First greatness, then weakness.

Isn’t it about time we address some of the weak points? Not uncommon in this world, Brooks has some potentially serious flaws to accompany the greatness of the organization. You can read some of my more potent viewpoints about the general state of the educational system in the United States here. Now, most of the weaknesses of Brooks are not those of the public school system. Brooks really only suffers from a few simple things which, in and of themselves are not that big of an issue. If uncorrected, these problems could destroy the school for good.

Now, both Ernie Sr. and Ernie Jr. are both gone. His son has sold the school to CEC, a corporation which owns many schools around the world. This change came back in 1999, and to be honest, at that point the school was rumored to be in pretty bad shape, financially speaking. Equipment upgrade and replacement was long overdue, and resources were limited. Brooks was beginning to slip. Now, the sale of Brooks to CEC was seen by many as a bad thing. It was like Apple Computers selling out to Microsoft. As far as I can figure, some thought (and still think) that the Brooks family was selling out to the very people that the Brooks name stood as a testament against. The big corporation, the destroyer of true learning, freedom, and creativity. (and movies during classtime). What would happen to Brooks now that it was owned by a big bad corporation? How could it possibly succeed with such an entity looming over it and breathing down it’s neck? Well, here it is a good six years later, and Brooks is still going strong.

I’m not convinced that the move of Brooks to CEC was necessarily a bad one. I mean, CEC is a fairly young organization, one that undertakes mostly schools that are geared towards the arts. They (hopefully) are not stupid. The Brooks name is not something that comes and goes in the passing of the night. Brooks has a long and strong reputation for quality education. Once again, there isn’t any huge issue that threatens Brooks. It’s all the small things.

Probably the biggest of these issues is acceptance. Brooks used to have very strict policies about who could attend, and it was quite an obstacle to all but the truest, most dedicated photographer. While price was a huge factor in eliminating many of those who had only a passive interest in photography, it was not the only gate through which to pass. You had to convince a committe that you would be as good for Brooks as Brooks would be for you.

Well, since then, Brooks has become a place where most anyone with a camera, a good story, and a cool hundred grand or a co-signer could get in (with the camera and good story being pretty much optional at this point). I don’t mind that CEC wants to allow entry for a higher number of students into the system at one time. I do mind that these students don’t have the drive to make it work, and to stick with it all the way through.

More students=More money. That is the short term solution. But what happens when the truly serious students are slowed down by the students who need someone to hold their hand in order to stay motivated? Eventually, the true students will migrate to another school, or avenue of education altogether. Next, the name of Brooks becomes second rate due to an oversaturation of mediocre students who won’t perform to the standards the school is known for. The other issue is that instead of students who will complete the program, the school is now comprised of students who begin, only to leave the program early.

Brooks loses in two ways.

First, they don’t have the consistent revenue of a single student for three years. Money and energy are then diverted from retention to recruitment. More resources are necessary in the lower division courses to accommodate for the higher number of entry-level students which are needed to account for the loss in upper-division students. Higher division courses and resources suffer, creating an incomplete educational path for serious students. Percentages of actual graduates drop, and those who do graduate do so with less overall ability. Even fewer potential recruits are willing to venture into the program. Overall new registrations begin to drop. Ice packs and novocaine become common amenities in the investor annual report package.

Secondly, Brooks loses by having perpetually less access to the work that the most seasoned students produce, which is the only real proof of the schools greatness. It is a tribute to the simple law of diminishing returns. More students does not alone mean more money. More GREAT students has much more potential, long term, to take Brooks to the next level.

 

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