Revitalizing Chicago College's Logan Theater through strategic planning

Logan Theater Project

The performing arts are an integral part of any one person's development. Any substantial education system address the human need to express itself in an artistic manner and with emotional content. Secondary education systems are meant to provide a deeper and more profound impact upon a student's learning and the resources within any college or university is that much more important to the functioning of that institution.

The Logan Theater Within the Chicago College of Learning and Understanding (CCLU) main campus has been experiencing great difficulties in meeting the established goals and standards set out by the leadership branch of the colleges' directors. Recently the Logan theater has been discussed to be transformed into regular classrooms as the theater's facilities have been grossly underused in the last decade.

The purpose of this written document is to explore CCLU's problems with its Logan theater and offer solutions to the dilemma that the current situation dictates. Essentially this essay aims to find out how to improve the theater as to create partnerships and support within the campus (i.e. faculty/staff, students, groups) and outside (i.e. surrounding communities), improve employee morale, and improve marketing efforts. The goal is to avoid the theater from closing its doors and turning it into a classroom for the campus.

In order to communicate this idea, this idea will present information and data that is pertinent to this problem and explore useful and practical solutions that represent a course of action that can eventually bring resolution to the unused aspects of the theater. This essay will first demonstrate the objectives and intended outcomes of this plan before giving a detailed description of the theater itself. To help contextualize the argument this essay will then examine the employee productivity and management leadership style that have been procured within this project. A plan or method of correcting this problem will then be presented along with the results and training issues that must accompany such changes. The essay will conclude by presenting the best options for leadership to choose.

Objectives

The main objective of this effort is to better utilize the Logan Theater which is located on the Chicago College of Learning and Understanding (CCLU) campus on the northwest precinct of the city of Chicago. This project will investigate the key issues and promote this theater to a level of use that is consistent with the college, the university and the economic, political and social aspects of the environment that the city promotes. This essay will demonstrate that in order to claim this objective, an overhaul of ideas and approaches is called for to assist in repairing the problem that exists.

Evaluation Questions

The following questions are to be answered using this operational plan:

How can the Logan Theater be best used?

How important are the CCLU's educational interests ?

What are the unique circumstances of this problem ?

How can management and leadership style contribute to this solution?

How can employee training and development contribute to this solution ?

Theater Overview

CCLU History

CCLU was charted in 1950 on the Northwest side of Chicago. The college was commissioned by local bankers and businessmen to help formulate educational ideals that are aligned with American and western ideals. The purpose of this college is to prepare students to compete or participate in the global environment. The college specializes has a general curriculum and specializes in education, and other liberal arts programs. Recently CCLU was recognized for its new business and economic school that was put into place in the 1990s.

CCLU has nearly 10,000 students that represent many different social and economic backgrounds. Most students are receiving some financial aid and the average semester tuition costs are nearly $4,000. Nearly half the students live on campus while the rest are considered commuter students. The student population is racial mixed with equal proportions of whites, blacks and Hispanics, much like the racial profile of the city itself.

CCLU owns 20 acres of land and the real estate is considered very valuable, estimated at nearly $100 million on the market. CCLU has 20 buildings that include classrooms, dorms, a greenhouse, observatory, athletic compounds and of course the Logan Theater. CCLU does not have an athletic program and much of the focus of the students are on education and learning. CCLU has had problems in the past with leadership trying to sell some of the properties owned by the college, but the board of directors were decidedly against this. The valuable land that CCLU occupies defines many of the problems it has had historically and throughout its relationship with the city.

CCLU and The Logan Theater Background

In 1931, CCLU's acting president, Daniel Smith suggested that the dramatic arts would greatly improve the quality of the college and sought to add on to the organization's expansion. Smith found that drama and emotion were critical aspects to the learning process and is founded on the idea of imaginative insights. The need for creative expression was the main reason that the Logan Theater was procured and added on to the campus' list of buildings. After attaining this building, CCLU's drama and theater programs was considered one of the best in the nation and throughout the world.

The importance of the dramatic arts was celebrated throughout the decades as Logan Theater became a popular location for local and traveling acts to perform dramas, comedies and musicals. Big band, orchestra and popular music acts also played the Logan, as sponsored by the CCLU's board of entertainment events. The role of dramas was very important for both CCLU and the theater itself.

As the college transformed throughout the later part of the 20th century, CCLU became more focused on business and profits than academics itself. The famous CCLU cheating and banking scandal of 1991 depicts the problems that this institution has had in recent times. Many attribute these problems to society and a lack of leadership throughout the environment, but this does not explain many factors about the historic value of the school. It is possible to understand the diminishing value of the Logan theater by understanding the lack of attention dedicated to the dramatic arts. It appears that through TV and motion pictures ascendance throughout the ages, the Logan theater has become more of an ancient relic.

