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We
have been able to cover losses through last year with reserves built up
during the Weidner’s years of financial success. However, we would
have to cover this year’s losses with state funds intended for teaching
UWGB students. That cannot happen. We had to act. We have scaled back Weidner Center staffing to levels necessary to meet obligations for the remainder of the current season. Thereafter, we will be reducing staff further and returning to a “roots model” in which, as a foundation, we will be able to offer fine arts programming provided by campus and community groups. A nonprofit corporation called Weidner Center Presents, Inc. has long been an important partner for the Weidner Center and is committed to providing additional programming. The University has made the commitment to provide the “roots” foundation. That foundation is available to Weidner Center Presents, Inc. (and other users should they be interested) to build on. It is Green Bay’s Weidner Center and, longer-term, it is the community’s vision for the future of the Weidner that matters most. With that in mind, earlier this fall, I joined with the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce to appoint a task force to make recommendations on that future. This task force is made up of committed community leaders whose motivation is to do what’s right for Green Bay and Northeastern Wisconsin. It brings together individuals knowledgeable about the fine arts and entertainment along with business leaders who understand the importance of the Weidner Center to the vitality of our community. They can help assure that any recommendations are financially viable and sustainable for the long term. The task force has been hard at work and you can look forward to receiving, considering, and reacting to its recommendations. I cannot say strongly enough that this transition for the Weidner Center is not about failure. The professional leadership of the Weidner is highly respected in the industry. These professionals have worked diligently to meet ongoing challenges through a variety of strategic efforts. They have made significant contributions to our campus and community. As the staff is reduced, we are deeply saddened by the personal impacts of this transition upon the lives of dedicated colleagues. |
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I
also have been hearing that the Weidner Center’s
problems result from the fact that the University “pulled money out
of the Weidner Center.” Again, not true. I understand that there has
been confusion in the minds of many about the relationship between the Weidner
and the University. But let me make this clear: The University has never
been allocated a penny to operate a performing arts center. We get the same
per-student budget as Oshkosh, Eau Claire, and the other UW institutions. Early on, a predecessor of mine made a decision to help get the Center going through allocations of about $175,000 a year. As revenues boomed and the state was cutting instructional appropriations, another chancellor predecessor returned those allocations to the University’s budget. But, here’s why I really find this talk of “pulling money” to be incredible: When we are facing losses of over $2,000,000 per year, the addition of another $175,000 would not have postponed the day of reckoning by even one month. I have spent more time on these inaccuracies than they probably deserve. When difficult change is unavoidable, there are those who would rather point fingers than pitch in and help make the change successful. This really is not about “fault,” it is about facing the realities of a changed market. And, it is about a community in which those who understand the need to pitch in and help are the vast majority. They populate the newly appointed task force, Weidner Center Presents, Inc., the Weidner Center staff and volunteers, the Chamber of Commerce, the Northeastern Wisconsin Arts Council. And, the University. The challenge we face is as big as the challenge of bringing the Weidner Center into being in the first place. But, I have no doubt that we are a community up to that challenge.
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