Bostonia details “revival”
The Sargent Center for Outdoor Education will be renamed Nature’s Classroom at Sargent Center as the organization takes over operations in September 2009, pending a lease to be signed in the coming weeks.
BU confirms possibility of continuation
According to a press release provided to the Daily Free Press, BU is “currently negotiating a lease over its 77-year-old education center with Nature’s Classroom, a private nonprofit corporation that promotes hands-on environmental education.”
Sargent Center to remain open in September
Thanks to an agreement between Nature’s Classroom of Charlton, Massachusetts and Boston University, Sargent Center will remain open to schools, conference groups and campers after August 31. Boston University will retain the ownership of the property and offer Nature’s Classroom a short-term operating lease, allowing programs to run much as they have in the past. Changes will be made organizationally to reduce cost and attempt to move towards a “break even” operation. All costs will be paid by Nature’s Classroom, and any surplus revenues will be theirs to reinvest in programs and facilities.
The details of the arrangement are still being worked out, but the hope is that many of the current staff will stay on to operate the programs, maintain the facilities and provide food service. The goal is a smooth transition, where current and future groups will find the level of quality comparable to what they have come to expect from Sargent Center.
No long-term decision on the future of the property has been announced by Boston University. The lease will serve as a bridge to a more permanent plan, but we hope that valuable learning resource that is Sargent Center can continue well into its second century that begins in 2012.
SCOE staff members will continue to update the extended network of Sargent friends via the Sargent Coalition as the transition unfolds.
Continuation talks fail
A third party interested in purchasing the camp recently entered talks with Boston University. SCOE staff announce the results of these conversations below.
Today we announce that no agreement was able to be reached to continue operations at Sargent Center beyond August 31st. All efforts to find an institution willing to lease the operation under BU’s continued ownership have failed. Although we will continue to look for long-term options and hope that BU will find a way to keep the doors open in some way, we felt it imperative to tell all our groups who were hoping to return in the fall that they should seek accommodation elsewhere.
BU has made it clear they are not in a position to sell the property, but would be very open to someone taking over full responsibility for operating educational programs here. They will continue to make the property available to faculty and students for research, but will not keep the facility operational on their own. How they decide to close and maintain the property has yet to be determined.
Many of you know that Sargent Camp was closed in a similar manner in 1969, only to be reborn under the School of Education as the Human Environment Institute in 1975. At that time, former director and Dean George Makechnie of Sargent College convinced the new president, John Silber, that Sargent Camp was too valuable to sell. President Silber requested proposals for an operating plan to reopen it to the BU community, leading to the current activities of Sargent Center.
If anyone is aware of and has connections with an organization who has the resources, will, and expertise to operate a facility of this size and complexity, they should know that BU is interested in hearing from them. This is not an easy undertaking financially and will be complicated by no longer having contracts on the books to begin a revenue stream. However, the opportunities here are not meager either. Anyone wishing to learn more about the operation should contact the director, Rob Rubendall, to arrange a tour and meeting.
BU students grapple with impact
The Daily Free Press continues its coverage of the effects SCOE’s looming closure could have on the BU and New England communities. Read the article here.
Continuation talks
A meeting was held at Sargent Center with interested parties on Tuesday which resulted in better clarity on what BU is looking for in a continuation plan. Many of SCOE’s schools and conference groups are holding out hope for a continuation of programs at Sargent Center, and SCOE staff are hoping to have a decision by the end of April regarding an extension through the fall.
A letter from Rob
April 13, 2009
With the announcement in January that BU would cease operations at Sargent Center, I circulated word throughout the professional and local communities in hopes of attracting someone who could carry on the
educational and conservation missions of Sargent Center in some way.
The ideal situation would allow for the continuation of some current school, conference and camp business that would provide revenue, rather than let the lights go out entirely. Naturally, moving this quickly is proving difficult, even for those who might be interested in the long run.
We did find one educational partner who finds their mission and ours very much aligned. We have had several meetings with them, and they are now engaged in negotiations with BU on terms of a collaborative agreement. There is still much work to be done, but both parties agree speed is called for in maintaining the current business operation. We will continue to provide updates via this page as things progress.
I want to personally thank, on behalf of all of us at Sargent Center, those of you who have expressed your support through this page or sent letters to President Brown. Because of this support, he has acknowledged the importance of Sargent Center to its constituents and wants to find a resolution that will carry on the important work in education and conservation that it represents. From my perspective, the best option for Sargent Center is to find another institution more aligned with environmental education and youth development who has the resources to support this size and complexity of operation. From that platform, Sargent could continue to support BU research and academia, perhaps even their student organizations, much as we have for 79 years. This is a win/win proposition.
If a transfer of operations or ownership is successfully negotiated, all the support of this group and others who have been touched by Sargent over the years will become very important in the form of a Sargent Center Continuation Fund. This will become the foundation of ongoing charitable support that will make the work we do with so many young people economically viable into the future. For those of you who have asked, “How can I help?”, we may soon have an answer, so please stay tuned! For now, your heartfelt support and prayers are most welcomed.
Please check back to this page for future updates, and thank you for keeping the Sargent Spirit alive.
Rob Rubendall
Director
Sargent Center for Outdoor Education
Bostonia mirrors BU Today
A copy of the BU Today article regarding the University’s plans to close the SCOE appeared as a “web exclusive” in Boston University’s alumni magazine, Bostonia.
Hope for the SCOE
Monday’s Daily Free Press covered the Sargent Coalition’s first meeting on Saturday. At it, faculty members Tom Kunz, Doug Zook, Nathan Phillips, and others were optimistic as they suggested a number of viable alternatives to closing the SCOE. Minutes from the meeting will be posted on a separate page shortly. Thank you to everyone who attended, whether in person or in thought.
The Boston Globe Magazine featured the Sargent Center’s Adventure Camp in its 2009 Summer Camp Guide and made note of its opportunities to climb, kayak, camp and cook.
BU responds to DFP coverage
Spokesperson Colin Riley and Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore responded to news of BU’s decision to close the Sargent Center, calling its cost of operation “excessive” and stating that President Brown “evaluated the situation by looking into how the center fit into his strategic plan, a decade-long approach to institutional development.” The University declined to disclose the financial information it used to reach its decision.
Brian Sirman, a graduate student at the University, also responded via letter today. “Few realize the SCOE even exists,” he said, “perhaps fewer still would miss it.” He also stated that the Sargent Coalition’s advocacy may be “pernicious in the long run.”
Update 2/2/2009: The Daily Free Press noted in a correction to its Jan. 30 article “BU officials talk SCOE” that BU officials decided to close the SCOE without consulting its staff members.