When CCLU acquired the theater in the early part of the 20th century the intent was to use the theater for dramatic arts. At that time in history, drama was treated in a more artistic manner than it is treated today. The rise of digital media and high definition television and movies has created a schism in society. Theater and the live performance, once cherished before the digital age, began to lose its luster an so did the Logan Theater.

Throughout its history the Logan Theater gave birth to many popular stars that contributed heavily to popular culture and the way art is viewed and ultimately consumed in today's age. Many famous performers have made their way through this state either as a student of CCLU or as one of the many acts that toured through the city of Chicago and played at the Logan Theater.

It is well-known that before their stardom on television, actors Bill Murray and John Belushi performed a version of Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Logan Theater for a dramatic festival in the late 1960's. Actors Pat Morita, Franklin Cover and Terrance Stamp are all graduates of CCLU's historic drama program and many of their performances were staged at the Logan throughout the years. Hollywood and Broadway owe much to the development of their performers to CCLU and their drama department throughout the years.

Recent Problems

Despite the historical significance of both the Logan Theater and the dedication to the dramatic arts that CCLU has provided over the years, a great change in education began to hamper the theater and the college. In early 2002, the college was bought out by British investor tycoon, Sir Larry Wildemean. Wildeman's approach to education became more profit centered and the college sought to cut financial burdens where necessary. The newly appointed board of directors suggested that the entire curriculum be modified which included diminishing the dramatic arts department. As a result many of the other art departments were also cut, as the Music departments budget was slashed by nearly 60%.

CCLU's more profit orientated alignment with education was dismissed by many as unethical and not in the best interests of students. CCLU problem was being competitive and that secondary education has to make certain sacrifices if it wishes to remain competitive in very dog eat dog world. Central to the debate over the new regulations is the question of the quality of a for-profit education." Proponents of the rules claim that for-profit colleges leave students with insurmountable debt and few skills, while opponents argue that these institutions provide valuable job training for underserved students. Both sides rely heavily on anecdotal evidence and descriptive comparisons of earnings of graduates in the private and public sector. Without a better understanding of the causal effects of a for-profit education on earnings, it is difficult, if not impossible, to assess the merits of the new regulations and the sector as a whole," (Celini & Chaudhary, 2014).

The need to find ways to make money is important and the Logan Theater is one of the unfortunate transformations that has occurred. Logan's Theater that once housed great music and dramatic performances goes mostly unused at CCLU today. The emphasis on the arts are not there as the dramatic arts department has only 5 students and 1 faculty member. The music department is in a similar situation and is nearly diminished as well.

Summary of Problems

The theater is grossly not meeting its goals and is not contributing to the growth and success of the organization. The theater has been attached to CCLU since it started and its objective is to put on performances 10 times a year, including renting the theater out to outside members (3rd party) to help educate students/community.

No one wants to come to the Logan Theater. The problem begins with the issue that sales/attendance have been down.

There are motivation problems by the employees of the Theater and there is a strong possibility of illegalities and a private gambling ring in the basement of the theater.

The booking of the shows has been poor. The last few shows did not attract more than 25 people. These included the band Haircut 100, Dark Fog, Highway J. And a Improv show.

No strong leadership, is present at the Logan Theater. There has been extremely high turnover in the past years and no manager has stayed for more than 6 months at a time. This "turn em and burn em" philosophy is regarded by Wildeman as an organizational philosophic pillar.

Students feel very little association to their college and not much loyalty to support anything outside their own personal program is usually not demonstrated. Students and faculty have little to no incentive in going/attending a performance as ticket prices are not discounted and student seating is reserved for the upper balcony only.

Business and Management Issues

SWOT Analysis

To begin to solve the problems expressed in this problem it is always necessary to involve the problems with what is in the environment. A SWOT analysis provides the necessary tool and model to determine what is at stake for both CCLU and the Logan Theater. By utilizing this key and important tool, valuable insight is gained by the highlighting of problems in context to one another.

This mental map of sorts allows the operational planning sequence to perform in alignment with the organizational strategy in a natural and coherent fashion. "SWOT analysis is a tool for auditing an organization and its environment. SWOT analysis is the first stage of planning and helps marketers to focus on key issues. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal SWOT factors. Opportunities and threats are external SWOT factors. A strength is a positive internal factor. A weakness is a negative internal factor. An opportunity is a positive external factor, " (Friesner, 2011).

