(01/23/12 5:00am)
This February, University President Frederick Lawrence and a delegation of professors and administrators will leave for a two-week trip to India in order to explore networking and partnership opportunities, according to a Jan. 13 BrandeisNOW press release. The trip, which is scheduled to take place from Feb. 2 to 12, will include visits to Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. In an email to the Justice, Lawrence wrote that he and the members of his party will meet with scientists and university administrators, in addition to civil rights and social justice activists and alumni "who are working to make India and the world a better, healthier place." University News Director Charles Radin, Director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life Daniel Terris, Prof. Bulbul Chakraborty (PHYS), Helaine and Alvin Allen Assistant Professor of Literature Harleen Singh (SAS), Prof. Preeta Banerjee (IBS) and Julie Smith-Bartoloni '90 from the Office of Development and Alumni Relations will accompany Lawrence on this trip. In an interview with the Justice, Radin said that Lawrence will meet with various leaders in Delhi, such as Atul Punj, chairman of the Punj Lloyd Group, and Israeli ambassador to India Alon Ushpiz. Lawrence will also speak at two public forums: one in Delhi with former Attorney General of India Soli Sorabjee, who delivered a lecture at the University in April 2010, and one in Mumbai titled "Seeking Social Justice." In Bangalore, Lawrence will visit the National Centre for Biological Sciences, the Indian School of Business and Director of the Indian Institute of Science Professor P. Balaram. Lawrence will also make a two-day stop in Singapore with Terris, where he will meet with President of Singapore Management University Arnoud De Meyer, President of the National University of Singapore Tan Chorh Chuan and Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS Professor Kishmore Mahbubani, who was the former Singaporean ambassador to the United Nations. Lawrence will also meet with prospective students in both countries. The structure and goals of this trip are similar to that of Lawrence's trip to Israel last summer. According to Lawrence in the email, both trips are a part of the Brandeis Global Initiative, which was developed by the Office of Global Affairs. "We are working to identify a limited number of countries in major regions of the world where the most valuable collaborations can be formed between Brandeis and local institutions," wrote Lawrence. The trips to India and Israel were scheduled first because of the University's existing connections in those countries, but the office is also "carefully exploring" potential additional collaborations with other countries. Radin said that the University already has ongoing partnerships with institutions such as The Energy and Resources Institute in Delhi. In Bangalore, Profs. Eve Marder (BIOL) and Chakraborty have ongoing research connections, which have "laid the groundwork" for more potential collaborations, said Radin. Lawrence wrote that there is a "vast potential" for partnership between the United States and India, especially in the fields of science, social justice and sustainable development. Radin said he hopes this trip will result in an increase in students from the India studying at the University, more study abroad opportunities for Brandeis students in India and further development with the Global Initiative. During his trip to Israel, Lawrence recounted many of his experiences on his blog. Radin confirmed Lawrence will continue to update his blog while he is in India.
(01/23/12 5:00am)
Student Union President Herbie Rosen '12 sent out a survey in a Jan. 19 email to the student body in order to gather student opinion about potential changes to the hours at Einstein Bros. Bagels as part of the Senate Ad-Hoc Dining Committee efforts to address hours at the dining location. This initiative follows Dining Services' decision last semester to extend the hours of the Provisions on Demand Market from midnight until 2 a.m. on Sunday mornings because of Union efforts. "[The Student Union is] hoping to look into similar changes for Einstein's Bros. Bagels in the Shapiro Campus Center," wrote Rosen. In the email, Rosen included a link to an eight-question survey that asked questions concerning weekend hours at Einstein's. Students were asked how often they visit Einstein's compared to how often they visit other dining locations and if they believe the current hours are sufficient. In addition, the survey asked which days students would prefer an extension of hours and whether or not they would make purchases at Einstein's if those extensions are made. "Throughout the year, we have been hearing from our constituents that the current Einstein's hours on weekends are inconvenient for them," wrote Senator for the Class of 2014 Ricky Rosen in an email to the Justice. "And so the survey is a way of evaluating just what percentage of the student body supports this initiative." Ricky Rosen worked on extending P.O.D. Market hours with the committee last semester. As of press time, the survey is still open, so the committee does not yet have the final count of student responses, but Herbie Rosen wrote that the committee wants to "continue [their] momentum" from their success with extending P.O.D. Market hours. The decision to extend P.O.D. Market hours was made after a series of trials were conducted last November. The hours were extended until 2 a.m. on Sunday mornings for three consecutive weeks. According to Herbie Rosen as reported in a Dec. 13, 2011 Justice article, the amount of transactions during the final night, 151, was the most realistic number and was enough to support a permanent extension of hours at the P.O.D. Market. "We are following the same steps that enabled us to push through the [P.O.D. Market] hours extension for this semester," wrote Ricky Rosen. "[A]nd we believe that with the amount of student support that we have behind this initiative, we can get this thing done." —Sam Mintz contributed reporting.
