If the schools are interested and details can be worked out, the educational trips would continue as in past years. They would be financed in part by grants the University has already received.
Schools have been the museum’s primary community partner over the years, sending hundreds of students annually to learn about the natural world. Given that it will take some time to determine what to do with the collections and the building, the University saw an opportunity to use grant funding to continue the programs temporarily this year.
The University has also determined it will not be feasible to open the museum to the public for limited hours, which had been requested by a group of community supporters.
The decision was outlined in a letter to the Friends of the North Coast’s Natural History Museum, a group which had sought the limited hours and proposed taking responsibility for the museum as a non-profit. The group’s proposal included volunteer staff, grants, funds from pledges, nominal rent from the University and use of the University’s collections.
In the letter to the group, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Robert Snyder wrote: “After careful consideration of the proposal, I do not believe it is feasible to turn the museum over to a non-profit unless there are enough resources to assure its operation with professional staff. Running an organization like the museum with volunteer staff is neither desirable nor feasible.” Read the entire letter from Provost Snyder here. (PDF)
Snyder said he was impressed with the group’s ability to gather a reported $75,000 in pledges. However, he said that he and others at the University had been clear that $120,000 was needed to run the museum this year, but more importantly, ongoing funding of $250,000 annually was needed to sustain it long-term.
Snyder also wished the group well in its efforts to create a non-profit organization and create a new museum.
The Natural History Museum, located in a campus-owned facility near downtown Arcata, first opened to the public in 1989. Its closure will save the University approximately $150,000 this year, and even more in future years, when museum staff had said $60,000 in one-time expenditures and $100,000 in additional annual funding were needed.
The closure is just one of a number of difficult decisions the University has made in response to severe state budget cuts.
Humboldt State’s general fund budget of $102 million was reduced by $12 million this year. As a whole, the 23-campus California State University system has seen state funding drop to $1.6 billion, nearly $600 million below a decade ago.
The cuts have led to a variety of actions, including student fee increases, unpaid employee furloughs, larger classes, reductions in class offerings, reductions in student services, hiring freezes, administrative salary freezes and reductions in equipment purchases. And HSU still must make additional cuts this fiscal year.