What’s new

Here are the latest goings-on at the firm. Click the headlines or images to read the full items.
 

July 05, 2011

Presentations This Month at Dance and Museum Conferences

It’s a busy July for arts & culture presentations, with Slover Linett staff speaking at no fewer than five sessions at three different conferences: Dance/USA, the Visitor Studies Association, and the Association of Midwest Museums. Luckily for us, all three are in Chicago this year. Please let us know if you’ll be attending. More »
July 01, 2011

Third annual international study of MBA prospects presented in Boston

Cheryl Slover-Linett was in Boston recently to present new findings from our annual survey of prospective business school applicants around the world. The study, which we’ve conducted since 2009 for the Association of International Graduate Admissions Counselors (AIGAC), shows increasing concern about the cost of earning an MBA. More »
June 30, 2011

Karlene Hanko, PhD, Joins Slover Linett as Research Analyst

Please join us in welcoming Karlene Hanko to the Slover Linett team. Hanko, who earned her doctorate in social psychology at Cornell University, specializes in understanding everyday judgment and decision-making processes and the interplay between the individual and the social world. Hanko replaces outgoing research analyst Eileen Bevis, who is leaving to pursue her interests in comparative international research. More »
May 23, 2011

Johns Hopkins University Selects Slover Linett for Student-Life Research

After a national search, Johns Hopkins has turned to us to conduct a study of campus life among its undergraduates on the Homewood campus in Baltimore. We’ll be taking a fresh look at perceptions of the campus community and the social life of undergraduates in order to inform the university’s strategic planning on issues such as campus housing, dining facilities, and the student center. More »
May 19, 2011

Special Announcement: New Roles, New Structure at Slover Linett

We’re excited to announce the promotion of several key members of the Slover Linett team and a new structure designed to enhance our ability to serve both higher education and arts & culture institutions. More »
May 10, 2011

Art and Science Intersect Next Week in Chicago

We’re excited about a unique conference being held on May 16 and 17 that brings together our dual interests in arts participation and informal science education. The Art of Science Learning, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, will look at how the arts can be used to strengthen science, technology, engineering and math learning and spark creativity in the 21st century American workforce. We hope to see our arts and science museum colleagues there. More »
April 28, 2011

Two New Seattle Arts Clients

We’re proud to welcome the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and On the Boards to the Slover Linett client family. Our research for both of these Seattle-based organizations is supported by grants from the Wallace Foundation. Using quantitative research methods, we'll evaluate technology initiatives that each organization is using to engage its audiences more deeply. More »
April 27, 2011

Columbia University’s Division of Student Affairs Turns to Slover Linett for Student Research

The Division of Student Affairs at New York City’s Ivy League school has selected Slover Linett to conduct a study of the experience of undergraduate students enrolled in Columbia College and The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. The research, which is being commissioned for the Center for Student Advising, will look at how Columbia can provide students with the guidance and support to pursue their passions. More »
April 25, 2011

Meet us in Houston at the Museums Conference

Partner Peter Linett and senior associate for museums Sarah Lee will be in Houston next month for the American Association of Museums annual meeting. Linett will chair a session on engaging visitors behind the scenes at museums, and Lee will chair a session on integrating the different types of audience research that museums do. More »
April 22, 2011

Cheryl Slover-Linett Gives Co-Keynote Talk on Social Media in Higher Ed

Slover-Linett, the firm’s president, was in San Francisco last week for the annual CASE Social Media & Community conference. She and Michael Stoner co-presented findings from our second annual survey of how colleges and universities use social media tools to create and cultivate relationships with prospects, students, and alumni. More »
March 30, 2011

Join Us at the CultureLab Emerging Practice Seminar on April 29

CultureLab, a partnership between the Cultural Policy Center at the University of Chicago and a consortium of leading arts consultants from the U.S., U.K., and Australia, is coming to Chicago for a public exploration of new practices in the cultural sector. Slover Linett partners Cheryl Slover-Linett and Peter Linett are proud to be members of CultureLab, and we invite you to join us for a stimulating, participatory day of ideas.
March 15, 2011

Year of Multi-Audience Research for Hofstra Law Wraps Up

Hofstra Law School, a top-100 institution located near New York City, engaged Slover Linett a year ago to conduct a brand-perceptions study of their various audiences. The school has already put our findings and recommendations to good use in a number of areas. More »
March 02, 2011

Research Fellow Rachelle L. Brooks Published!

