these institutions, including samples of the promotional materials used by the schools. The paper then explains the links between the cultural programming and the college curricula, highlighting MCC's associate of arts (AA) degree in telecommunications and SCC's AA degree in fine and performing arts. Discussions of plans for the Mary Burch Auditorium and of the benefits of such programs conclude the paper. (AYC) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** POLICY ISSUES AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE: rag ESSAYS BY FELLOWS IN THE MID-CAREER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM Co (NJ AT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY MAY LIJ 1987 CULTURAL PROGRAMS FOR THE COMMUNITY "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHIS MATERIAL HAS BEENGRANTED BY Joyce Buhn Paul Lorenzi TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Humanities Department INFORMATION CENTER(ERIC)." Somerset County College U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ZDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) O This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. )(Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction Qualify. Points of view or opinions stated in this docu- ment do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. 2 Since December of last year, Paris has had a new museum devoted to French Art of the 19th century, Le Musee d'Orsay, located in the heart of the city, on the left bank facing the Louvre Museum. Once a railroad station built for the World's Fair of 1900, Le Musde d'Orsay now contains 2300 paintings and 1500 sculptures; in addition, it functions as a center for a wide range of cultural and educational activities. The presence of this handsome structure along the river Seine is another re- minder that Paris has benefitted greatly from the cultural policies of three presidents of the Republic: Pompidou, Giscard and Mitter,and. Other well known examples of this campaign are the Centre Beaubourg and the Picasso Museum.1 Time Magazine's art critic Robert Hughes is prompt to conclude: "It shows what state patronage can do. Nothing the private sector could summon up, in or out of France, could possibly rival it."2 From May 31 to June 3, 1984, members of the 67th American Assembly met at Arden House in Harriman, New York. The topic of the symposium was: "The Arts and Public Policy.in the United States." Par- ticipating in the assembly was W. McNeil Lowry; former Vice President of the Division of Humanities and the Arts at the Ford Foundation. Intro- ducing the three papers resulting from the above assembly, Mr. Lowry made the following observations: As a nation that has taken pride in pragmatism, the United States has always found it rather difficult to establish the proper place for the arts in its constellation of public values. While other governments have had their ministries of culture and have decreed national policies with respect to the arts, our political leaders have generally shied away from attempts to define an American public policy toward the arts. Nevertheless, the arts have flourished in our society, and our artists have come to be recognized as among the foremost in the world in almost all media of artistic expression.3 2 In the United States, public policy on the arts does not emanate from the Federal Government alone.Rather, it is determined by pluralistic components: in addition to federal, state and local governments, it includes philanthropic foundations, private patrons, business corporations and the influence of the marketplace. Let us now consider how, in recent years, these pluralistic components have manifested themselves at some county colleges in New Jersey. Our present study will be limited to three remarkable accomplishments which have occurred on campuses of the counties of Somerset, Mercer and Essex. Pluralistic Components and Production Space Since 1968, Somerset County College has served as the public community college for Somerset and Hunterdon Counties. The College's campus in North-BranchtsrentrartyIdtated between these two counties. In addition to instruction on the main campus, the college offers instruction, primarily in the evening, at ten off-campus sites in Somerset and Hunterdon Counties. The college sponsors post-secondary educational programs including university parallel transfer programs leading to the Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees and Associate of Applied Science degreesin career and technical programs. In addition, the college sponsors non-credit courses and community service programs. In the Fall of 1984, the College enrolled approximately 4;250students in credit and developmental courses, including 1,390 students attendingon a full time basis and 2,972 attending part time. In addition, over 700 students were enrolled in credit-free community service courses. The grand opening of the new theater at Somerset County College took place on the 8th of March, 1985. Located in a three-story glass, steel and brick structure, this 30,000 square foot auditorium contains 1,000 seats. From center stage, a visitor sees sophisticated backstage lighting, sound systems, props and secret trap door panels from which actorsmay drop out of sight or be swept into tne "sky." Directly in front of the stage an orchestra pit for about 25 musicians can expand from 38 feet to 49 feet. 4 3 The theater accommodates 700 people at the orchestra level and another 300 in the balcony. According to Charles T. Miller, theater manager, the theater has excellent facilities for support staff. A group with its own sound-track system, for example, can back up to a loading dock located only yards away from the stage. The attention to detail also includes a resilient wood-floor stage to help prevent the common shin splints ballet dancers often get by dancing on cement or hardwood floors.4 Also included in the performing arts center complex is the Dennis Welpe II Little Theater. This small experimental area is available to performers or lecturers who want a more intimate setting. Finally, the new library of the college occtipies 51,630 square feet of the three-story structure witha shelf capacity for 100,000 volumes. The total cost of the performing arts center was $8.6 million. As reported in 1983, the State Board of Education and Somerset County each contributed $3.6 million toward the 100-seat theater and three-story library. Private funding was needed because the state had initially agreed to pay for only a 500 seat auditorium. With Governor Kean as Honorary Chairman, The Somerset County College Foundation was created for thepur- pose of raising $1.4 million in private and corporate contributions. Tne State Department of Higher Education approved this method of supportinga public institution by seeking additional money from privatesources. As early as April of 1983, the largest corporate giftwas a donation of $100,000 by Johnson and Johnson; tnis was followed by thesum of $10,000 from the Gannett Foundation and $25,000 from the National Starchand Cnemical Corporation. The Dennis Welpe II Little Theater was funded by Mr. and Mrs. Welpe of Branchburg, New Jersey, who donated thesum of $50,000. The theater is a memorial to their son. Mercer County College is described in its 1986-87 catalogas a publicly supported comprehensive institution, establishedin 1966. The college offers an associate of arts and associate of science degree in thirty career areas. Students attend both day and evening classes on two campuses; a wide range of noncredit community services is offered each term. The West Windsor campus is located six and one-half miles north of 4 Trenton. rhe central campus buildings enclose a landscaped bilevel quadrangle. In addition to the five academic buildings, major structures include the audio- visual center, the library, and the 396-seat Kelsey Theater. The Telecommunication Division offers radio and television academic programs and community services through W. W. F. M., its public F. M. stereo radio station, and the Mercer County Community College cable T. V. network. Mercer has fully equipped radio and T. V. studios and control rooms for, instruction and production of educational and information programs. The State-of-the-Art facilities include a 40-by-50-foot T. V. studio, five color T. V. cameras, Ampex 4000 H2 switcher, 48 input audio console, character generator, telescript, and three fully equipped radio studios. A five- meter satellite "receive-only" T.