Q: Why is the School of the Arts considering a name change?

A: There are many reasons, several of which relate to the marketing and branding of the School and our ability to raise funds. But perhaps the most important reason is that this will allow us to clarify who we are. We are not a small, independent entity as people sometimes think; in fact, we offer graduate and undergraduate programs as well as a high school program. Ours is a comprehensive, professional training school for artists. 

We believe that this modification better describes who we are: the professional school of the arts for the state of North Carolina, and a constituent campus of the University of North Carolina system.

 

Q: Why do this now?

A: The frequency with which the School receives feedback from college guidance counselors, prospective students, and parents of prospective students who think we are just a high school has grown in recent years. The School's director of Institutional Research researched the name "school of the arts" and found that it was virtually unique at the time of the School's founding but is now used by hundreds of schools – mostly high schools (and a few middle schools). Most of these schools came into existence in the late 1990s or after and most are considered “charter” schools in public districts (“magnet” is another favored term). Again, this points to the growing perception that we are only a high school and helps to explain why this problem did not exist during the School’s first decades. The schools identified in the search that do offer college degrees are few and attached to larger universities, like NYU and Columbia – but even those programs date from after 1982.

 

Q: Does this mean that the School of the Arts will become a university?

A: The School of the Arts has always been a public institution of the state of North Carolina and became a member of the University of North Carolina system during the consolidation of higher education in North Carolina during the early 1970s. We are already a university in that we offer graduate degrees as well as undergraduate degrees, and high school diplomas.

However, the mission of the School is not changing. In fact, the NCSA Board of Trustees, in voting unanimously for the name change, adopted a resolution affirming the School’s “unique culture and mission” and said that the School “shall continue as the professional training institution for performing and visual artists in the UNC system.”

The resolution also said that the proposed name change would “not affect the original mission of the School or the vision of the School’s founders including the admission of students based on auditions, interviews and artistic portfolios and the appointment of faculty on the basis of their professional experience.”

 

Q: Is this the first step to the School of the Arts becoming part of UNC-Chapel Hill?

A:  No. Never! There are 16 other campuses in the system, six of which already use "UNC" in their names, and they all have their own unique identities. We are, in fact, well beyond the time when "UNC" meant just Chapel Hill.

 

Q: Doesn’t the name change show a lack of support for the School’s high school program?

A: No. The resolution adopted by the Board of Trustees said that the addition of “University” to the name “shall not affect its unique educational mission or culture or in any way imply a lack of respect or support for its high school component.” In addition, the dean of our High School Academic Program was consulted and is in favor of the name change.

 

Q: What was the process?

A: Conversations about the possibility of a name change have been going on for years. There were serious discussions at the Board of Trustees level in 2001 and 2002.

Beginning in the fall of 2007, the idea was reintroduced, and the chancellor and members of the Board of Trustees spoke with key constituents – including faculty, students, supporters and alumni – about the idea through the winter.

On Jan. 4, 2008, the School held a retreat for the Cabinet (which included the head of the Faculty Council) at which the process for soliciting feedback was established.

On Jan. 16, a letter was sent to all faculty, staff and students introducing the “U” and asking them to provide feedback through an online survey. At the same time, 20 suggestion boxes, called “dream catchers,” were placed across campus for the campus community to respond to the same questions. The deadline was Feb. 14, but on Feb. 29, an email address was posted on front page of www.ncarts.edu to solicit input from anyone who missed the survey. The online survey received 34 responses. The dream catchers received 15 responses.

On March 10, the Board of Trustees discussed feedback on and process for a name change at its regular meeting held in New York in conjunction with Giannini Weekend.

On April 9, at a special called meeting of Board of Trustees via conference call, the board voted unanimously (11-0) to approve the name change (with the resolution affirming the School’s mission and inclusion of the high school program) and to send resolution to the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. This meeting, like all meetings of the Board of Trustees, was announced publicly and was open to the public.

 

Q: Were the alumni consulted?