Our research fellow, Dr. Rachelle L. Brooks of Northwestern University, wrote a chapter in a new book about student learning assessment in higher ed. In the book, Literary Study, Measurement, and the Sublime: Disciplinary Assessment, just published by the Teagle Foundation, Rachelle argues we should assess student learning within specific academic disciplines rather than generically. More »
February 23, 2011

Another Corner of Higher Ed: Donor Motivation Findings to be Presented at Medical Schools Conference

Our research and assessment work for universities usually looks at three broad audiences: prospects, students, and alumni. Lately, we’ve been helping several institutions study another crucial audience: donors to their medical schools and teaching hospitals. Research analyst Anne Lee will share some of what we’re learning at an upcoming conference. More »
February 23, 2011

Facilitator Liz Monroe-Cook Joins the Slover Linett Team

We’re proud to announce that Liz Monroe-Cook, PhD, a consulting psychologist who specializes in group facilitation and qualitative research, is joining Slover Linett as affiliated consultant. We’ve enjoyed collaborating with Liz on recent projects in higher education and the cultural sector, and this affiliation makes the partnership “official.” More »
February 17, 2011

We’re Hiring: Help Spread the Word

With so many exciting new projects underway, we’re happy to announce that Team Slover Linett is growing again. We’re currently interviewing for two new research and assessment professionals: one research analyst and one research assistant. We’ve already received some great referrals and resumes, but if someone you know fits the bill, please point them in our direction. Here’s the low-down on each of the open positions. More »
February 16, 2011

Welcome, Caleb! (No, he’s not a new hire)

We are very happy to announce the birth of Caleb Patton, son of our colleague Chloe Chittick Patton. Caleb, who was born on January 8, paid his first visit to the office this week, a festive occasion for everyone (except Caleb, who slept). We are all thrilled for Chloe and her husband, Andy, as they welcome their first child into their family. More »
January 27, 2011

Participation: It’s In the Air These Days

Participatory engagement in the arts and culture was a front-burner topic this month at Slover Linett. Here in Chicago, we co-sponsored a talk by Nina Simon, author of The Participatory Museum, to an audience of 130 museum professionals, funders, and consultants. Online, Cheryl Slover-Linett helped Alan Brown present a webinar on participatory cultural practice. More »
January 26, 2011

Cabrini College Chooses Slover Linett for Strategic Market Assessment

After a national search, Cabrini College has engaged the firm to analyze new and existing markets for its fast-growing graduate programs, particularly degrees in education. The assessment will help ensure that the college remains responsive to the region it serves while continuing to expand its offerings to new populations. More »
January 19, 2011

Slover Linett to Conduct Chicago Public Schools Arts Education Survey

The Chicago Community Trust, an organization that leads and inspires philanthropic efforts to improve the quality of life and prosperity of the Chicago region, has helped rally the arts sector around arts education in the Chicago Public Schools. Slover Linett recently began working with The Trust and several of its grantees to assess the breadth and depth of education programming provided by arts organizations to Chicago Public Schools students and teachers. More »
December 21, 2010

Harris Theater for Music and Dance Turns to Slover Linett for Patron Research

We’re proud to welcome one of the leading presenters and champions of the arts in Chicago, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, to the Slover Linett client family. We will be working with the theater to help it more deeply understand and engage its multiple audiences. More »
December 20, 2010

Greg Sandow Named Culture Kettle’s First “Innovator in Residence”

Culture Kettle L3C, the new experimental research and programming organization, is proud to announce that New York-based composer, author, and consultant Greg Sandow will be the organization’s inaugural Innovator in Residence. Sandow will work with Culture Kettle to create new knowledge about classical music audiences and explore new ways of connecting them to the art form. More »
December 20, 2010

Upcoming Event in Chicago: Nina Simon on Participatory Culture

Chicago-area museum leaders are invited to join us on Tuesday, January 11 for a conversation with experience designer and museum consultant Nina Simon, who will share her vision for the future of cultural institutions as personal, dynamic, collaborative places for visitor engagement. The talk will take place at the Chicago Cultural Center. More »
December 16, 2010

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Selects Slover Linett For Multi-Year Audience Study

We’re proud to welcome MCASD to the Slover Linett client family. Next month, we’ll begin a three-year, multi-method research process to help the museum deepen its relationships with audiences through innovative programming at the institution’s two locations, downtown San Diego and nearby La Jolla. More »
November 29, 2010