(01/23/12 5:00am)
This February, University President Frederick Lawrence and a delegation of professors and administrators will leave for a two-week trip to India in order to explore networking and partnership opportunities, according to a Jan. 13 BrandeisNOW press release.
(12/22/11 5:00am)
Dean of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign John Unsworth will be the next vice provost for Library and Technology Services and the chief information officer, according to Provost Steve Goldstein '78 in a Dec. 21 email to the Brandeis community. "I am delighted that John has accepted the position," wrote Goldstein in an email to the Justice. "Technology and the library are at the center of the university and John's leadership will be central to chart the best course for Brandeis." Unsworth will be replacing Perry Hanson, who announced his retirement last April. Unsworth was selected by a search committee chaired by Vice President for Planning and Institutional Research Dan Feldman and Prof. Ann Koloski-Ostrow (CLAS). In an interview with the Justice, Unsworth, who will begin work at his new position mid-February, said that addressing "infrastructure issues" will be one of his priorities as vice provost and CIO. According to him, "challenges" like deferred maintenance to the library are not handled, then there are collections that are potentially "at risk." Unsworth also said that the University's feature of combining library and information technology services under the LTS umbrella, as opposed to keeping them as separate entities, is "somewhat unusual" and presents itself as "both an opportunity and a challenge." "What particularly attracted me to this job at Brandeis is that that combination, I think, can work really well together," he said, "and when it does, [it] can provide really interesting work opportunities for staff [and] really interesting support opportunities for faculty and students." Decisions regarding service and information outsourcing will also be addressed, according to Unsworth, particularly handing both control and cost-effectiveness of information outsourcing, publishing articles by researchers. In addition, Unsworth discussed the digitization of research data that encourages researchers to use computational methods for their analyses. "That, I think, will be one of the challenges for a combined library/IT organization in the future," said Unsworth. According to Goldstein, Unsworth will be "responsible for the university libraries, technology infrastructure, administrative systems, academic and instructional technology, and user support in a period of transformational change in all these arenas." Hanson noted in an interview with the Justice that Unworth's role at the University of Illinois will be a major advantage to Unsworth as he begins at Brandeis, saying, "There's a huge plus in having most recently been dean of the number-one library school in the country because he knows where library science is going, what it's going to be, and I think that's huge, because one of the hardest things going on today in higher ed is the role of the library." "John brings a rare combination of experience and insight into both the library and technology fields," wrote Goldstein. "Given we have a merged library and technology organization—considered the cutting-edge approach—John's skills are an ideal fit." Unsworth is a 1981 graduate from Amherst College, earned an M.A. in English from Boston University in 1982 and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia in 1988. When asked what advice he had for Unsworth, Hanson, who served as vice provost for LTS and CIO for 12 years, said, "Appreciate the strength of the LTS staff, how good they are, how funny they are, because they're really remarkable." —Andrew Wingens and Emily Kraus contributed reporting.
(12/12/11 5:00am)
Senator for the Class of 2014 Ricky Rosen announced on Facebook that the Provisions on Demand Market will now permanently remain open until 2 a.m. on Sundays.
(12/05/11 5:00am)
Emory University Professor Emerita Frances Smith Foster accepted the Brandeis-funded Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize last Tuesday before sharing her own excerpts from her personal life as well as insights from her research about African-American literature and the lives of slaves in the antebellum period.
