Colleges Hoping Hollywood Wants MFA Graduates | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Jesse Saffron, who is a contributor to the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

UNC system officials skeptical of new programs unless campuses collaborate

    RALEIGH     The UNC School of the Arts and UNC-Greensboro want to create two new master of fine arts programs which  -  especially to those outside academia  -  appear to be duplicative. UNCSA wants to confer MFAs in filmmaking, and UNCG wants to confer MFAs in media production.

    Last spring, the schools separately sought approval from the UNC system's General Administration to begin planning their respective programs. The General Administration urged the two schools to consider a "highly collaborative strategy, such as joint program delivery," on the grounds that the programs were too similar and the schools are so close to each other geographically.

    And so the schools immediately began collaborating ... to explain why they can't collaborate on a joint program.

    David Nelson, UNCSA's provost, and David Perrin, UNCG's provost, wrote a joint memo to the General Administration in June, claiming that, while a "consortium arrangement" (in which students can take courses at both campuses) makes sense, combining the programs into one unified degree does not.

    In December, Suzanne Ortega, the UNC system's senior vice president for academic affairs, wrote a letter to the Educational Planning, Policies, and Programs Committee of the UNC system's Board of Governors. She explained some of the General Administration's doubts about the programs and noted that UNCSA had made it clear that it wanted to move forward independently. Ortega asked the committee to take up the case, as the university administration was "unprepared" to make a decision.

    In January, the educational planning committee convened. UNCSA's interim chancellor, James Moeser, and UNCG's chancellor, Linda Brady, presented their case.

    Moeser told committee members that his school's proposed MFA in filmmaking "has tremendous potential to feed one of the most important industries in North Carolina."

    Brady tried to allay concerns about program duplication. She told the members that if allowed to proceed with the planning process, the schools would develop collaboration ideas, and could profit from each other because of proximity and regional economic partnerships.

    Reaction was mixed. "I have a lot of problems with these programs," said Champion Mitchell, a first-term board member. "Going through the proposals themselves, I found that student demand data was not convincing and that the societal demand data was not compelling. At this point, based on what is in front of us, I am not excited about either one of these programs."

    North Carolina law requires the Board of Governors to consider "student demand" and "societal demand" when a UNC system school proposes a new degree program. Other factors  -  discussed extensively at the committee meeting  -  include whether the program will create unnecessary duplication and provide employment opportunities for program graduates. Also discussed was whether joint degree programs are feasible.

    In its formal program proposal, UNCG addressed the student demand issue by pointing out that since the fall of 2005, its MFA in drama (with a concentration in film and video production) had received a total of 199 applications. From 2005-06 through 2012-13, a total of 57 degrees were awarded. UNCG says that its proposed MFA in media production is simply a restructured version of its existing film/video production concentration. According to UNCG, this revamped degree will help increase enrollment and "make more efficient use of existing departmental resources."

    UNCSA's proposal simply stated, "We feel confident that we will be able to attract sufficient student demand," and noted that UNCSA receives "10 to 15 inquiries per year from individuals who would like to pursue an MFA in filmmaking. ..."

    As for societal demand, the universities echo the same sentiments: North Carolina has a $1 billion arts and film industry, new technological developments require new technical expertise, and employers value MFAs. In their joint letter to the General Administration, provosts Nelson and Perrin wrote that ultimately the schools want "to form a kind of 'RTP' of filmmaking and video education for the Triad. ..."

    UNC-Wilmington's chancellor, Gary Miller, also at the meeting, was given a brief opportunity to speak on behalf of his school, which hopes to move forward with an MFA in the near future.

    The committee ultimately decided that UNCSA, UNCG, and UNCW could begin the planning process. In the coming months, the Board of Governors will review the plans and decide whether to allow the programs to advance. But the schools appear to face an uphill battle. The committee chairman, Craig Souza, said, "It is our job to look for duplication, to enhance collaboration, and to make sure demand for whatever program is there. Quite frankly, I'm not convinced."