Article on Social Media in Higher Ed Published by CASE

Cheryl Slover-Linett and Michael Stoner have co-authored an article of social media management by colleges and universities. The new article builds on the initial findings they presented to the field in July, providing additional analyses and case studies. It also appears in the November/December issue of Currents, a publication of CASE (the Council for Advancement and Support of Education). More »
November 22, 2010

Northwestern University’s Rachelle L. Brooks Named a Research Fellow at Slover Linett

We’re proud to announce that Rachelle L. Brooks, a nationally recognized leader in outcomes assessment in higher education, is joining our team as an affiliated researcher. Dr. Brooks will collaborate with the firm on student, prospect, and alumni studies and extend our ability to serve colleges and universities through outcomes assessment. More »
November 11, 2010

Chloe Chittick Patton and Sarah Lee to Present at National Arts Marketing Project Conference

Two of our senior associates head to San Jose, California this weekend to present at the National Arts Marketing Project Conference, an annual gathering sponsored by Americans for the Arts. Chloe Chittick Patton and Sarah Lee will share tools we’ve used to help arts organizations and museums better understand and engage their audiences. More »
October 29, 2010

Report from Smithsonian Natural History Museum Evaluation Now Available

How do people want to engage with science content in a museum? Are they eager to connect with real scientists and work with real collections? With special thanks to the education and outreach team at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, we’re pleased to share findings from our 2009 front-end evaluation for an innovative new learning center at the museum. More »
October 28, 2010

New Center for Research and Innovation in the Culture Sector — Introducing Culture Kettle

Slover Linett is co-founding a not-for-profit enterprise to conduct exploratory research and foster programmatic innovation in the arts and the public sciences and humanities. The new organization, Culture Kettle, will be an “R&D” center working to broaden our understanding of how people do — and could — engage with cultural content, from symphonies to science exhibits. More »
October 26, 2010

Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs Selects Slover Linett for Survey of Area Artists

We’re proud to announce that we’ll be helping the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs conduct a follow-up study on the needs of artists living and working in the Windy City. The 2010 survey, which builds on an initial study conducted in 2000, will explore how the city can better support artists and other creative entrepreneurs. More »
October 26, 2010

Working Session at the University of Chicago for New Research Study on Campus Art Museums

On Tuesday, November 2, Slover Linett partner Peter Linett will co-lead a public lunch at the University of Chicago’s Cultural Policy Center to discuss a new study of the multiple audiences served by campus-based art museums. Linett and project colleagues Tom Shapiro, Betty Farrell, and Tony Hirschel, will solicit input on the design and priorities of the research from academic museum practitioners and others interested in the sector. More »
October 14, 2010

Meet Chloe Chittick Patton in Los Angeles at the Arts Reach Conference

Slover Linett’s senior associate for the performing arts, Chloe Chittick Patton, will be in Los Angeles for the fifth annual Arts Reach National Arts Marketing and Development Conference on October 22nd and 23rd. She looks forward to talking about audiences, donors, and research with colleagues from around the country. More »
October 13, 2010

Peter Linett on Panel at Grantmakers in the Arts Conference

Next Wednesday, October 20, Slover Linett partner Peter Linett will co-present at the 2010 Grantmakers in the Arts Conference in Chicago. He will be part of a panel discussion entitled “Are the Arts Gaining or Losing Ground in America Today?” More »
August 24, 2010

We Welcome Aaron Trent to the Firm as Research Assistant

Aaron Trent, who recently earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Chicago, joined the team earlier this month. He will help analyze data and develop reports for our full spectrum of cultural and higher ed clients. More »
August 06, 2010

Chicago History Museum Selects Slover Linett for Exhibit Evaluation

We’re delighted to begin working with one of the leading urban history museums in the country, the Chicago History Museum. We will be conducting a formative evaluation for an upcoming exhibition about Chicago’s gay and lesbian past. More »
July 22, 2010

Arts Engagement Exchange Grants Lead to New Projects

Thanks to a generous new round of grantmaking by the Arts Engagement Exchange here in Chicago, we’ll be conducting additional research for a favorite client, TimeLine Theatre, and beginning to work with two other terrific organizations: The Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago and the statewide service and advocacy group Arts Alliance Illinois. More »
July 22, 2010

Meet Us in Phoenix at VSA

Slover Linett partner Peter Linett and senior associate Sarah Lee will be in Phoenix next week for the 23rd annual conference of the Visitor Studies Association (VSA). They look forward to meeting new colleagues in the museum field and picking up the conversation with old friends. More »
July 19, 2010