(11/21/11 5:00am)
According to results from the recent PULSE survey on student life, a slight majority of students are unsatisfied with the amount of study spaces and study days currently available and over a third would use a shuttle to the Riverside MBTA station, if it were in place. The PULSE survey was sent out to the student body by the Student Union in order to gather feedback on various issues relating to student life. Five sections—dining; housing; student life; Student Union; and "what else," where students could provide feedback on topics not covered in previous sections—comprised the survey. According to Student Union President Herbie Rosen '12 in an interview with the Justice, 320 students participated in the student life section of the survey, which is about nine percent of the undergraduate population. Topics covered in the student life section of the survey included study days, study spaces, transportation, relationships with faculty and advisers, extracurricular activities and health and fitness. Fifty-six percent of students who took the survey said they were not satisfied with the one study day provided before finals periods, and 58 percent said they would be in support of extra study days even if it resulted in later final periods. In addition, 59 percent indicated that they felt there is a lack of study space on campus, and 82 percent said they were in favor of opening other buildings on campus for studying. Rosen said that the Student Union will examine the data and look into advocating for student access to more buildings for studying and consider working with the registrar to increase the number of study days. However, this change would not affect the academic calendar for possibly two years because this year's schedule is set and cannot be changed except in certain cases such as cancellation due to weather, according to Rosen. The survey also gathered information on the most utilized study areas. Fifty-two percent of survey takers said that they studied in their rooms while 28 percent said they studied in the Goldfarb Library. Thirteen and a half percent said they used the Shapiro Campus Center, and seven percent said they studied in their residential lounge. In regards to transportation, the Boston/Cambridge Crystal Shuttle is the most often used mode of transportation, followed by a student's own car and the Fitchburg line of the commuter rail into Boston. When asked if they would utilize a shuttle to the Riverside MBTA station, 37 percent of students said they would use the shuttle during both the week and the weekends, while 21 percent said they would only use the shuttle during the weekends. Thirty-five percent said they would use the shuttle "only now and then," and eight percent said they had no use for the Green Line, on which the Riverside stop is located. Trial runs of a shuttle to Riverside were carried out during the past two weekends in order to gauge student interest in transportation to the station. The trials were conducted by Director of Public Safety Edward Callahan and the Escort Management team in collaboration with Rosen and three other members of the Student Union. According to Rosen, 71 students used the shuttles during the first weekend of trials. As of press time, Rosen did not have the amount of students who took the shuttles this past weekend. Rosen said that he will examine that number and speak with the Graduate Student Association to discuss graduate student interest in using the shuttles. In addition, the survey asked if the Waltham shuttle times were compatible with students' class schedules. In a Nov. 10, 2010 email to the Brandeis community, then-Provost Marty Krauss announced that she accepted recommendations from the Block Scheduling Committee that included starting classes on the hour or the half-hour, rather than ten minutes after. This schedule change was implemented for the fall 2011 semester, and Rosen said that he and the Student Union were interested in seeing if that had an impact on student transportation. "We were concerned about the Waltham Crystal shuttles because they didn't change their schedule after the academic schedule got changed," said Rosen. Thirty-eight percent of students said that the shuttle times worked well with their classes, while 16 percent said that they did not. Rosen said that he will hold a follow-up meeting with Callahan after the Thanksgiving holiday break to discuss the results of the survey.
(11/14/11 5:00am)
Food options and availability during holidays, point-to-dollar value and "real food" on campus appear to be the most important dining issues for students, according to the results of the Student Union PULSE survey and Student Union President Herbie Rosen '12 in an interview with the Justice.
