Sweeney, Tara2008-09-302008-09-302008-06https://hdl.handle.net/1794/7363101 p. Examining committee chair: Janice W. RutherfordMuseum literature in the United States characterizes a broad shift in the mission and primary focus of art museums from the collection and preservation of objects to public education; concomitant with this development is the advent of independent museum education departments within the museum. This shift has been characterized in US museum literature through a discussion of the social directives of educational restructuring as they are implied within the museumà à à ¢ s mission statement. By focusing on the financing of museum education departments, along with endowment revenue and acquisition funding, and by examining the extent of change over time, we can clarify our understanding of the fiscal priorities of museums. In order to determine the level of financial commitment museums maintain in relation to their education departments, this analysis employs qualitative and quantitative methodologies.9060298 bytesapplication/pdfen-USParadigm shiftProgram servicesEducationMuseum endowmentsArt museums -- United States -- FinanceEducation emphasisEducation departmentsAcquisitions expensesArt museum budgets & fiscal priorityBudgetsMuseum expensesOther