ASU's Public Events department has been forced to get creative since being informed last fall by President Michael Crow that the University would no longer supply it with a $1.5 million subsidy.
"It's a tough time," said Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, executive director for ASU Public Events.
"You just put your entrepreneurial thinking cap on, and you just go to it," she added.
Public Events runs Gammage Auditorium, Sundome Center for the Performing Arts and Kerr Cultural Center. It also sponsors cultural programs at ASU and in the community, including events at area high schools.
Jennings-Roggensack said Gammage Auditorium, located on ASU's main campus, is the No. 1 Broadway house in the country.
She wasn't surprised by the cuts when Crow told her about them at their annual private budget meeting, she said.
"We knew the situation with the state and the University budget," she said.
Virgil Renzulli, ASU's vice president of public affairs, said a $30 million budget cut and lack of enrollment growth money from the state has necessitated a new fiscal philosophy at ASU.
"President Crow wants any area with revenue streams of their own to try to cover their own costs," Renzulli said.
"I think particularly in Public Events they know where they stand, that they have a good plan," Renzulli added.
"It's not that you're taking money away," he said.
"It's that you don't have it to give. And what you do is you give it to academics first," said Renzulli, who added that raises are on hold campuswide.
Brainstorming by Public Events staff yielded ideas like renting out venues to car shows and wedding exhibitions.
Public Events has also brought in money by simply asking.
"If I need carpet, I'm out fund raising for carpet," Jennings-Roggensack said.
People who had donated to Public Events in the past were asked for more money, and Jennings-Roggensack began building an endowment by appealing to businesses and individuals who hadn't previously donated.
The "Beyond Broadway" series at Gammage is now the "American Express Beyond Broadway Season" after a donation of $60,000.
That deal is one of many such sponsorships, Jennings-Roggensack said. Still, some performances had to be eliminated due to budget cuts, she added.
Loans are another option for essential expenses. Public Events will no longer receive capital improvement funds for building maintenance, so the department recently arranged for a loan of $1.6 million to replace Gammage's original rigging, Jennings-Roggensack said.
Ticket sales are up, too, which helps to compensate for the loss of funding. The subscription base this year for the Broadway and "Beyond Broadway" seasons has risen 22 percent and 42 percent, respectively.
There have also been some changes in the staff at Public Events.
"As people retired, we opted not to replace them," said Jennings-Roggensack, adding that "people are going to sit on no raises."
She said she doesn't anticipate any staff downsizing, but didn't rule out salary reductions.
But even with all of those measures, Public Events won't be able to immediately make up for the loss of ASU funding, Jennings-Roggensack said.
"We're going to come as close as we can," she said, adding that she's confident any shortfall will be made up for by the end of a two-year plan ending in fiscal year 2004-05.
Public Events has an annual budget of approximately $10 million, $8.5 million of which comes from ticket sales and other in-house revenue. About $1.5 million normally comes from ASU.
If Public Events should fail to raise enough money, Renzulli said ASU would step in. "We're not going to let those areas be hurt," he said. "It's too important for public outreach."
Jennings-Roggensack said she has a firm belief in the importance of her work. She added that working in the arts is like a calling.
"We believe in art," she said. "We believe culture endures."
Given the circumstances, Jennings-Roggensack said she sees only one option. As she says to her staff, "We're all in this boat together, pick up an ore and row."
Reach the reporter at jesse.christopherson@asu.edu.