Cheryl Slover-Linett Presents Findings on Social Media in Higher Ed

The firm’s founding partner is in New York City this week for the annual CASE Summit For Advancement Leaders. Slover-Linett will give a talk with Michael Stoner, president of mStoner, and others about new data on how colleges and universities use social media tools to build and cultivate relationships. More »
July 06, 2010

Second Wave of Findings from MBA Prospects Survey Released

Findings from our second annual study of students planning to pursue an MBA degree are now available in the publications section of sloverlinett.com. Bill Hayward, the firm’s practice leader for higher ed, presented the findings last month at the annual conference of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC) at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. More »
June 25, 2010

Farewell Flinner: A Colleague Heads to NYC

Join us in saying au revoir to Kate Flinner, Slover Linett’s manager of field research. Kate is moving to New York to pursue a career in museum exhibits, starting with an internship at Thinc Design, a leading exhibition design firm with clients around the world. More »
June 22, 2010

Coming Up for AIR: Bill Hayward Presents at Institutional Research Conference

Over 1,500 research and assessment professionals from colleges and universities converged on Chicago over the Memorial Day weekend for the annual meeting of the Association for Institutional Research (AIR). We presented findings from a study of the relationship between student engagement and later alumni connectedness. More »
June 14, 2010

Research Fellow Michael Di Giovine Presents Heritage Management Framework at UNESCO Conference

Di Giovine, an anthropologist completing his doctorate at the University of Chicago and currently conducting research in Italy, spoke at an international conference on heritage and tourism in Quebec City, Canada earlier this month. His influential book on the “heritage-scape” had just been praised by the conference’s keynote speaker, so Di Giovine’s sessions were packed. More »
June 12, 2010

Helping Create a New Center for Art Museum Studies

The art history department at Case Western Reserve University has asked Slover Linett to lead part of a planning study for a unique new research center. The project is a collaboration between Case Western, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and other educational and cultural organizations in northeast Ohio. More »
June 12, 2010

Cleveland Museum of Art Turns to Slover Linett for Integrated Exhibition Research

The museum, one of the largest art institutions in the country, has engaged us to help develop a new audience research approach that combines exhibition evaluation and market research. The integrated process will be developed in conjunction with an upcoming exhibition of pre-Incan art, which will serve as a “pilot project” for the new approach. More »
June 11, 2010

Inside the Beltway, A New Donor Study

We’re proud to begin a relationship with George Washington University in Washington, DC. We’ll be working with the development department at the university’s medical center to discover ways of strengthening the institution’s relationships with individual supporters. More »
May 19, 2010

We Welcome Amy Barr to the Firm as Office Manager

Amy Barr, who recently earned a Master’s degree from George Washington University’s well-regarded museum studies program, joined the team part-time earlier this month. And not a moment too soon! More »
May 05, 2010

Meet Us in Los Angeles at the Museum Conference

Partner Peter Linett and senior associate Sarah Lee will be in Los Angeles later this month for the American Association of Museums meeting. Linett will give a talk on museums in a postmodern world at the Museum Group’s annual side conference. More »
May 05, 2010

University of Chicago Partnership Extended

This month we were asked by the President’s Office to help the university with its 2010 COFHE survey of graduating seniors. The study is conducted every four years by the 31 highly selective colleges and universities that are members of the COFHE research consortium. More »
May 04, 2010

Exploring “Scientific Chicago” with WTTW

We’re excited to be working with WTTW, Chicago’s public television affiliate, to conduct an audience evaluation of the station’s new science series. The programs will run as part of Chicago Tonight, WTTW’s popular evening show that covers a wide range of civic, cultural, and other topics of interest to Chicagoans. More »
April 18, 2010

Benchmarking Social Media Practices

Slover Linett has partnered with its friends at mStoner, a leading communications firm for educational institutions, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), to conduct a national study examining how colleges and universities manage their social media activities. More »
April 07, 2010

Greg Sandow Chicago Lecture Co-presented by Slover Linett

The firm, in partnership with the University of Chicago’s Cultural Policy Center and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, will host a conversation with Sandow on April 20. Sandow is an influential commentator on the future of classical music and serves on the faculty at Julliard. More »
March 26, 2010

“Come on Eileen” — We Welcome Eileen Bevis to the Firm as a Research Analyst

After a three-month national search for an additional Research Analyst, we concluded that the ideal candidate was already near at hand. Eileen Bevis, a PhD student in sociology at the University of Chicago and a freelance analyst for Slover Linett since mid-2009, joins the team full time next week. More »
March 26, 2010