A: Yes. In March, alumni were invited to give feedback in three ways. A survey was posted on the School’s online community (alumni.ncarts.edu), a link to the online survey was emailed to all alumni for whom the School has email addresses (3,450), and a letter was mailed to all alumni for whom the School has physical addresses (8,590). In that letter, we asked for their input by April 4 so that we could share it with the Board of Trustees at their next meeting. Of those, 147 alumni (56 percent) were positively inclined toward the change, 93 (36 percent) were negatively inclined, and 21 (8 percent) were neither for nor against. (Note: it is estimated that there are 10,650 living alumni.).

 

Q: But what about the alumni against the name change? And their online petition?

A: When we sent an online survey that invited alumni to let us know how they viewed the name change, we received a mixed response that was more favorable than unfavorable. (See survey results above.)

Of course this is an emotional issue for many and a significant step in the life of the School. Still, we must consider that even if all of the individuals who signed the petition to stop the name change are verified, they still represent only 3.6 percent of the 8,590 alumni to whom we mailed a request for input.

And we also must consider that while alumni represent an important constituency, they are not the only group that is affected and has been heard.

 

Q: Who actually makes the decision?

A: The decision to pursue the name change was made by the NCSA Board of Trustees, the policy-making body of the institution. The board is composed of 13 voting members (as well as honorary non-voting members); one position is vacant. The vote was unanimously in favor, 11-0. While the student body president (the 12^th voting member) was not present to officially cast a vote, he did affirm his support via email. There is also an alumni representative on the board, but he is not a voting member.

Joining in support for this action were all emeriti members of the board: Thomas S. Kenan III, D. Samuel Neill, and Mary D.B.T. Semans. Among the other important supporters of this initiative are Alex Ewing, a former chancellor, and R. Philip Hanes Jr., a driving force behind the School’s founding and establishment in Winston-Salem.

The resolution is on the agenda to be considered by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors at its May 9 meeting. If approved there, the name change would then be submitted to the N.C. General Assembly for a vote during the short session that begins May 13. 

(UPDATE: On May 9, the UNC Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve the resolution to name our school the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.)

 

Q: How would this name change help fundraising?

A: The School of the Arts, along with the other smaller campuses in the UNC system, has been charged with growing its private fundraising in order to meet its needs. This is a particular challenge on our campus, which has a small pool of alumni because of its size and age. Over the years, the School has not done a good job of engaging its alumni in the ongoing financial life of the School. Last year, fewer than 3 percent of our college alumni gave a gift of any size to the School. While the alumni program and its challenges are being addressed in a variety of ways, it remains true that those who know the School of the Arts and its excellent reputation is relatively small – a small universe of alumni and others working in certain sectors of the performing arts. As we go to new funders and introduce them to the School, adding “University” serves two purposes: It clarifies that we are a serious, degree-granting institution, and aligns us with the better known “UNC” brand. Several campuses from the system are regularly named to U.S. World & News Report’s list of the best values in public education, and the system’s flagship campus more often than not tops this list. By identifying with “UNC,” we are immediately identifying ourselves with an excellent education, accessible to a broad group of people.

Of course, the biggest supporter of the School by far is the state of North Carolina -- last year, approximately $23.6 million of the School's $34 million budget was provided by the state.

We are proud of our place as a center for artistic excellence in the system, a public conservatory which helps to set the UNC system apart. As each of the campuses lobbies for resources, we want to continually remind the Legislature and the UNC General Administration that when there is money for investment in the arts, the conservatory of the University of North Carolina is where that investment should happen.

 

Q: How would this name change help marketing?

A: We believe that through strengthening our brand, we will be able to increase name recognition in the general public – and that is key to getting the best students as well as new funders.

While we have had relatively constant applicant numbers over the years, our applicant pool is not increasing in a manner that would allow us to be more selective in our admissions process. There are many factors relating to whether applications are up or down, from the state of the economy to demographics. But there is a perception in the marketplace where we are competing that we are not on the same level as our peer institutions. We hear this often from those deans, faculty and staff who are regularly engaged in recruiting for the School, as well as from friends, guidance counselors, board members, etc.: The general public does not know that we are a degree-granting university.

In fact, we are often told that we are the best-kept secret in North Carolina!