(10/18/11 4:00am)
Student Union Elections have been postponed one week due to the resignation of Jenny Lau '14 from the Senior Representative to the Alumni Association seat, according to Student Union President Herbie Rosen '12 in an interview with the Justice. "Instead of running an additional election after the [one] that would have been [last Monday], we decided it would be easier to postpone the election another week so we could gather candidates for that position," said Student Union Secretary Todd Kirkland '13 in an interview with the Justice. In addition, postponing elections by a week provides more time to recruit potential candidates, according to Kirkland. As of 4 p.m. yesterday, four students have signed up to run for the Racial Minority Senator seat and nine students are running for the three open Judiciary seats. According to Kirkland, no students have signed up to run for the Charles River Senator seat, the Mods Senator seat or the Senior Representative to the Alumni Association seat. When asked why Lau resigned from her seat, Rosen said "she just didn't think it was something she wanted and it wasn't in her priorities right now." Kirkland said that the three Judiciary seats must be filled and if they are not filled during the upcoming election, another one will be held until the positions are filled. However, if they are filled, no further elections will be held this semester, even if the other positions stay vacant. Rosen sent an email to the residents of the Foster Mods and the Charles River Apartments encouraging students to run for their quad senator position. "All of you have at least two class representatives, but it would be a shame for your Quads not to be represented in a group that affects our student environment," wrote Rosen in the email. Kirkland said that, so far, no one has responded showing interest. He said the "next step" would be to approach individuals, asking if they themselves or students they know would be interested in running. Rosen and Kirkland also said that the extra week will allow them to work out issues with the instant runoff voting system. The system was thought to have resulted in two open seats that should have been filled, due to an inconsistency with voter intentions, according to a Justice examination. The Student Union is obligated to use the system under contract, said Rosen. According to Kirkland, Rosen contacted the company, which said that it would respond to Rosen. "We're still working on [the system]," said Rosen. "It's a system we inherited. We're just trying to do the best we can."
(10/04/11 4:00am)
The Finance Board granted a little over 50 percent of requested funds for the regular fall 2011 marathon, said Student Union Treasurer Daniel Lee '12 in an interview with the Justice. The amount of money distributed came to $195,647.96, while the total amount requested at marathon was $460,410.64, according to Budget Analyst Steven Costa in an interview with the Justice. This is a slight decrease from the $463,000 requested during marathon funding for the fall 2010 semester; a total of $196,893 was distributed for both early and regular marathon fund requests, according to a Sept. 21, 2010 Justice article. According to Lee, the decrease is a result of past over-allocations of funds, late transaction forms from clubs, an increase of chartered clubs requesting funds and projects funded by the F-Board. Lee said that although the F-Board attempted to keep funding distribution low enough to remain within their budget, they still over-allocated some funds. According to Lee, rollover funds, which are collected when clubs have not spent as much money as they were granted, will help offset the effect of the over-allocated funds. Lee also said that many clubs were not able to receive as much money as they had in the past due to an increase in the number of chartered clubs requesting funds. Coupled with the lesser amount of funds available to distribute, this was a factor in a smaller amount of money given to clubs. In addition, the F-Board is funding a few projects, which affects the amount of money available to clubs. According to Lee, these projects include providing a new truck for the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps and updating the Student Union Management System. "It's important for BEMCo to have a truck because they provide safety to our student body," said Lee. In regards to the SUMS update, he said that the site, which he hopes will be operating by next year or as early as next semester, will be easier to use and will organize all financial transaction information into one place. In addition, clubs requesting payments for unpaid transactions well into the summer also affected the budget. "When we finalized numbers, people, in the summer, would be like, ‘Hey, my contractor wasn't paid $800.' Sometimes, it would be as ridiculous as a couple thousand [dollars]," said Lee. Costa said there was an increase in the total amount of money in the Student Activities Fund this semester as a result of the larger student body, since each student pays an individual Students' Activities Fee. According to Lee, despite the increase in students, it was not enough to cover all the projects, over-allocation of funds and late transaction forms received from clubs. In general, money is distributed to clubs based on an evaluation of past use of F-Board funding and a decision of whether clubs had "effectively" used the funds given to them, according to Lee. "It was very tough because a lot of clubs had events and activities that were very popular and also well-known throughout the past years," said Lee. "Historically, these clubs were funded, but at the same time, we just weren't in the position to give them that amount just because we didn't have [enough funds]." However, despite obstacles in allocating funds, Lee said he feels that many of the clubs received fair time and effort from F-Board members during the allocation process and that although he has heard from clubs who were not satisfied with the amount of funds they received, club members were also "understanding" of the F-Board's limited funds and the increase of chartered clubs on campus. President of both the Arab Culture Club and Brandeis Students for Justice in Palestine Ashraf Hussein '12 said in a phone interview with the Justice that both of his clubs will have to scale back on their plans for this upcoming semester, but he also said he understands that several clubs are in similar situations. The Arab Culture Club received about 68 percent of the funds it requested, while BSJP received about 54 percent. President and Treasurer of the Ballroom Dance Club Tyler Roberts '13 said in a phone interview with the Justice that he felt his club did not receive adequate funding, partially because the group feels pressured to combine with the Ballroom Dance Team. The Ballroom Dance Club received about 57 percent of the total funds it requested. As a result, Roberts said that the club will not be having any performances this semester and will cut some of its classes. Lee stated that if club members determine that they still need more funding, they can request emergency funding later on this semester once Costa has determined the exact amount of money available from rollover funds. Lee said that information would be available either at the end of October, or mid-November, at the latest. —Nashrah Rahman and Hillel Buechler contributed reporting.
