The decision comes after months of discussions between the University and other interested parties that had proposed taking responsibility for the museum as a non-profit.
A number of approaches were considered, but ultimately no group was able to come up with a viable plan to manage the museum independently. And Humboldt State officials say the campus cannot afford to subsidize the operation.
The University is keeping open its offer of a long-term loan of the museum’s collection, if supporters are able to find the necessary financial support.
For now, planning is under way to move some of the collection into storage and integrate other portions of the collection into existing displays and labs. The campus will begin looking for a long-term tenant to lease the building, which is located near downtown Arcata.
The Natural History Museum opened in 1989, and offered exhibits and programs to teach community members of all ages about the natural world. However, the museum often struggled financially, and was hampered by a lack of lab space or room for more than a small portion of the University’s scientific collections.
HSU was forced to close the museum because of unprecedented state budget cuts.
The California State University system has been dealing with a shortfall of nearly $600 million this year. For HSU, that has meant a reduction of about $12 million from a $102 million general fund budget. Actions taken to address the shortfall have included student fee increases, elimination of spring admissions, unpaid employee furloughs, hiring freezes, administrative salary freezes and reductions in equipment purchases – while additional reductions continue to be made.
Given that difficult budget situation, Humboldt State officials said the campus could not commit the estimated $250,000 annually that the museum needed to sustain it long-term.