Hi Heather!
University partnerships can be very fruitful if carefully evaluated an established for truly mutual benefit. My entire museum career featured major university partnerships at each science center or museum I led.
Your concern is warranted as it is easy to get into one-sided relationships that favor University and suck up time trying to manage through their bureaucracy.
I have studied, written, presented and consulted extensively on partnerships like these. AAM sponsored my doctoral research in partnerships which was written up in an issue of museum news, cited below:
Museum Partnerships: Insights from the Literature and Research, Museum News November/December 1998
The most extensive and successful University partnership we established in under my leadership was when I was CEO at COSI and we had an extensive, multifaceted partnership with the Ohio State University. It ranged over many elements and was highlighted by both visitor forward to research labs and the Universities PBS station and offices actually embedded within COSI.
An article that I contributed to this partnership is cited below:
Museum–University Partnerships as a New Platform for Public Engagement with Scientific Research
Jamie Bell, David Chesebrough, Jason Cryan & Emlyn Koster
To cite this article: Jamie Bell, David Chesebrough, Jason Cryan & Emlyn Koster (2016) Museum–University Partnerships as a New Platform for Public Engagement with Scientific Research, Journal of Museum Education, 41:4, 293-306, DOI: 10.1080/10598650.2016.1228302
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10598650.2016.1228302
I have other pieces I have written on this partnership and others and would be glad to share them with you or anyone else. I can be reached at David@ChesebroughSolutions.com and www.ChesebroughSolutions.com.
I believe partnerships-- the correct ones properly set up and continually monitored– are critical for most museums to be truly successful, impactful and financially sustainable.
I would be glad to be a resource for you or anyone else on this topic.
Dr. David E. Chesebrough, President Emeritus, Center of Science & Industry (COSI).
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David Chesebrough
President Emeritus
Columbus OH
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-19-2021 02:51 PM
From: Heather Wilson
Subject: University Partnerships
I'm wondering if any museums that are not associated with universities have built successful partnerships with universities. We are looking at partnering with our local university and offering classes taught by staff at our museum. While educationally this makes perfect sense, the university bureaucracy is having a hard time determining a way to pay our museum for the use of our staff and our space. Has anyone done this successfully? Thanks in advance!
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Heather Wilson
Deputy Director
Cameron Art Museum
Wilmington NC
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