The fate of the nearly one-year-old Karen and Richard Carpenter Performing Arts Center has been under much speculation since operation of the center changed hands March 1, resulting in shortened box office hours and the layoffs of several full and part time employees.
PAC, which has been under the administrative control of University Relations and Development office since its inception, transferred last week when it was placed under the direction of the College of Arts.
Although the change in administration was a result of general budget constraints, officials for the College of Arts and the development office were quick to say the change was all a part of the long-term plan for PAC and not a drastic measure due to lack of funding.
"The change was not supposed to happen until September," said Jerry Mandel, vice president of the university relations and development office. "But ticket sales aren't as high as we wanted and we already have a staff in the College of Arts, so it made sense to make the transfer now. Our job was to get the center up and running financially and then transfer the center to the college of Arts. We set out with this plan five years ago."
PAC was initially funded by a $280,000 advance from the Cal State Long Beach Foundation, with plans to pay back the Foundation with the interest from two endowments totaling $3 million, Mandel said.
But because of the recent recession and a lagging economy, money needed to support PAC has been less than expected, Mandel said.
"Had the endowment grown as quickly as we wanted, we would have waited until September before we transferred it over to the College of Arts," Mandel said. "We had been hoping to raise the $3 million to $5 million. It will happen, we're working on it right now."
Mandel said his office, which is the fund raising arm for Cal State Long Beach, will continue to be in charge of fundraising for PAC.
College of Arts Dean Wade Hobgood said although no performances have been booked yet for the fall season, there is no cause for concern.
"The bottom line is, the endowment income was less than we hoped for," Hobgood said. "But the season will continue. Our primary focus for the center will be to serve the needs of the students and peripherally, the community. We're not closing the doors, we're hoping to open them wider."
Moving PAC under the College of Arts will save money by eliminating duplicate services that can be provided by the faculty, students and staff of the college, said CSULB President Robert Maxson.
"There isn't any question, from a budgeting standpoint, that the sooner it was moved, the better," said Maxson, who approved the transfer several weeks ago. "I view the Performing Arts Center as an academic facility and it belongs under the supervision of a dean and faculty, but it is also a cost-saving move."
Despite fewer-than-expected ticket sales, patron services manager Charles Johnson said that overall business has increased over the past two years.
"We have grown extensively," said Johnson, who manages the ticket sales for six different theaters around campus, including PAC. "By the end of this academic year, we'll have sold tickets to 225 events."
A recent report written by Johnson outlined several problems the box office was having in providing adequate services in light of increasing sales and events, Johnson said. The report, however, had nothing to do with the transfer of the center to the College of Arts, Johnson said.
"The volume of business has not declined, it has increased, which is why I originally wrote that report. My biggest concern was that patrons were not being sufficiently served," Johnson said, "I had no knowledge of the change in the Carpenter Center or the reduction of staff. The data was accurate, but the thoughts are no longer viable."
Ticket office hours have been reduced to 16 hours a week from 40 hours, Johnson said. New box offices hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
Hobgood said the only addition to the College of Arts is the 1,165-seat theater that was part of PAC and independent of the college. The rest of the facility, including the dance hall and the classrooms, has always been a part of the college, he said.
Hoping to acquire at least $200,000 from a budget allocation to the college, Hobgood said tentative pans for the fall include a series of shows that celebrate cultural diversity, more professional dance tours and Broadway plays, and student rehearsals.
"We want to make it in every shape and value, an asset for our students and faculty," Hobgood said.
"I'm so proud of that center," Maxson said. "We cannot let temporary growing pains that will last a few months dampen the enthusiasm for the future. Trust me, the center will turn out to be one of the greatest resources on this campus.