Dear President Pinto and Provost Ferme,
DAAP has recently introduced a new funding model for our Graduate Programs that restricts the overall funding of our students to an average of 35% funding. While this is now the standard for DAAP, it is important to note that this makes the MFA in Fine Art an extreme outlier in the region, and nationwide.
While we understand the necessity of financial responsibility, we also understand the value that we and our students provide. Without a vibrant arts scene, any city would struggle to attract an engaged citizenry and work force. Understanding that there are significant changes in higher education across the board, we have also conducted research on our competing institutions and unfortunately find ourselves behind the curve. Just in the past two years, our neighboring state institutions have increasingly offered more funding (Miami University and Carnegie Mellon are now both tuition free, as are Ohio State University, Kent State University, among others). This places us in the unfortunate position of being one of two public Master of Fine Arts Programs in Studio Art in the state of Ohio that charges tuition to their students.
The new funding model will leave the University of Cincinnati, and by extension the entire city, as the largest city in the Midwest and the only major city in Ohio without a Master of Fine Arts Program in Fine Art, one of only two of the nation's 30 most populus cities without a Master of Fine Arts Program in Fine Art. We as a faculty believe that the arts are a crucial component of a vibrant city and are extremely concerned about what this shift would mean for the University of Cincinnati, our research, faculty retention, and undergraduate programs.
As it stands, the leadership at DAAP has not demonstrated a commitment to the success or survival of our MFA Program, and have put metrics in place that we are unable to meet. This action will almost certainly result in the closure of our program and our inability to attract applicants. In addition to the detrimental impact that this would have on the culture of the School of Art, the starvation of the only Fine Arts MFA Program in the city will absolutely change the face of the University of Cincinnati, and the city as a whole. Without a pipeline of highly trained artists, art organizers, and arts leaders, Cincinnati will lose the vibrancy and appeal that has helped both the city and the university grow over the past decade. Cincinnati has a generations-old reputation as a city that robustly supports and celebrates the Arts. It is not hyperbolic to say that the loss of our MFA program would be a stain on this reputation, in addition to the starvation of a steady stream of dynamic, engaged, and community-driven graduates from our program into many of the most impactful organizations and institutions listed in the following paragraphs. It will damage our city’s reputation beyond that of the school, college, and university. In plain terms, this will be an immeasurably large hit to Cincinnati’s creative and nonprofit community.
Cincinnati was recently added to the ranking of being one of the top 20 Arts Vibrant communities in the nation, via the Arts Vibrancy Index Report VI*, developed by the National Center for Arts Research, and one of only 4 midwestern cities to have made that list. From Alecia Kintner, ArtsWave CEO and President:
"Cincinnati’s emergence on the Arts Vibrancy Index is a tribute to our history of strong citizen support for the arts. In a year of unprecedented disruption and uncertainty, it’s gratifying to see our region’s arts landscape affirmed as among the country’s most vibrant along with other that we compete with for employees, business relocations and tourists... "
The faculty, students, and alumni from the Fine Arts program are an integrated part of this vibrant arts community with active pedagogical projects in partnership with institutions including the Contemporary Arts Center, ArtWorks, BLINK, the Cincinnati Art Museum, Wavepool Gallery, the Civic Garden Center of Cincinnati, and others. The forced extinction of our MFA program not only impacts the future of our community, but also presents new and current challenges in building trust and maintaining confidence with our current partners.
Looking back as recently as May, when Cincinnati was named the best place to live in Ohio** - it is crucial to know and understand what makes Cincinnati so special. The metrics used to qualify Cincinnati as the best place to live in Ohio (Schools, Fortune 500 Companies, museums) are echoed in Cincinnati being ranked as a top-destination for recent college graduates***. The University of Cincinnati is so rich because of the creative culture that our MFA students are avid contributors to.
While soft arguments like this are generally so difficult to make, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, Jack Miner noted in a recent UC News Publication exactly why Cincinnati is a growing destination:
"'UC has seen nearly a decade of growth and our students tell us that it isn’t just UC that is their destination but this city,' says Miner. 'They love the culture, the arts, the entertainment, and most of all, the great career opportunities they have right here when they graduate.'"
If we are forced to adopt the funding model presented by DAAP, it will mean the end of our MFA Program, which has been an active and powerful force in the community since the 1970’s.
The effects of the forced closure of our MFA program will likely be cascading, and difficult to predict. It would make DAAP a less welcoming home for current faculty, undergraduate students, and any potential faculty we hope to recruit in the future. Apart from the significant cultural impacts of the loss of our MFA Program, it would be increasingly difficult to find qualified Adjunct faculty to teach our courses. Roughly 74% of our current courses are taught by either our alumni or current MFA Students – the impacts of this decision will significantly challenge our ability to effectively deliver our undergraduate curriculum. As the only MFA program in the city, the majority of arts faculty at the Art Academy of Cincinnati are also our alumni - these actions will have impacts that will quickly spread beyond the University and into the fabric of Cincinnati.
Our faculty relocate to Cincinnati from across the world with the promise of a welcoming city with a thriving yet accessible arts scene. Over the years, they have been able to develop a host of programs and partnerships that center innovation and learning. The majority of our faculty spend months developing relationships with institutional or museum partners, so that our undergrad and grad students can gain professional experience, and exposure.
These relationships are multi-year investments that are built on reliability and trust. How can our faculty share with existing or future partner institutions the reality that they should likely turn to another regional school instead? Our graduate program is on the verge of closure, and we have not been forthcoming, communicative, or ethical in our treatment of our first-year students, who are already under-resourced, and may have to drop their studies midway through their education.
Funding for our graduates means that they can focus on developing their art practice without the hinderance of financial worry that detracts from their attention in an intensive learning environment. Moving forward without proper funding, our city and our region will be at a disadvantage in contrast to the other major cities in the midwest and nationwide who see the value of supporting the arts with tangible, sustainable measures.
The faculty of the School of Art are asking for a reconsideration of the funding model imposed by our College that our program cannot survive and a commitment to continue the existing funding of our first-year students. Understanding the need for financial responsibility, we have met with the Foundation to develop a plan to raise 5 million dollars to fund our program in the future. This process began in September (before we were aware of the new budget model) and will likely take 5 years to come to fruition. One of the central components of this plan is to reach out to donors, corporations, and entities that may not realize the impact that our program has on their businesses, the community, and the city as a whole.
We, the undersigned, join the Fine Arts Faculty in asking for a reconsideration of these financial policies that will have detrimental impacts on the city that we all cherish.
Please forward any comments / concerns / questions to DAAPSOA@ucmail.uc.edu.
Sincerely,
The Faculty of Fine Art in the School of Art
The College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning
University of Cincinnati
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