Abstract
This essay examines the rationale, structure, and challenges of operating an off-campus summer theatre program under university administration, using the Jenny Wiley Theatre partnership with Virginia Tech’s Arts Management Institute as a case study. The discussion outlines the complex administrative relationship between the university, the theatre’s board of trustees, and the institute’s faculty, noting ambiguities in authority and budgetary responsibility. Despite logistical and financial strains on departmental resources, the author argues that the program yields substantial educational and institutional benefits. These include providing students with professional production experience, access to real management data for analysis, and opportunities to assume leadership roles in a functioning theatre environment. The essay also emphasizes the program’s value in enhancing the university’s visibility and in integrating practical, experiential learning into academic training. Ultimately, it contends that such partnerships are sustainable and worthwhile only when conceived as extensions of departmental mission rather than as peripheral ventures.
Recommended Citation
Drapeau, Donald A.
(1986)
"Off-Campus Summer Programs — Why Bother?,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 58, Article 6.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol58/iss1/6