(09/27/11 4:00am)
The Brandeis Orthodox Organization hosted a celebratory event last Thursday in the Beit Midrash, located in the basement of Shapiro Residence Hall, to showcase renovations completed over the summer. The Beit Midrash is an area for Judaic study, specializing in the practice of havruta, or learning in pairs, according to the Brandeis Beit Midrash Research Project's website. These renovations, according to Beit Midrash Coordinator Yael Marks '14 in an interview with the Justice, will attract more students to the Beit Midrash to study Judaism, Jewish life and the Torah. According to BOO President Daniel Kasdan '13, the tables and chairs were replaced, in addition to the flooring, which is no longer carpet. Kasdan said this will make cleaning and maintaining the area easier. In addition, Kasdan said the walls were painted over and the bookshelves were replaced with shelves similar to the ones used in the library, making them sturdier than before. Kasdan said that the changes will improve the atmosphere of the Beit Midrash and make it more inviting than it had been in the past. "I guess you could call the Beit Midrash dilapidated last year," said Kasdan. "The shelves were falling over. The tables were in a mess. The chairs—when they were existent—were dirty and disgusting. The floor had stains all over it. The lighting was not working. The paint on the walls was cracked. It was a total mess, but thanks to these renovations, [the Beit Midrash] is looking a lot better right now." According to Marks, the idea to renovate the Beit Midrash originated from previous BOO President Jacob Agi '12. However, according to Kasdan, Agi's term had ended before any action was taken, so he and Marks continued Agi's initiative. Kasdan approached Executive Director of Hillel at Brandeis Larry Sternberg in this spring about renovating the Beit Midrash, according to Sternberg. Sternberg said he then contacted Senior Vice President of Administration Mark Collins to examine the Beit Midrash, leading to a plan to begin renovations in early summer. The renovations took place over the summer so that the Beit Midrash would be ready for students' return in the fall, said Sternberg. Sternberg, Marks and Kasdan each praised the renovations and said that the updates would encourage more attendance and use of the Beit Midrash. "The University [has] done a great job in making sure Brandeis' Beit Midrash is open, bright and accessible to everybody," said Sternberg, who also noted BOO members' contribution, preparing the area for both renovation and the return of students in the fall. "I think by giving the BOO community a more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing place to study, it promotes an atmosphere of studying Torah," said Kasdan. "It promotes an atmosphere of wanting to come in there and just sit for a while," he continued. "Because of the way it had been before, people had been turned off by the physical deficiencies of the room, but now it's much more pleasant to be in there." —Andrew Wingens contributed reporting.
(09/27/11 4:00am)
Last Wednesday, Hillel at Brandeis sponsored the "Talk Israel Initiative" on the Great Lawn, an event aimed at encouraging discussion about the Middle East among university students.
(09/20/11 4:00am)
The Student Union is holding elections this Thursday in order to fill the 16 available positions. As of press time, a total of 46 students are running.
