by Jenna Stanbrough and Meagan Thomas | published Feb. 20, 2012

Last May, Gov. Sam Brownback erased state funding for arts programs, leaving the Kansas Arts Commission with no budget, staff or offices. Arts supporters and many educators felt frustrated at the prospect of Kansas becoming the first state in the nation without an arts agency.

Some students choose to attend Baker in order to pursure passions such as music, ceramics or painting. As the future of arts funding in Kansas becomes a topic for heated debate, artistic students and their professors at Baker University fear that governmental cuts may adversely affect BU's mission as a private liberal arts school with a focus on creative and critical thinking.