Reporter Volume 26, No.21 March 23, 1995

Dear Colleague,
Provost Aaron Bloch has appointed a special committee to assess the
present strengths and future directions of the arts programs at UB. At
the first meeting of the committee on Feb. 1, he articulated the
charge as follows:
	The committee is charged with presenting a clearly articulated
vision of what the arts ought to be on this campus, how to get there,
what the relationship of university arts programs ought to be to
community arts programs. He said that the committee's report would be
the basis for defining the future of UB arts programs with respect to
competing programs and will constitute part of the strategic plan for
UB. It would also be useful, he said, if the committee could assess
the degree of support for the UB arts programs that exists in the
community at large, including among alumni.
	He asked the committee to look at the strengths, weaknesses of
existing programs, areas to be emphasized, the potential for
leadership. In addition, the following questions should be addressed:
How are the arts programs related to the other disciplines? Where are
opportunities for synergism? Are there areas where key additions would
leverage important changes?
	We will be asking for more systematic input from you
presently, but at this time we would welcome your general thoughts on
these matters. Please feel free to respond to any of the following
members of the committee:
	o	Alan Birnholz, Art History
	o	Robert Chumbley, Center for the Arts
	o	Saul Elkin, Theatre and Dance
	o	J. Terry Gates, Music (co-chair)
	o	Tyrone Georgiou, Art
	o	Al Harris F., University Gallery
	o	Brian Henderson, Media Study
	o	George R. Levine, English (chair)
	o	Stephen Manes, Music
	o	Ben Nelson, Anthropology
	o	Catherine Norgren, Theatre and Dance
	o	Jolene Rickard, Art History
	o	Linda Swiniuch, Theatre and Dance
Sincerely,
George Levine
Professor of English and Chair, Fine Arts Committee