(09/13/11 4:00am)
Provost Steve Goldstein '78 and Chair of the Faculty Senate Prof. Timothy Hickey (COSI) presented a pilot plan to increase faculty representation on the University Advisory Council during last Thursday's faculty meeting.
(09/06/11 4:00am)
The University received $62 million in fundraising cash for the fiscal year 2011, which is a $10 million dollar decrease in fundraising from the previous year, according to Director of Development Communications David Nathan in an email to the Justice and an August 2010 BrandeisNOW press release. This is the 12th consecutive year that fundraising has totaled over $60 million, according to Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement Nancy Winship in an interview with the Justice. As of June 30, the University endowment totaled $703.7 million, according to Nathan. In his fall letter to the Brandeis community, University President Frederick Lawrence said that fundraising has been "strong" and that the endowment is now almost up to its "pre-crash level," referring to the economic recession in 2008. "We made up almost all of what was lost," said Winship. Winship attributed the earlier decrease in the endowment to both the economic recession and the presidential transition. According to Winship, donors were hesitant to give money because of the new president and uncertainty surrounding his direction of the University. "Donors were hesitant to give as much, because [Lawrence] was new and they didn't know where, or in what direction, he would be taking the University," said Winship. Despite uncertainty from donors, Winship said that Lawrence was an excellent "natural" fundraiser. "We were able to counter [the economic recession and presidential transition] because of Fred's energy and his work with the development team," said Winship. "In just eight months on the job, [Lawrence] has made strong connections with alumni and friends around the world," according to Nathan in his email. Nathan continued to write that Lawrence has hosted large events with alumni in locations such as Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York City, Long Island and Westchester County, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Israel, Rome and Vienna, all during his first six months in office. According to Winship, Lawrence places an emphasis on financial aid for students during fundraising, and she said that his constant interaction with students allows him to effectively advocate for them. "The University's top fundraising goal continues to be securing funds to meet the growing financial aid needs of Brandeis students," wrote Nathan in his email. Winship said that about 60 percent of donations come from friends of the University—donors who do not have any direct connection with Brandeis but choose to give to the school. This is because Brandeis is a relatively young institution, so the majority of alumni are young compared to alumni of similar schools, and not necessarily capable of giving much money to the University, according to Winship. Winship and Nathan both said that they plan to continue to establish and maintain connections with alumni and wait until they are financially able to give back to the University. Nathan wrote that alumni donations totaled $14.4 million, a 26 percent increase from the previous year. In addition, the University remains in the top 10 percent of colleges and universities in the country with alumni participation, according to Nathan. "Alumni support is a key indicator of the health of a university because it shows how graduates feel about their educational experience," wrote Nathan. Another indicator is student participation in the senior class gift, wrote Nathan. Last year a record 71 percent of the Class of 2011 contributed to the senior class gift, according to his email. Last year, Lawrence matched the senior class gift, which totaled $11,748.35. Lawrence has agreed to match the senior class gift again, said Winship. Nathan also wrote that more donors are going online to give back to the University. According to Nathan, 2,169 donors online gave a total of $698,573. Nathan and Winship said that they are optimistic about fundraising efforts under Lawrence and that they have a long-term goal to build the endowment. According to the Office of Development in an October interview with the Justice, the Board of Trustees put forward a goal to raise the endowment to over $1 billion by 2013 or 2014. Winship said that the University is still on track to meet that goal despite recent obstacles and the threat of another economic recession.
(09/06/11 4:00am)
A bill calling for more transparency in financial reporting from Massachusetts higher education institutions was heard before the Joint Revenue Committee on June 9, according to Director of the Division of Higher Education at Local 615 Wayne Langley in an interview with the Justice.
(08/30/11 4:00am)
This summer, University President Frederick Lawrence and several administrators traveled to Israel to explore opportunities for collaboration in the sciences and to connect with education leaders, alumni and friends of the University in Israel, according to a June 12 BrandeisNOW press release.
(08/30/11 4:00am)
Prof. Anita Hill (Heller) has joined the Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll Civil Rights and Employment Practice group of counsel, according to the firm's website.
