The show will go on Glenn Miller funding to make switch from USU to community
Funding for the Glenn Miller show will be changed from Utah State University, which has formerly played an active role in the production of the dancing and big band show, to the community.
“The Glenn Miller show has greatly contributed to the university and to the community,” said President of Utah State University Kermit Hall. “We appreciate the community support and look forward now to helping expand [the Glenn Miller] support base beyond Utah State.”
USU will gradually phase out funding for the program over the next four to five years, giving the non-profit organization Bridgerland Performing Arts sufficient time to take the reigns of the operation.
“We are formalizing an alliance between [USU and Bridgerland Performing Arts] in an attempt to preserve a 22-year legacy of the Sunburst Club and Glenn Miller production,” said Jim Chapman, chairman of the Board of Trustees for Bridgerland Performing Arts.
Chapman said the mission of Bridgerland Performing Arts is to create an environment that will support the Glenn Miller show and bring public attendance to a peak.
After initiating an extensive evaluation of USU’s resources and the cost of the Glenn Miller production, the administration felt the Glenn Miller show should be self-supporting as a program, said Assistant Vice President for Student Life Gary Chambers.
“As resources become tight and demands for resources go up, it’s important that we evaluate where the largest demand for resources lie,” he said.
“We are understaffed in admissions, school relations and in counseling. These needs are more central and more core to the mission of student services,” he said. “We [were faced with a choice] of putting our resources in core functions or in public relations and entertainment. If I were asked if I thought it was more important to provide entertainment for the community or to use that money to get more counselors for the students, I would say it is much more important to get good counselors to guide and direct students toward their career goals and graduation than to fund an outreach program.”
“Do I think [the Glenn Miller production] is a good program? Absolutely. Do I think it should continue? Absolutely,” Chambers said. “But when we can’t do everything, we’ve got to pull back and do what we can do.”
Sunburst singer and dancer Paul Hansen disagreed.
Hansen said USU has benefited immensely from the Glenn Miller show and should be willing to contribute something to the program. Nevertheless, Hansen said switching over to Bridgerland Performing Arts will be a good move.
“As long as it can still be affiliated with the university with regards to students, academia and scholarships, I think it’s great,” he said.
The university hopes to see the program continue, Hall said.
“We will assist in whatever way feasible to help [the Glenn Miller show] succeed during this crucial transition from a university-based to a community-based program,” Hall said. “We will do all we can, within available resources, to give the Glenn Miller program the opportunity to succeed.”
Regardless of who the host of the program will be, the show will go on, Chapman said.
“This program is outstanding,” Chapman said. “It is comparable to the level of production on Broadway. The magic of the show is that university students are giving a Broadway-caliber performance.”
“It’s important that we recognize [the singers and dancers] and the outstanding performance they give,” said director of the Sunburst Singers and Dancers Derek Furch. “They have worked extremely hard, and have put countless time and energy into making this program succeed.”