The CMS Fund Annual Report for 2007

In this its fourth year, The CMS Fund has continued to raise funds in keeping with its mission of assisting the programs and initiatives of The College Music Society. By so doing the Fund seeks to help in addressing the challenges facing the profession through its support of the Society’s leadership in bringing the accomplishments of its members and their institutions to a wider public.

Although fund raising is a relatively new activity for the Society it is becoming more and more important as new and continuing programs are being developed for its members and music in higher education. Thanks to contributions to date it has been able to provide initial subsidies in several areas including the inception of the Robby D. Gunstream Education in Music Award to honor our Executive Director’s twenty five years of service.

The Fund continues its support of the ADAMS (Academic Digital Audio Music Service) initiative that provides members with the opportunity to share their professional profiles, compositions, and scholarly work with the profession and the public. As enrollment continues to grow, this service to members is proving to be an important means of professional communication.

This year was the first of the Fund’s three-year commitment to providing funds for the activities of CMS’s Committee on Outreach and Engagement. This includes support for presentations at national and regional conferences. It will also provide seed grants to members committed to programs for community engagement. These grants will enable members to explore innovative and creative community outreach and engagement practices that are examples of effective programs for use by the profession. These model programs might also be used by those responsible for professional curricula to develop skills in their graduates, enabling them to carry on such programs in their professional lives.

In today’s society musicians must be more than purveyors of the art of music. Whether they are composers, performers, educators or scholars, musicians must possess the skills necessary to interact and communicate with the general public in order to influence more effectively the musical life in contemporary society. Thus, as has been announced, in keeping with CMS’s 50th Anniversary the Fund has appointed an Anniversary Committee that for the next three years will oversee the primary fundraising activities of the Society. This campaign will enable The CMS Fund to increase its resources so as to continue and expand its support of programs initiated by the Society.

The Fund Board wants to thank the many members who have already contributed. We encourage all of our members to make contributions, of any size, that will help make possible these programs that benefit the entire profession. You can find more information on the CMS web site.