Strengths

The dedication of the remaining students and patrons of the Logan Theater is a great strength. These dedicated and loyal followers have shown the necessary support to help promote the theater and carry it towards a new future if it is possible and within the strategic aims of the organization.

The creativity of those associated with the theater and the arts represents the most creative minds within the CCLU campus. If anyone can come up with a practical solution this group of people dedicated to the art of creation can serve as a strong benefit for the organization.

The Logan Theater is located in a very popular area in a very large city. In Chicago, if there is a quality product it will most likely be discovered and exploited for its full worth. The Logan theater can be supported by a young and affluent patronage if positioned in the right manner with the appropriate marketing techniques.

Weaknesses

The number of people dedicated to this effort are small and dwindling. While the quality is rich, the pure manpower of the effort will require more people than what is currently registering as dedicated to the survival of this theater.

There is limited time to determine the future of the Logan Theater. The real estate value itself will most likely exponentially grown if it is resold to private investors. The limitations of the CCLU's ability to make a profit restrains the overall organizational intent.

Limited finances also contribute to the weaknesses associated with the Logan Theater. Organizational leadership has provide strict guidelines that theater is to be bringing in profits and not draining resources.

Opportunities

High quality acts and performances can easily be attracted due to the location of the Theater and its place within Chicago. Chicago is known as a global city and there are always opportunities within such a large demographic.

Young opportunists are often drawn to reestablishing historic relics as new and fresh ideas. The historic content of the theater presents an opportunity for the school to present it in a way that links to the past and serves as slice of Americana or authenticity.

Digital saturation has provided some relief to the live performing arts. While today's digital culture is ubiquitous, it is tiresome and played sour to many audiences and arenas. The need for change will always serve as an opportunity for growth, learning and education in the larger scheme of things. Taking advantage of this opportunity requires a keen eye to detect this digital disillusionment that can lead hungry seekers of new experience to the Logan Theater for a performance they will never forget and take it with them on the path to the rest of their lives.

Threats

Losing short-term profits in an effort to reestablish the Logan Theater is a very heavy and serious threat to their organization and their ultimate objectives and goals. The need for high profits as a result of Wildeman's restructuring of the college has created a financial trap that may be hard to escape from. The loan structure that was used to finance the takeover has created a very aggressive and threatening scenario, where the bankers are looking to seize both profits and property from the university if certain financial obligations are not met to standard.

Change in organizational culture will threaten the overall direction of the for profit motive if more attention is paid towards the arts. The art and theater departments have always served as one of the most heavy burdens in financial aspects of operating the college.

Management Leadership Style

The issue with the Logan Theater and CCLU is a lack of alignment between leadership, responsible for creating a vision and direction for the organization, and the theater itself. The myopic stance on profits that Wildeman has presented to his board of directors is centered on profits and surviving the education market. There is a clear lack of non-material benefits that education can bring to an locale and environment. This approach to education suggests that unless the Logan Theater can produce profits for the school, the new leadership board is not interested in keeping or purveying the relic, despite its historical and practical significance for the school and the rest or the city.

The leadership style that would be able to work with the idea of keeping the Logan Theater requires a change of heart by the current regime. Material profits dominate the idea of education and something that does not contribute to this current goal must be dealt with in an appropriate manner. There is much research suggesting the education transcends material benefits and that a well rounded student, or student body, should be well versed in many subjects even if they don't contribute to the capitalistic schemes that dominate the economic, political and social landscape of the larger picture which bleeds down into its institutions such as secondary educational organizations such as CCLU.

To attract people to the theater it is necessary for leadership to make a decision to help guide the organization in the right direction. The current pace of events suggests that Wildemand and his board do not feel the need to change their views on making the Theater more important in their overall approach to the college. This for profit model has serious problems and contributes to the idea that the Theater itself does not belong in the hands of Wildeman and his for profit schemes. Deming et al. (2013) suggested that for profit colleges are not useful models for many reasons including economic ones. They wrote "For-profit, or proprietary, colleges are the fastest-growing postsecondary schools in the nation, enrolling a disproportionately high share of disadvantaged and minority students and those ill-prepared for college. Because these schools, many of them big national chains, derive most of their revenue from taxpayer-funded student financial aid, they are of interest to policy makers not only for the role they play in the higher education spectrum but also for the value they provide their students. The snippets of available evidence suggest that the economic returns to students who attend for-profit colleges are lower than those for public and nonprofit colleges. Moreover, default rates on student loans for proprietary schools far exceed those of other higher education institutions. Although for-profit colleges have had strong financial incentives to innovate in ways that increase enrollments, the rapid growth of the sector may have eroded program quality."

