Brandeis University: Selling Art or the Art of Selling Change?

As a university announces an unexpected plan to close its art museum to offset a budget deficit, how could its president have better handled the controversial decision?
Todd Jick  | Spring 2010
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In 2009 Brandeis University was coping with a budget deficit brought on by the global financial crisis, prompting its president and board of trustees to announce the closing of the Rose Art Museum and the sale of its $350 million collection. The news came as an unwelcome surprise to the museum's director and board of overseers, as well as to students and faculty, with many objecting to the lack of transparency in the decision-making process. In this case, students examine how various constituencies might have been involved in the decision and determine how the president's office could have used different approaches in handling the proposal.

Case ID: 100405
Supplemental Materials: Teaching Note

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