Embracing Multidisciplinary Engagement: How Campus Museums in the U.S. Can Bolster Their Relevancy in an Increasingly Competitive Academic Funding Climate

Abstract

There is a growing trend in universities and colleges in the U.S. putting an increasingly greater emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects and less on those part of the arts and humanities. This is largely due to the skewed notion that the fields involving science and technology fit best with the core academic mission and are the most valuable for students to immerse themselves in. STEM departments are therefore receiving a significant portion of institutional funding in comparison to arts-related areas, including campus art museums. However, the benefits of having the arts included in the academic career of all students, regardless of their field(s) of study, are becoming abundantly clear. Academic museums often act as that connecting factor between art and students of non-art related fields who may not realize how art can relate to their studies and be of value to them academically, professionally, and/or personally. Academic art museums must therefore promote themselves as a valuable resource for students of all disciplines in order for their parent institutions to recognize their importance in academia and more highly prioritize them, most significantly in the form of funding. This paper surveys and analyzes various strategies being developed and implemented at campus art museums across the country as a means to achieve this multi-disciplinary relevancy.