C•L•E•A MEETING AT THE PEABODY CONSERVATORY

30 January - 1 February 2004

Funded by The Kenan Institute for the Arts

GRANT FUNDING STRATEGIES

On the final weekend of January, C•L•E•A colleagues from Cornish College of the Arts, North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Peabody Conservatory met on the Peabody campus in Baltimore to “think smart” about grant funding. A range of projects generated from C•L•E•A schools stood at the heart of our discussions. This meeting was organized and led by Margaret Mertz and funded by the generous support of the Kenan Institute of the Arts. In retrospect, it seems apt to call this a meeting of the “C•L•E•A Grant Funding Strategies Committee.”

All agreed that this meeting could prove to be a seminal moment in C•L•E•A’s history. Upcoming meetings at University of the Arts (Spring 2004) and Cornish College (Spring 2005) will extend the Peabody conversation; we hope that initiatives discussed in Baltimore will unfold into deliberate action, nurtured by phone networks and e-exchange—and your help.

In lieu of detailed minutes, the following thumbnail overview in four (or six, depending on how you count them!) points characterizes topics addressed and the planning that ensued. Below this overview is a listing of those in attendance at the Peabody meetings.

1. Assembling Fundamental Data: How Is Liberal Arts taught at C•L•E•A schools, and by whom?

A repeated call for data, so that details of the general studies (liberal arts, humanities, critical studies, etc.) programs at each C•L•E•A school can be readily understood from varied perspectives, resulted in Margaret’s decision to earmark Kenan funds for a careful survey of information about our programs. Kim MacKay (Cornish College) will work with all of us to assemble information which can then be available to all—hopefully by mid-summer. Data can then be posted on this website for ready reference.

2a. C•L•E•A as Clearing House for Grant Opportunities

C•L•E•A should begin to serve as a clearinghouse for grant opportunities for C•L•E•A faculty members. Grant proposals reinforcing C•L•E•A ‘s stated objectives (see our mission statement) will inevitably encourage collaboration within and between member schools. The profile of our schools and the history of our association lend legitimacy to C•L•E•A as an organization; a coordinated strategy of grant applications can lead to expanding and ongoing grant support. Objective factors tell us this is not pie-in-the-sky: we are a powerful group of creative and energetic educators from America’s most distinguished schools. There is funding to be had: if we think smart about how to get it!

2b. Obtaining 501(c)(3) Status

C•L•E•A needs to investigate ways of formalizing its organization and financial structure; this might be a prerequisite to receiving grant support directly from foundations and federal programs in the future (eliminating the need for one of the member institutions or another organization like the Kenan Institute to function as the fiscal agent for C•L•E•A projects). This means obtaining 501(c)(3) status; and that in turn means formalizing our structure with officers, by-laws, a constitution, and several standing committees.

2c. Specific Funding Ideas/Proposals

We should begin a coordinated effort to write and submit a range of grant proposals. Specific grant ideas were discussed at length, and individual colleagues have agreed to move forward with their pet interests. Details of this planning can be found on this link. (Try http://www.clearts.org/fundingideas.htm in your browser if this link does not work.) And the reader of this web page should follow that link!

3. Assessment and Evaluation

Because issues of assessment and evaluation at our institutions (in relation to our classes, our faculty, and our programs generally) underscored much of the weekend’s discussion, suggestion was made that these issues form a key focus of the April 2005 conference slated for Cornish College. (The agenda for the Cornish Conference posted here.)

4. C•L•E•A as a Persistent Influence

C•L•E•A must develop as an association serving its member schools by maintaining ongoing discussion about curricula and program development. C•L•E•A colleagues should serve one another as experts, playing a role via external review, faculty exchange, and ongoing collaborative enterprise.

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Here is a listing of those in attendance at these Baltimore meetings:

Shawn Bachtler, Chair, Humanities and Science Department, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, Washington

Ron Levy, Chair, Humanities Department, The Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

Kim MacKay, Faculty, Humanities and Science Department, Cornish College of the Arts, Washington

Margaret Mertz, Executive Director, Thomas S. Kenan Institute of the Arts, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Elaine Pruitt, Dean of General Studies, North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Eileen Soskin, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, The Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

Dean Wilcox, Theater and Humanities Faculty, North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, North Carolina