Second Wave of International MBA Research Begins

Slover Linett is partnering with the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC) to extend our joint study of MBA prospects, first conducted in early 2009. The new results will be presented at AIGAC’s annual conference in June at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. More »
March 12, 2010

Article on Planning for Audience Research Published by National Arts Marketing Project

The two-part article by Peter Linett aims to help arts leaders ask the right questions before embarking on a research project. It was recently published on the website of the National Arts Marketing Project, a unit of Americans for the Arts. More »
March 08, 2010

Slover Linett to Lead Arts & Business Council Workshop on Using Audience Data

The March 30 session in Chicago will help arts professionals learn how to take a data-driven approach to developing marketing strategies. Registration is now open. More »
March 05, 2010

New Cultural Clients in Chicago, St. Louis

We’re proud to welcome two highly respected arts institutions to the Slover Linett family this week: the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. More »
March 04, 2010

Leading Community Music School Turns to Slover Linett

The Merit School of Music in Chicago has selected us to help with a Wallace Foundation-funded research project examining arts education decisions. More »
February 22, 2010

Appraisal of Museum Literature Published in Curator

Peter Linett's article looking back at his six-year tenure as book review editor at Curator: The Museum Journal appears in this month's issue of the journal. More »
February 10, 2010

Writing the Book on Institutional Research

A chapter in the forthcoming Handbook for Institutional Research will be co-written by Slover Linett senior associate Bill Hayward and Northwestern University’s Rachelle Brooks. More »
February 02, 2010

New Collaboration with Cultural Economics Firm AECOM

We’re proud to be beginning a new study this month with our friends at AECOM, with whom we’ve collaborated on museum research and analysis projects in the past. More »
February 01, 2010

Alumni and Development Analysis Delivered to University of Chicago

Last week, Slover Linett presented the results of a custom analysis of alumni survey responses originally collected by COFHE, the Consortium on Financing Higher Education. More »
January 19, 2010

Passing the Bar for Hofstra

Along with our partners at the communications firm mStoner, Slover Linett was selected by Hofstra University’s School of Law for a major research and engagement initiative. More »
January 07, 2010

Comparison Wave of Alumni Study Launched

First conducted in 2007, the University of Chicago "Relationship Monitor" surveys alumni living around the globe to reveal ways of increasing engagement. More »
January 05, 2010

New Year, New Website

We're ringing in 2010 with a fresh face online. Our full-featured site and blog went live this week at sloverlinett.com. More »
January 02, 2010

Peter Linett Begins Visiting Role at Cultural Policy Center

Slover Linett partner Peter Linett was recently named a Visiting Associate at the Cultural Policy Center at the University of Chicago. More »
December 21, 2009

It’s Only Natural… History

Slover Linett presented evaluation findings this week that will help the education department at the nation's busiest natural history museum plan for a new learning center. More »
December 12, 2009

Capital Campaign Study Findings Presented

Managing partner Cheryl Slover-Linett presented findings from a new national study on how cultural and educational institutions plan for and fund their captial campaigns. More »
November 15, 2009

An Elevated Client

Slover Linett will provide audience research services to Friends of the High Line, the nonprofit organization responsible for New York City's hottest cultural and recreational site More »
October 16, 2009

Slover-Linett Shares Insights about Delaware Arts

This weekend, Delaware's "State of the Arts" podcast and radio show will rebroadcast its August 2009 interview with Cheryl Slover-Linett about Delaware arts audiences. More »
September 12, 2009

It’s a book!

Slover Linett research fellow Michael Di Giovine recently published The Heritage-scape: UNESCO, World Heritage and Tourism. More »
September 08, 2009

Tufts Graduate Jett Joins Firm

Catherine Jett joins Slover Linett Strategies from the Rotary Foundation, becoming the firm's first Research Assistant. More »
September 07, 2009

Curtain! Online Ticketing Study Completed

Slover Linett Strategies reported findings to Chicago's nonprofit theater community about audiences' online ticketing behaviors and needs. More »

 

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January 16, 2012 | Peter

In the arts, audience-centered business models start with the art, not the business

 »

In my last post, I asked where the consumers are in the Colorado symphony’s new “customer-driven” business model and promised a few examples of ways arts groups are getting audiences into the picture a little more creatively. It’s about not thinking of them as consumers or audiences in the first place, but as collaborators.

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