(08/30/11 4:00am)
Prof. Susan Birren (BIOL) was announced as the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, according to a June 17 campuswide email from University President Frederick Lawrence.
(08/30/11 4:00am)
The 2-year-old lawsuit that was brought against the University by four Rose Art Museum overseers concerning its management of the museum during the 2009 financial crisis has been settled, according to a BrandeisNOW press release. "The settlement agreement, which brings to an end all claims concerning management of the Rose and the potential sale of artwork, states that the Rose is, and will remain a university art museum open to the public and that Brandeis has no plan to sell artwork," the press release stated. In an interview with the Justice, University President Frederick Lawrence said that the University will now focus on the museum's upcoming 50th anniversary by exposing the Rose to the outside world through traveling exhibitions of artwork typically on display at the Rose. According to the settlement agreement provided to the Justice by Senior Vice President for Communications and External Affairs Andrew Gully, Lawrence and the plaintiffs "engaged in a series of constructive and collegial conversations" about the museum and its future. They settled the dispute on the terms that the museum will remain open to the public; professionally staffed and committed to "collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting fine art"; hire a director with expertise in modern and contemporary art; and that the University will have no plans or intent to sell any of the artwork. Then-University President Jehuda Reinharz formed a search committee to recruit a new director for the Rose on Sept. 16, 2010, according to a Sept. 21 Justice article. Now that the lawsuit is settled, Lawrence said that the University is able to truly move forward and "focus on the selection of a top-tier ... director." In addition, the settlement agreement does not require Brandeis to make monetary payments to any of the plaintiffs; it must only uphold the agreement and act in the best interests of the museum and its future. The plaintiffs in the suit were members of the Rose Board of Overseers Meryl Rose, Jonathan Lee, Lois Foster and Gerald Fineberg. Their claims against the University have been dismissed by the Suffolk Probate and Family Court in Boston, and the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General terminated its review of the University on June 20. All of the plaintiffs agreed in the settlement to "release and relinquish their claims in the Action," meaning that they will no longer pursue legal action against Brandeis. In the case of Fineberg and his wife Sandra, who are funding current renovations to the museum aimed at making the building more energy efficient and aesthetically pleasing, the University agreed to double the size of a plaque that recognizes the Finebergs' donation and display the plaque more prominently in the museum. In an interview with the Justice, Lee said that he was happy with the settlement. "I would certainly say I am getting what I want, which is the assurance that the University is not going to sell its art," said Lee. According to Lee, Lawrence was directly involved in the settlement decision. "He's agreed not to sell any of the art and he wants to get an appropriate museum director hired and he wants to restore the Rose to its glory, if you will," said Lee. "So all of this is good news to my ears." The dispute began in January 2009, when the Board of Trustees voted to authorize the sale of artwork from the museum if necessary, according to the press release. The Justice reported in an Oct. 20, 2009 article that "the lawsuit ... seeks to maintain the Rose collection by stating that the University's decision to close it and sell its paintings would violate museum ethical codes. ... [It] also states that the University's decision violates its commitment to the Rose family to maintain the museum solely as a public museum." This authorization was made in an effort to help Brandeis cope with an endowment that had been severely diminished during the financial crisis, according to The New York Times. The Board's 2009 decision drew national attention and criticism, and the University ultimately sold no artwork. In March, Brandeis announced widespread renovations to the Museum, funded by the Finebergs. In an email to the Justice, Prof. Ellen Schattschneider (ANTH) wrote, "I am enormously relieved to learn of the settlement between Brandeis … and the plaintiffs in the Rose lawsuit. ... Many of us on the faculty are looking forward to a close working relationship with the Museum, which is so vital to the special intellectual and cultural missions of Brandeis." About the financial situation that led to the decision to sell artwork and the resulting lawsuit, Lee said, "It was an unfortunate road that we all had to go down. I'm just pleased that it's over and that it's come out the way that it has. You don't want museums to be at risk of losing the stuff that reminds us of where we've been and what we are as a society because of a short term financial problem. This lawsuit has established that for a wider audience." —Emily Kraus and Sara Dejene contributed reporting. Editor's note: This is an updated version of the article originally posted online June 30.
