During the summer, the University and plaintiffs Meryl Rose, Jonathan Lee, Lois Foster and Gerald Fineberg settled their 2-year Rose Art Museum litigation. In an email he sent out to the Brandeis community June 30, University President Frederick Lawrence stated that, "The agreement emphasizes that the Rose is and will remain a University art museum open to the public and that Brandeis has no plan to sell artwork." This board would like to congratulate all involved for settling amicably and for securing the future of the Rose Art Museum.

According to the settlement agreement, the parties settled with the understanding that the museum would remain public, professionally staffed and, above all, committed to the arts. This editorial board is pleased that the Rose remains an important part of this campus and a priority of the University. We support this commitment to the arts, which are an integral and significant part of the University's mission and crucial to the liberal arts education Brandeis promises to all of its students.

This board also congratulates Mr. Lawrence's active and strategic role in the settlement. Mr. Lee attributes the settlement to the president's shared goals for the Rose with the plaintiffs. In an interview with the Justice in June, Lee said, "Lawrence agreed not to sell any of the art, and he wants to get an appropriate museum director hired, and he wants to restore the Rose to its glory, if you will." We applaud Mr. Lawrence's direct role in securing the future of the Rose, as it demonstrates his personal commitment to the Rose Art Museum and University arts as a whole. This in particular is a point of pride for our entire community in the wake of the 2009 scandal that called the University's commitment to the arts into question in a very public manner.

In Mr. Lawrence's fall campuswide President's Letter, he affirmed that the settlement marked a close to one chapter of the Rose's history and that the University could now "turn [its] attention to the Rose's fiftieth anniversary celebration, the much-anticipated renovations to the building, and the hiring of a new director for the museum."

This board is excited to witness this new chapter of the Rose, beginning with the upcoming 50th anniversary celebrations and the new renovations happening this fall. As Director of Museum Operations Roy Dawes told BrandeisNOW in May 2011, "It's absolutely terrific. … The cleanliness of the lines will enhance the space and our ability to display artwork. The circulation of viewers through the space will be greatly improved and new display opportunities will be created."

We look forward to seeing these changes in the upcoming months, and we are excited to finally see the University's image strengthening in the art world as we put an ugly chapter of the history of the Rose Art Museum behind us.