raising salaries/budgets, was Let's cut to the chase

[Fred Sturm]

	My department is pursuing another way to establish a regular budget for 
pianos - course fees targeted specifically at pianos. This arose from a 
very recent NASM review, which I participated in (I wrote the review of the 
condition of pianos, together with a plan for improving the situation, 
including an annual budget for the purpose). We were re-accredited, but 
with three things noted that needed improvement, including the piano 
situation. And with the proviso that a year later we report to NASM on the 
progress being made.
	My chair took this to the provost's office, suggested a course fee to 
cover the proposed annual budget for pianos, and got a favorable respose. 
So he had me draw up a more detailed spreadsheet as to exactly how this 
would work. It is mostly for the purpose of regular replacement of pianos - 
to bring the inventory to an acceptable "average age" and maintain that 
into perpetuity (though 20 years seems to be a longer horizon than our 
administration cares to look at. 10 to 15 is about max for most purposes). 
I threw in an items for hiring a contract tuner to handle bulk practice 
rooms and the like, for rebuilding parts, and for contracting out some 
re-building.
	The plan continues to percolate through the upper levels, but my chair is 
optimistic it will be approved. $5 per credit hour fee, generating circa 
$50-60,000 per annum ($40-45,000 would go entirely to piano replacement, 
the rest to maintenance). We already have a "technology fee" (same dollar 
amount) in place throughout the College of Fine Arts, targeted at computers 
and the like, and including paying for support staff. And various other 
fees as well. We survive on course fees and endowment income, though the 
latter is mostly for scholarships. The "allocated account" (what we get 
from the university budget) doesn't quite cover salaries, let alone any 
other expenses.
	So there is another possible source of funding. I should add that our 
department and college are _very_ actively pursuing fund-raising efforts, 
going out into the community to seek donations for any number of purposes 
and for endowments. This seems to be the reality of even so-called "public" 
institutions today (UNM gets only 20% of its budget from state 
appropriations. Amazing, no?) One thing the fundraisers need is a set of 
well-articulated needs and plans to meet them - which is where we can help. 
The piano replacement plan I articulated could also be the basis to raise 
an endowment.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico

--On Tuesday, June 17, 2003 10:05 PM -0700 Rolf von Walthausen & Nancy 
Larson <pianos@traverse.net> wrote:

> Richard is right on the mark.  We need to think creatively not only about
> ways to spend money but ways to raise it as well.  To that end
> Interlochen Center for the Arts recently created what I think may be the
> first endowed chair of piano technology in the country.  There isn't
> enough money in the account at this time to fund an entire position, but
> I can either turn the money back to increase principal or use the
> interest every year to supplement the base salary the administration
> allocates for that position in order to make the salary more competitive.
> At some point there could very well be a million dollars in the account
> from which $50K a year could be drawn to fund a second position.
>snip<