Methodology

The method to determined the best options requires that leaders identify and choose alternative based on values and preferences of the decision makers. The overall control that the board of directors holds on the rest of the college is very powerful and strong so this methodology will largely reflect the intentions and wishes of that collective group led by Sir Wildeman. A methodology must be based on bringing together a difference of opinon. "A group decision situation involves multiple actors (decision makers), each with different skills, experience and knowledge relating to different aspects (criteria) of the problem. In a correct method for synthesizing group decisions, the competence of the different actors to the different professional fields has also to be taken into account," (Fulop, 2005). A useful methodology is based on the following 8 step process.

Step1: Identify The Problem

Step 2: Determine Requirements

Step 3: Establish Goals

Step 4: Identify Alternatives

Step 5: Define Criteria

Step 6: Select a Decision Making Tool

Step 7: Evaluate Alternatives against criteria

Step 8: Validate Solutions against problem statement.

Results

After serious and dedicated analysis and thoughtful reflection, a three pronged solution has been derived from the problem at hand. CCLU has essentially three options upon considering the data and information that was presented.

Option 1: Sell the Theater To Private Investor

Option 2: Redesign CCLU's curriculum to exploit the Logan Theater's resources.

Option 3: Use Theater for classroom activities

Data Analysis

Theater and arts programs do not make colleges and universities money. Educational organizations in today's technological and fast paced society do not need to be educated in the arts for many reasons. There is much support suggesting that the arts and liberal arts should not be addressed in places of secondary education. Worstall (2012) agreed when he suggested that "given that technology has indeed changed since then we should perhaps evaluate whether we're still using the right methods to teaching our younglings what we'd like them to learn. Drama studies might be rather better studied by going and working as an actor: Mom and Pop subsidizing a child for four years doing off Broadway would certainly be cheaper than college these days and would almost certainly result in a better dramatic education. Who would doubt that modern languages would be better taught by slumming around Europe for four years than by a few hours a week of instruction in an otherwise unilingual environment?"

The leadership of this organization clearly values money and profits over quality and content. There is no room in today's economy for CCLU to support the dramatic arts in their current fashion. Option 1 and Option 2 are only viable if there can be some outside source of funding and an extensive marketing program that would ultimately distract from the true aims and objectives of the organization. The political and social backlash from executing such an option may harm the profit intake for a short while depending on how the public relations aspects of the school are handled and managed. Regardless of these setbacks and the ultimate loss of the Logan Theater, the effort does not appear to be worth holding on to the theater in any way.

Conclusion

It is important that institutions, in order to stay relevant and thriving, can have the ability to transform to nature's adjustments. The theater department at CCLU does need to hold on this theater in any way or fashion as it has become a financial burden and a proverbial thorn in the side of management and the board of directors. The city of Chicago's entertainment and dramatic arts options are far superior to what can be offered at CCLU. This transformation way from the arts and the liberal arts serves the intentions of the business interests and strategy makers of the organization.

CCLU is no longer equipped to deal with the Logan Theater as its interest lie elsewhere. It would be morally and ethically wrong to pose as an attractive place for dramatic art students, when their intention is clearly not there. This transformation resonates with the rest of secondary academia in many ways and allows CCLU to stay competitive in a very competitive industry that responds to rapid change as seen in this case.

Recommendation

It is recommended that CCLU put the Logan Theater on the market for sale and reap as many profits from its perceived value as it stands now. This effort should correspond with other efforts that seek to limit the performing arts, and eventually the liberal arts from this academic institution. These subjects do not reflect the values, ideals and practices of the leadership arm of this organization. The sale of this theater should be done in a politically correct manner and in a discreet manner that does not disturb the public too much. The historic attachments to the school should be downplayed during this time and a new and fresh approach should be promoted as CCLU stays current and viable in a very competitive market that aims to eliminate those who cannot successfully navigate the always and constant changes within the market environment. Apply strong fundamentals and a reasonable approach is essential in overcoming these problems and can provide new and inspiring methods of learning as time evolves.

Option 1, that aims to sell the theater corresponds with fundamental business practices that seek to minimize risk and exploit opportunities as they present themselves. CCLU's intenion should be clear and direct to all those internally associated with the theater and its operations. A team effort is required in dismantling this program and saying farewell to the theater. Emotions will be running strong, so a strong, intellectual posture is called for by all those in leadership positions and influential standing.