Administration of Museums and Historic Sites

HIST 6301, Fall 2001

University of West Georgia

 

Ann McCleary                                                            Pam Meister

History Department                                                            Director of Education and Interpretation

University of West Georgia                                                Atlanta History Center

770-838-3031                                                             404-814-4071

amcclear@westga.edu                                                            PMeister@AtlantaHistoryCenter.com

 

Course meetings:            TLC 3-205 at UWG and room at the Atlanta History Center

McCleary Office hours:   Tuesdays 2-3:15 and 8-9 p.m.; Wednesdays 1-2 (when our class does not meet at the AHC); Thursdays, 8:30-11:30 at the Center for Public History in Pafford 202, and by appointment.

Meister Office hours: by appointment.           

 

Course Objectives

The goal of this class is to introduce students to the wide range of administrative duties that one might encounter as a director or manager of a museum or historic site.  Administrators wear a variety of hats in their daily interactions with staff, volunteers, board members, and the general public.  While overseeing the daily operations of the museum or site, the director must also must conduct long-range planning, ensure funding for programs and exhibits, educate the board about issues that the museum is facing, market the museum to the public, and often find resolution to controversial ethical or legal issues.

This class will cover museum governance, strategic planning, budget and development, marketing, ethics and legal issues, human resources management, insurance, risk management, and accreditation.  As a graduate seminar, this course will emphasis class discussion and participation as well as written work.   We will use selected readings by museum professionals, drawn from books and current journals.  In addition, the course will require a variety of assignments that will ask students to research and undertake projects or reports that a museum direct might do.  These assignments will be turned in throughout the semester and will often be used as the basis for class discussion on that night.  However, we also encourage students to gather these assignments into a portfolio that they could use in applying for future jobs.

The class will meet on alternate dates at UWG and at the Atlanta History Center (see schedule for specific class meeting places).   We will have the opportunity to become acquainted with and learn from professional staff at the Atlanta History Center and other museums who perform the various duties covered in the class and to learn about the issues that they face.  The course will be team-taught by Pam Meister, who will coordinate the Atlanta History Center meetings, and Ann McCleary, who is responsible for UWG meetings.  Both bring considerable experience in working in different types of museums and museum organizations.    

This class may be used towards the Museum Studies Certificate program offered by the University of West Georgia and the Atlanta History Center.

 

 

 

Learning Outcomes

1)   Students will explore the range of organizational and governance structures used in museums, and become familiar with the primary roles and responsibilities of the governing board.

2)   Students will learn basic principles and techniques of strategic planning, marketing, financial management, fundraising, and personnel management for museums.

3)   Students will become familiar with key ethical and legal issues surrounding museums.

4)   Students will learn the basic elements of risk management and the type of insurance applicable to museums.

5)   Students will become familiar with the range of career opportunities available in museum administration.

 

Required Readings

There are no required textbooks for this class.  Readings will be assigned in advanced and will be selected from books and journals.

 

Course Requirements

This course is designed to incorporate several projects that a director might undertake in a museum or at a historic site or to explore situations that a director might face.

 

Role Playing Assignment (10%):

Students will be assigned roles to research and then play in a discussion about a difficult topic that a museum director might face.  We will role play the situation in class on September 5..  Students must turn in a position statement that they bring to class that day as well as an in-class writing response to the situation.  Did the director handle the situation well?  What were his or her strengths?  What were his or her weaknesses?

 

Planning Project (15%):

The Atlanta History Center is currently considering how to make the best use of the Hartrampf Cabin, which has been offered to the Center.  For this assignment, each student will develop a written strategic plan proposing how the cabin could be used, indicating various phases of development for this project and a budget estimate.  Students will present these plans to the class and to the Hartrampf Cabin Planning Committee at the AHC.

 

Marketing Plan (15%):

For this assignment, each student will develop a marketing plan for a program at the Atlanta History Center.  The AHC has sponsored an annual program entitled AHoliday Stories and Songs@ during the Christmas season, but it has not traditionally developed a large community response.  Your job will be to identify some marketing strategies that the History Center might employ in promoting this program.

 

Legal or Ethical Issues (15%):

Each will be assigned a particular legal or ethical issue that a museum director might face.  We will use real life situations.  In this assignment, research the issue and prepare a brief statement about how you would respond to the issue if you were the museum director.

 

Position description assignment (15%):

Each student will be assigned a particular set of job duties to research.  You are responsible for researching this position at five museums (please chose a diversity of types of museums).  What are the typical qualifications that this position requires or recommends?  What responsibilities does this position usually have?  What skills and abilities are required?  Please describe the similarities and differences that the museums you researched have shown and analyze why.  In this assignment, please assess what you have learned about the position for your fellow classmates.  Analyze your findings in writing and be prepared to make a presentation to the class.  Please include a staffing chart that will show how this position relates to other positions.

 

Foundation proposal (15%):

Students will be assigned a specific project that the AHC hopes to undertake or is in the process of developing.  Each student will be required to research and identify a potential funding source and write a request for funding that would be appropriate to send to a private foundation.  As you may note on the syllabus, we will meet at the Foundation Center in Atlanta on Octoer 3 to learn how to research foundation support.  There will be time at this class session to do your own research for your project.

 

Class participation and attendance (15%)

This course will be taught as a graduate seminar in which discussion and participation are very important.  Some classes will focus on a discussion of the readings, whereas other class sessions may involve guest speakers.  We hope that you will make the most out of this class experienceBand particularly the opportunity to talk with a wide variety of museum professionalsBand ask questions and engage them in discussion about issues of interest to you whenever possible.